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As a global airliner United cared very much about their Asian business. As an American airline they understood that the Asian culture, with all their differences, needed a good understanding which American flight attendants not necesarrily brought to the table. Therefor they made use of a large number of local attendants. From China, Thailand, India etc. This was to ensure to be able to cope with the language barriers but also understanding of local diets and what not. To the greater comfort of the Asian flying public.

We chose a very editorial Times magazine kind of approach where we showed local flight attendants in their own environment. And to stay true to the editorial aspect we hired famed Magnum photographer Bruno Barby to shoot this. We shot the scenes in Hong Kong and Bangkok. In Bangkok Chanida knows to get thru traffic fast you better take the waterways b/c normal traffic is too dense to move. In Hong Kong our flight attendants know about their food and Indian travellers feel at home because of a familiar sound.

United Airlines. United Nations.

Photographer: Bruno Barby
Copywriter: Gavin Barrett

Ironically this ad never flew but I still love it. One of those ideas that you cherish in your drawer knowing it will never see the light of day unless you put it in your website. Believe me, there is more where this came from. We proposed this ad after Lufthansa approached us to do an ad to highlight a friendly soccer game between Germany and Holland. We decided to play upon the fear of flying Dutch super striker Dennis Bergkamp was suffering from. This was public knowledge. In soccer terms you point out your outside strikers as left and right wingers.

Dennis. Use the wings.

When Chanida Balbuena has to fly she takes a boat

Milan Kamermar welcomes her passengers on board with a typical American greeting. "Namaste".

Bonnie Chen and Franklin Lu pause in Kowloon for their first taste of home.