The SI swimsuit issue is, hands down, the biggest single-issue moneymaker for Time Warner, SI's parent publisher. SI has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, with over 18 million of them are men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. So one might say SWA has a keen interest in this demographic. Look around the marketplace. Every airline is looking for and edge to profitability and SWA is at the front of the pack when it comes to money-saving and money-making concepts that are, in the final analysis, financially sound and often very savvy. This is a well-aimed marketing event that has certainly recieved a lot of attention in the first day aloft. It is a photo of a woman in a swimsuit. I can not see how this could be even marginally more offensive than serial-murders depicted on CSI Miami, movies like SAW I, II, III, IV or V, Fifty-Cent gangster rap or the preventable disaster of cholera in the Congo.
SWA has represented other diverse markets out there as well. Perhaps you might have seen the Tinkerbell decals on one of our aircraft to commemorate the DVD release of that video?
For those who feel this might be offensive to younger children: Do you shield thier eyes from offensive tabloid headlines in the grocery store check out? Perhaps it would be better for you Talibanis out there if all women wore burquas. I'm sure a few folks out there who don't believe in Santa Claus boycott Coke products during the holidays because they put good 'ol Saint Nick on the can. There are over 500 SWA airplanes in our fleet. If you don't like this one, it is very likely you will never even be lucky enough to see it anyway. Unfortunately, we have only a handful of flight attendants who could pass as supermodels. Better bring along a copy of the latest SI swimsuit issue on your next trip. Sit back, relax and enjoy our great fares, free drinks and snacks to your next destination. DING! You are now free to move about the country.
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