14 DAY TRIAL // They say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Well, Malaysia Airlines is here to prove the people who believe this to be the case wrong. At its own expense, of course, but hey, what's a damaged reputation when one gets to educate the public.
If you're one of those people preoccupied with what's going on in the world around them, you probably know that, earlier this year, in March, Malaysia Airlines made headlines after one of its planes vanished while carrying passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
It's been months since Malaysia Flight 370 disappeared without a trace, but the plane still hasn't been found. This is despite the fact that buckets of money have until now been spent on a seemingly endless string of search and rescue missions.
Fast forward a few months and, come July, one other Malaysia Airlines flight failed to reach its destination for the wrongest of reasons. In a nutshell, the plane crashed in eastern Ukraine, presumably after being hit by a missile fired by combatants in the region.
As if looking to adorn its coffin with yet another nail, it was earlier this week that Malaysia Airlines launched what can only be described as the absolute worst PR campaign ever: a promotional competition not so cleverly titled “My Ultimate Bucket List Campaign.”
Here's what the competition was all about: flying enthusiasts were supposed to tell the company which places in the world they would most like to visit, and explain their choice. The prizes comprised 12 return economy class airfares from Australia and New Zealand to Malaysia, and four iPads.
Not at all surprisingly, the campaign was axed just hours after being launched. This is because a bucket list is basically a list of the things folks want to do before meeting the Grim Reaper, and, given Malaysia Airlines' track record in terms of flying safety, pretty much everybody agreed the competition was disrespectful and of very poor taste.
“Malaysia Airlines has withdrawn the title of a competition running in Australia and New Zealand, as it is found to be inappropriate at this point in time,” the airline said in a statement issued shortly after folks started criticizing it for its “Bucket List Campaign,” as cited by Mashable.
“The competition had been earlier approved as it was themed around a common phrase used in both countries. The airline appreciates and respects the sentiments of the public and in no way did it intend to offend any parties,” the company reportedly went on to explain.
Apart from issuing this apology, Malaysia Airline announced that it was to change the name of the promotional competition from “My Ultimate Bucket List” to “Win an iPad or Malaysia Airlines flight to Malaysia.” All traces of the campaign in its initial form were also pulled from the airline's website.