The First , Only, Biggest and Best
Naturally enough PR folk love to use the "world's first" variety of description whenever they can in order to attract attention, but such phrases need to be used judiciously not only to avoid diluting their impact, but also to avoid being caught out.
I had to smile at the carefully constructed sentence in a press release today from Travel City Direct's PR company. Announcing a new early check-in service for their charter flights back to the UK from Florida which enables their passengers to spend a luggage-free last day before flying out of Orlando in the evening, the release claimed it was "the first UK tour operator to provide this service for its charter flight passengers".
Technically true, but a little unfair on their scheduled airline rivals, Virgin, who have been offering the same facility on their Orlando flights for years.
Still, I can also remember smiling at a Virgin press release which claimed it was the first airline to offer personal in-flight video screens in all classes..... when several years earlier I had flown in the launch aircraft for Emirates all-classes in-flight video facility!
What goes around....
I had to smile at the carefully constructed sentence in a press release today from Travel City Direct's PR company. Announcing a new early check-in service for their charter flights back to the UK from Florida which enables their passengers to spend a luggage-free last day before flying out of Orlando in the evening, the release claimed it was "the first UK tour operator to provide this service for its charter flight passengers".
Technically true, but a little unfair on their scheduled airline rivals, Virgin, who have been offering the same facility on their Orlando flights for years.
Still, I can also remember smiling at a Virgin press release which claimed it was the first airline to offer personal in-flight video screens in all classes..... when several years earlier I had flown in the launch aircraft for Emirates all-classes in-flight video facility!
What goes around....
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