Delta and Coke Apologize for Flirtatious Napkins

Twitter users didn't appreciate the "unsolicited" message.

Airline seats
More airlines are taking trans-Atlantic flights for less cash and leg room. (Nicolas Economou/ SOPA Images/ LightRocket via Getty)
LightRocket via Getty Images

After handing out Coca-Cola napkins suggesting Delta airline passengers give their name and number to their “plane crush,” both companies are apologizing.

The Diet Coke-branded napkins suggest on one side that, “because you’re on a plane of full of interesting people and hey … you never know.” While the back nudges the action further by, as CNN described it, “emitting a shocking amount of peer pressure from a paper square.”

“Be a little old school,” it reads. “Write down your number & give it to your plane crush. you never know…”
While some on social media found the message harmless and even funny, others were not as impressed.
 “Pretty sure no one appreciated unsolicited phone numbers in the ‘good old days’ and they sure as heck don’t want the number of someone who has been gawking at them on a plane for hours today,” one passenger tweeted.

Ultimately, both companies agreed and issued an apology on Thursday.

“We sincerely apologize to anyone we may have offended,” The Coca-Cola Company said,  according to CNN. “We worked with our partners at Delta to begin removing the napkins last month and are replacing them with other designs.”

“We rotate Coke products regularly on our aircraft as part of our brand partnership, but missed the mark with this one,” the airline said. “We are sorry for that.”

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.