• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Delta Air Lines

Delta Airlines Pulls ‘Creepy’ Diet Coke In-Flight Napkins

By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 7, 2019, 11:58 AM ET

Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola wanted to make the dream of falling in love on a plane a reality. But their approach did not have the intended effect.

As part of Delta’s brand partnership with Coke, the airline handed out promotional in-flight napkins that encouraged passengers to give their number to others on the plane.

On one side of the napkin it read, “Because you’re on a plane with interesting people and hey…you never know.” The other side had space to write down a name and phone number, with the additional text, “Be a little old school. Write down your number and give it to your plane crush. You never know…”

Delta passengers apparently did not take kindly to the approach, and dozens wrote to the brands on social media, calling the stunt “creepy.”

https://twitter.com/ducksauz/status/1087424701838684162

https://twitter.com/MJJoe/status/1091133757313171456

Both Delta and Coke have since apologized and have reportedly begun pulling the napkins from flights. “We rotate Coke products regularly as part of our brand partnership, but missed the mark with this one. We are sorry for that and began removing the napkins from our aircraft in January,” Delta told USA Today in a statement.

Coca-Cola added: “We sincerely apologize to anyone we may have offended. We worked with our partners at Delta to begin removing the napkins last month and are replacing them with other designs.”

About the Author
By Natasha Bach
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

trump
CommentaryWhite House
The futility of Trump’s grandiose personal branding of public assets, from ballrooms and bills to ships and planes
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianApril 13, 2026
37 minutes ago
craig piggott
AIAgriculture
After growing up on a dairy farm, this Peter Thiel-backed founder is using AI to save cattle ranching
By Jake AngeloApril 13, 2026
50 minutes ago
Luis Von Ahn points.
Workplace CultureLeadership
‘I’m not going to force you’: Duolingo CEO backs off from evaluating employees on their AI usage 
By Jacqueline MunisApril 13, 2026
1 hour ago
The most valuable worker in the AI economy is Nurse Dana from ‘The Pitt’
EconomyJobs
The most valuable worker in the AI economy is Nurse Dana from ‘The Pitt’
By Nick LichtenbergApril 13, 2026
1 hour ago
Julie’s new AI chatbot aims to fix a major gap in women’s health information
NewslettersMPW Daily
Julie’s new AI chatbot aims to fix a major gap in women’s health information
By Emma HinchliffeApril 13, 2026
2 hours ago
Sean Duffy speaks behind a podium. An American flag hangs behind him.
PoliticsAviation
The FAA is recruiting gamers to fix America’s air traffic controller crisis—and offering $155,000 to do it
By Sasha RogelbergApril 13, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
Politics
'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
2 days ago
'People are trying to be creative': Tariff-battered American companies are so cash-starved they are using refund claims as collateral for loans
Economy
'People are trying to be creative': Tariff-battered American companies are so cash-starved they are using refund claims as collateral for loans
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
1 day ago
A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course that’s spent $280 million on expansion: ‘Money ain’t everything’
Real Estate
A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course that’s spent $280 million on expansion: ‘Money ain’t everything’
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
1 day ago
Here's how a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could work. 'This is a big task, and it's a big gamble'
Politics
Here's how a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could work. 'This is a big task, and it's a big gamble'
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
1 day ago
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
Real Estate
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
2 days ago
‘Almost unmanageable’: Raising a child in the U.S. now costs more than $300,000
Economy
‘Almost unmanageable’: Raising a child in the U.S. now costs more than $300,000
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.