Kind of a crazy idea, to ask airline passengers to travel less. However, it was just the thing we needed to say to New Yorkers who suffered long commutes to LAG and JFK. American showed up with a solution (via a full-page ad in area newspapers) and started flying out of Stewart International Airport, a former military airport in Connecticut. This gave these beleagured folks a shorter commute. About the same time, Bob Crandall, the then-CEO of American, just happened to see it when he was flying for business to the Big Apple. He blew a gasket. "WHY are we telling people to travel LESS?" I'd say the copy was attention-getting, wouldn't you?

When a company has a USP, you gotta shout it. And using an actual bird as a comparison was a big win, given this historically afeared client.