<grumpy>

I’m fed up with advertising in places where you are held captive, like movie theaters. I’m going to call it “indentured advertude” - advertising where you are held hostage to look at it and you know all it’s doing is paying for the crappy experience you’re having.

I’m fed up with advertising appearing on every conceivable flat surface that you might possibly look at, like grocery store floors.

It is oppressive, aggressive and reeks of desparation.

I found a new example this week that manages to combine all of these. With oil closing in on $150 a barrel and people not flying due to high ticket prices and the ever worsening experience of actually getting on a plane, US Airways is getting desparate. They have started selling advertising on their tray tables. One flight I took this week GM had ads all over the plane (pictured above), on the flight back it was Verizon. (This was on top of the several minutes of forced advertising they subjected us to with the drop-down TV monitors, with the sound and jingles blasted over the PA.)

Luckily I discovered that they are just vinyl labels that peel off easily. That’s me stickin’ it to the man.

Gee, US Airways, think if you improved the flying experience that might help retain customers, rather than pissing them off with indentured advertude?

</grumpy>