JetBlue got into a sticky situation after its social media people put out a seemingly innocent but poorly timed tweet earlier this week.
The corporate Twitter account of the New York-based airline posted, “Alright [sic] travel Twitter, where are you flying this winter?” around noon on Monday. Included with the tweet was a poll asking if travelers were flying “away from the snow” or “towards the snow.”
Of course, this was asked during a time when the world’s cases of COVID-19 are on an upswing and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked Americans to not travel during the holiday season, as cases in the U.S. are surging.
The Twitterverse’s response to JetBlue’s tweet was quick and to the point:
No where – because being responsible matters.
— Carrie_Samantha_Fusion (@Chunmon) December 7, 2020
Uhhhh. Was this queued in January. Because: Nowhere. Listening to CDC and science and staying home. To, you know, stop the spread of a deadly virus.
— Liz (@rungineered) December 7, 2020
Nowhere. Since there’s a pandemic and people are dying due to the selfishness of travelers.
— Galaxy World USA (@GalaxyWorldUSA) December 7, 2020
Nowhere because I'm responsible, but I live by BOS so I'm going to look up at planes and hope the people on them are going on essential trips and not just fun vacations.
— four seasons total laurenscaping (@ljs39) December 7, 2020
Um, what? I love JetBlue, but read the room.
— B Buff (@b_buff4) December 7, 2020
Nowhere…unless you know something about guidance and spread that I don't…?
— Ann Lapin (@ann4marykay) December 7, 2020
Why would we fly anywhere unless we had to? Y'all forget we're in the middle of a pandemic?
But, in the spirit of things, I'll answer as if there wasn't a pandemic.
— James D (@CynicalityLord) December 7, 2020
Nowhere… because, um… the whole pandemic thing, rising cases, all that stuff.
I love you @JetBlue, I really do, but maybe reconsider this tweet.
— KateE 🦋 🖤 (@ReadersRambling) December 7, 2020
JetBlue deleted the tweet soon thereafter.
@JetBlue why’d you delete this? pic.twitter.com/6JeNtZBLMJ
— thank the pHOHOHOnecians (@ChrisTweetsLLC) December 7, 2020
Frankly, I kind of wish someone had forwarded the following tweet to JetBlue:
Rates of #COVID19 remain high across all regions of the United States, with 68% of jurisdictions experiencing increasing case rates. Help slow the spread:
😷 Wear a mask over your nose AND mouth.
🖐️ Wash your hands.
↔️ Stay 6 feet from others.More: https://t.co/gp6X4zTnBT pic.twitter.com/7krOyPdPiQ
— CDC (@CDCgov) December 2, 2020
Also, as per the CDC, “Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. However, keeping your distance is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within 6 feet of others, sometimes for hours, may increase your risk of getting COVID-19.”
So yeah, maybe not the greatest tweet to put out there.
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#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
Very Karen reaction…while the public can express their opinions however they want with their pocketbook, to suggest that private companies should preemptively hurt their bottom line is a bit too much.
I don’t fault Jetblue for promoting travel as they are an airline; I also don’t fault them for deleting their tweet if they feel the backlash.