Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...

Alaska Airlines is about to catch some abuse: WorldNetDaily is reporting that the airline is offering a 10 percent discount on some fares for those who book through the airline's 'gay' page. WND recorded this image when they visited the site:



While the page has now been changed, it still carries the title 'Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Gay Travel.'

The truth is 'worse' than that. Although it's not reported by WND, the airline has a homepage for 'Gay Travel' here, and offers discounts for flights to many LGBT events. They even include a shortcut to the 'Avis Pride' site (motto: 'we try harder.').

I'd be surprised if there's anything unusual about this. Many companies offer discounts and niche marketing to certain groups. As a commenter at Fark points out, Alaska Airlines also offers discounts for Catholics traveling to certain events. I see no indication that the offers on the Alaska Airlines site are in any way limited to gay customers; it's simply the way they're marketed. I suspect you'll find the same thing if you search the websites of many large companies.

Hopefully the approach isn't quite so ham-handed, though. Isn't 'gay travel' just a little over the top?