In 1984, Eastern Airlines released a TV commercial touting that it saw the future and it looked bleak showing images of an airline boneyard and stating that “an airline that doesn’t plan for the future, may not have one.” The ad then went on to tout their new Boeing 757 airliner that was more fuel efficient and had greater passenger comfort than their 727 ‘whisperjet’. It was as if their new 757 alone would power them high above the threats of the industry.
Eastern Airlines Commercial predicted the future.
The irony of the ad is that just 7 years later, Eastern Airlines went belly up. While their 757s were pretty amazing for the time, the combination of a softening economy brought on by a recession, high oil prices caused by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and tumultuous labor relations at Eastern (we’ve profiled some of the reasons that Eastern failed in an article that highlighted the very challenging labor and leadership situation) all combined to doom the once high flying airline. A shiny jet wasn’t enough to save an airline that helped define air travel in the US for over a half century.
Not the first ironic airline commercial
Maybe the greater irony is that this is far from the first ironic airline commercial. AirTran criticized Southwest’s boarding policy, only to be gobbled up by Southwest Airlines a few years later. American once touted their greater legroom. Today they have some of the tightest seats in the industry. You can see our original article below. Just click on the link next to the “AirTran cows” below:
Eastern might have disappeared but the 757 still soldiers on
The Boeing 757 really was amazing for the time and a jewel in Eastern’s fleet. Even though the design is now over 40 years old, it still is a unique aircraft and used by a number of airlines. It’s overpowered, has beefy landing gear, and range that makes short hops, cross-country, and cross-Atlantic travel possible.
It’s why airlines like Delta and United still fly their 757 fleet even though the youngest jet is now approaching 20 years old. The design was so successful that there is even a new airline that will utilize the 757 for their startup when they commence service later this year.
