Talk about a non-event. Through January 6th, Alaska Airlines is offering 10% off to Newark as part of its gay travel promotions.
Of course, you don’t actually have to be gay to get the discount. You just have to use the promo code EC06607.
This is similar to Orbitz gay hotel discounts and $100 gay discounts.
- Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
And yet Alaska is taking heat for their marketing, with an activist portraying the airline as imposing a 10% tax on heterosexuals.
- “They are giving preferences to male passengers who want to wear dresses on the planes, and giving them preference over married couples,”
Now, of course, this isn’t true or a reasonable way to describe Alaska’s marketing efforts. But if Alaska wanted to impose a surcharge on bigots I’d personally favor it, though the market probably wouldn’t support it (bigots would just buy their tickets from another airline).
Personally, I’m comfortable entering the discount code and claiming the 10% off. Save the hate mail folks, I’ll just claim that
- I’ve been outed! I wasn’t even in!
Would you feel the same way if Alaska or others had a “whites only” promotion, or a “Christians only” promotion? If not, why is a “gays only” promotion better? Sexuality has nothing intrinsic to do with flying.