Spirit Airlines Pulls Prostitution “Joke” Ad, Offers Appallingly Weak Apology

Is there something about prostitution that screams “comedy gold” to some people? Must be.

One couldn’t help but wonder this late last week when confronted with Spirit Airlines’ hilarious ad that spoofed the secret service prostitution scandal in Colombia. The ad offered “More Bang For Your Buck,” with low-cost flights to Catagena, and featured a club-bouncer-esque secret service dude posed in front of some scantily clad gals. And, in case the not-so-funny joke was totally lost on you, the ad quipped that “upfront payment is required,” a reference to the claim that one secret servicer may have ripped off his for-pay bedmate. Classy.

In short, the whole thing was about as subtle as a novocaine-free root canal.

So it’s no shock that Spirit has now pulled the ad, following public outcry. What actually is a tad surprising, however, is just how disingenuous and limiting the company’s apology for the ad was. A statement from Spirit, published over at ABC News, read:

“Spirit pulled its ad yesterday, and we meant no disrespect to our nay friends and valued customers.”

Yep, Spirit’s really sorry about offending its friends. As for everyone else… meh?

Of course, as though Spirit’s PR team wasn’t working overtime already, the company stumbled into yet another unflattering scandal yesterday, doubling down the airline’s image problem. But what could possibly be on a par — scandal-wise — with a prostitution-fueled ad campaign?

Try this: Spirit Airlines refused to refund a ticket that belongs to a dying man. Words fails me.

TAGS: spirit airlines | spirit airlines bang for your buck

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