A nice collection of past United commercials. I especially remember the one at 1:29. How could you not feel sorry for the poor guy? A definite "Road Warrior", at least it had a happy ending.

https://youtu.be/eBIU8ytEl74?t=39

They had the best ads until the late 1990s or so. Never really cared for the “It’s time to Fly” ones and whatever trash they have today is forgettable.

Great compilation. Oddly reminds me of flying Northwest in the early 90s and the flight attendant included their then advertising line, “some people just know how to fly” in her arrival PA as per corporate policy and passengers were laughing because it sounded so canned.

Continental’s ‘One Airline can make a difference’ was very good

I thought ‘work hard fly right’ was lame though

I'd almost forgotten about the brown pilot uniforms - still hideous.

The ads were enjoyable, so thanks for the link..

The best commercial ever <3 So much love and genuineness in the messaged and visual image. A advertisement masterpiece.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd4gAHmRJWo

Max Q wrote:

Continental’s ‘One Airline can make a difference’ was very good

I thought ‘work hard fly right’ was lame though

The "One Airline Can Make A Difference" campaign rolled out as I recall, in the early 1990s, either just prior to or coinciding with, Continental's second exit from bankruptcy. I always thought it was a strange tag line as it could mean positive or negative, depending on your experience or outlook. Work Hard, Fly Right was built upon the Bethune and post era mantra of clean, safe, reliable (and consistent) transport, meaning there was to be little to no differentiation between aircraft cabins across the CO fleet. One of my favorite CO ads were the "Up Where You Belong" campaign in the 1980s and the taxicab topper ads in the late 1990s and early 2000s promoting all of CO's nonstops from EWR, like "Fifth Avenue to Orange County: Nonstop" or something like that.

The Friendly Skies campaign is one of the longest in US aviation history. I think UA brought it back before the David Dao incident (several years before that as it started to appear on safety videos in the first batch produced post merger). It's all a bit hollow nowadays but it does evoke the United of Saul Bass, California, and the 1970s and 1980s in a unique way.

I have always love United marketing. They have been the best for ads (print and visual),music and theme over the years for U.S. airlines. The tulip was very iconic and it is still odd not seeing some form of the tulip associated with United now. Love seeing their ads. Wish their jetways were still colorful and filled with ads of destinations.

The jingles, combined with the 'the friendly skies' and the Saul Bass livery always represented United at it's peak to me. Once things started to change United never got its groove back.

NCAD95 wrote:

The best commercial ever <3 So much love and genuineness in the messaged and visual image. A advertisement masterpiece.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd4gAHmRJWo

Agreed. I loved the American Airlines ads and promo materials from that era. There was one video, I think a training video, with a jingle called "soar" and I can only find a low-quality version on YouTube.

-Rowen

"You're Promoting a Copyright Violation" is a better thread title. I don't see how that YouTube video constitutes a fair-use extract with transforming commentary.

Always loved this United commercial highlighting their O’Hare network. https://youtu.be/O17Hvb5mEXQ

Unfortunately, what is conveyed in these "Ads" is not what we get in real life. Mediocre onboard amenities and indifferent service.

blooc350 wrote:

Unfortunately, what is conveyed in these "Ads" is not what we get in real life. Mediocre onboard amenities and indifferent service.

We are talking about ads that are 30years old. There were no internet, you called a toll free number to make reservations and buy tickets or go to a travel agent, and you could go behind security to meet your loved one at the gate. When people didn't fly in their pajamas...........errrrrrr.........lounge pants. Was it as lovely as the ads show, of course not, but it was a different time.

Max Q wrote:

I thought ‘work hard fly right’ was lame though

Even worse, do you remember when they came out with their (very!) short-lived billboard ads with "Bling-Bling" added to that?

MIflyer12 wrote:

"You're Promoting a Copyright Violation" is a better thread title. I don't see how that YouTube video constitutes a fair-use extract with transforming commentary.

What reason do you seem to believe that a bunch of nostalgic AvGeeks would care about that, in the slightest, for?

Then there's always this, ahem, gem...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNUyaigtOHo

cschleic wrote:

Then there's always this, ahem, gem...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNUyaigtOHo

I'd forgotten about that one! Wow.

Thanks for posting.

ContinentalEWR wrote:

The "One Airline Can Make A Difference" campaign rolled out as I recall, in the early 1990s, either just prior to or coinciding with, Continental's second exit from bankruptcy. I always thought it was a strange tag line as it could mean positive or negative, depending on your experience or outlook.

That makes me think of Braniff's: "We better be better. We're Braniff."

So are you saying that you have to be better because you hold yourself to a higher standard than other airlines? Or are you saying that you have to be better because your product and/or reputation is so poor?

The Friendly Skies will always be iconic - particularly when paired with Rhapsody.

On the other hand, "The World's Favourite Airline" will always stick in my mind as the most iconic.

https://youtu.be/n8upRVi4Hdk

MIflyer12 wrote:

"You're Promoting a Copyright Violation" is a better thread title. I don't see how that YouTube video constitutes a fair-use extract with transforming commentary.

They’re 37 year old commercials and if you think UA cares about their history, I have a bridge to sell you

spartanmjf wrote:

The Friendly Skies will always be iconic - particularly when paired with Rhapsody.

On the other hand, "The World's Favourite Airline" will always stick in my mind as the most iconic.

https://youtu.be/n8upRVi4Hdk

Sure, though when it comes to old BA commercials, nothing tops the "Mile Every 3 Seconds" Concorde advertisement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mkHcR6IXJo


........their "Concorde To Mars" one comes close though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fjA_TR344g

william wrote:

A nice collection of past United commercials. I especially remember the one at 1:29. How could you not feel sorry for the poor guy? A definite "Road Warrior", at least it had a happy ending.

https://youtu.be/eBIU8ytEl74?t=39

Was that Charles Napier at 2:24?

Too bad they did not include the "Take Me Along" campaign!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79KY3SEm2rs

william wrote:

blooc350 wrote:

Unfortunately, what is conveyed in these "Ads" is not what we get in real life. Mediocre onboard amenities and indifferent service.

We are talking about ads that are 30years old. There were no internet, you called a toll free number to make reservations and buy tickets or go to a travel agent, and you could go behind security to meet your loved one at the gate. When people didn't fly in their pajamas...........errrrrrr.........lounge pants. Was it as lovely as the ads show, of course not, but it was a different time.

And you had to get a published schedule from said travel agent or at the airline ticket counter.

cschleic wrote:

Then there's always this, ahem, gem...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNUyaigtOHo

love this

To see people's smiles!! Something I have not seen in public for over a year now! No masks in these videos! Imagine making similar commercials today! LOL!

MIflyer12 wrote:

"You're Promoting a Copyright Violation" is a better thread title. I don't see how that YouTube video constitutes a fair-use extract with transforming commentary.

Even if this is the case, do you really think United want to pass up the opportunity for free publicity? Why do you think companies aren't actively having YouTube take down old ads?

In any case, I find pre-Rhapsody United ads to be a bit hokey. Especially compared to this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_hRjDi ... ftisy0C_Jj

Actually the best airline theme music ever was Cathay Pacific’s use of Barry White’s ‘Love theme’ in the ‘70’s

YouTube is our friend in this case. Here is a great compilation of other vintage 70s and 80s airline commercials including Hughes, PSA, Delta, TWA, UA, AA, CO, etc. A lot of them are like musicals. Singing in ads was common, I guess, at the times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty80VJDpaXQ

plus Gene Hackman's voiceover was classic for the UA commercials.