BRITISH Airways sparked a row this morning with a post declaring its support for the “England rugby team against Wales today”.
England will take on Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup later today, while Scotland’s scheduled match against Fiji was cancelled after a Covid-19 outbreak in the Fiji camp.
Social media users were surprised to see British Airways declaring support for one British nation over another, with the post attracting hundreds of responses.
As the flag carrier posted its “good luck” message to England, Wales’s independence campaign Yes Cymru was quick to share some thoughts.
Good Luck to the England Rugby team against Wales today. pic.twitter.com/nCwCbIaWiH
— British Airways (@British_Airways) November 28, 2020
“To be clear, even when Wales becomes independent, it will still be a constituent part of the island of Britain.
“Your brand isn’t ‘UK Airways’, it’s ‘British Airways’.
“Regardless, we’ve had enough of this unequal, broken ‘Union’.
“It’s time for change.”
To be clear, even when Wales becomes independent, it will still be a constituent part of the island of Britain.
— YesCymru 🏴 (@YesCymru) November 28, 2020
Your brand isn’t “UK Airways,” it’s “British Airways.”
Regardless, we’ve had enough of this unequal, broken “union.”
It’s time for change:https://t.co/gzSrMF2eg4
Another user added: “I'm English but lads … Wales is very much part of the UK, whose flag carrier you're supposed to be.”
And one person suggested: “For truth in marketing, maybe it's time to rebrand as Air England?”
Former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood jumped on the post, retweeting it and adding “nice one” with several Welsh flags.
And Sky News correspondent Becky Johnson said: “Why? Just why? As PR goes, alienating an entire nation with one tweet has got to be among the list of things to avoid.”
The National understands that British Airways has a contract with England Rugby, making it the official airline partner to the team – hence the declaration of support over Wales.
In a statement, the airline said: "We are proud sponsors of England Rugby but on this occasion we unintentionally strayed offside, for which we are sorry."
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