Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola say they were just trying to encourage a little “old school flirting.” Complaining passengers had a different take: “creepy.”
The companies have pulled Diet Coke napkins that encouraged people to write down their phone number on them and hand them to their “plane crush,” reports Fox News.
“Because, you’re on a plane full of interesting people and hey… you never know,” reads the napkin. “Unintentionally creepy” is a complaint voiced by one passenger, and another tweet being widely cited in coverage has a similar theme.
Napkins received from @Delta on Wednesday flight seem unintentionally creepy, especially after reading the smaller print. Swing and a miss, @DietCoke. pic.twitter.com/eKaMruqqUR
— Mike J (@MJJoe) February 1, 2019
“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,” it reads.
Both companies have issued mea culpas.
The napkins “missed the mark,” says Delta, while Coke said it “sincerely” apologized for any offense. Still, as 11Alive notes, not everybody disliked them. It rounds up tweets of support, including one from one traveler requesting that Delta ship her a box of the napkins so she can “use them everywhere.” (Delta made better headlines over a dad’s sweet gesture.)