British Airways has some of the best airline advertising in the world. A couple of years ago they they highlighted ‘the Welcome of Home’ and it was a really touching piece about a woman needing to feel connected to friends because they could die.

It made me swallow hard, but after watching it I had no idea after watching it why it’s better to transit Heathrow on BA enroute to India than to fly any of their competitors? The ad gave me no reason whatsoever to choose British Airways, and I’m pretty sure that would be true even if I were an Indian woman living in Canada like the one featured in the ad.

They did a bit better with ‘Fuelled By Love’ showing the warmth and caring service of British Airways crew, and with their service to India. The most touching ads seem to be about India.

I don’t think it was a fair representation of the median British Airways Worldwide crew. But it was sure well done.

A new British Airways video takes the tact of the importance of flying and connecting people. Again, it’s well done — highlights their reconnecting a woman living in the UK, who was adopted during World War II, with her lost sisters living in Texas — but doesn’t exactly tell you why to fly British Airways to do it.

Searching for a BA benefit the airline is highlighting connecting people in conjunction with a sale on roundtrip air and 5 day car rental with New York – Dublin prices starting at $549 roundtrip and New York – London starting at $779 roundtrip. (Of course we’ve seen recent sales with even better pricing than that, and may again!)

And they’re featuring reconnecting people via an Ancestry.com partnership with a contest to give away business class tickets and 4 nights hotel in London.

I’d say that their advertising actually surpasses the quality of their business class product.

Of course that’s even though nearly all airline advertising fails — which is one key reason why airlines has frequent flyer programs.