Delta Has To Remove Their Coca-Cola Napkins Because They Are Too “Creepy”

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, which means that if you’re single, you might feel a bit of pressure. Being surrounded by social media proclamations of love and the endless “when will you find someone?” questions from your parents isn’t much to celebrate. But being forced to find romance while traveling is even more of a bummer. It seems like something that only actually happens in movies.

Needless to say, Coca-Cola and Delta were trying to force the issue by offering up napkins meant to serve as the perfect tool for the creep sitting behind you to strike up a conversation. Each napkin insisted that passengers “be a little old school,” insisting that they write down their name and number to hand over to a “plane crush.”

And, okay. I get it. It’s a cute idea, but has the massive potential of backfiring. Also, can you just imagine how cringe-worthy it’d be to get one of these napkins as your plane lands? How do you know whether or not your “plane crush” has a husband or wife back at home? (Or worse, sitting next to them?)

Those flying on Delta blew up on Twitter about how inappropriate the napkins were.

One passenger said it wasn’t a “good look” for Coke. Passengers don’t want to know that someone was staring at them the entire flight, and these napkins almost promote that idea.

Napkins also seem a little personal. If you randomly hand someone a napkin, and you’re not a flight attendant, it’ll probably be taken the wrong way.

Fly @Delta they’ll hook you up literally Delta passengers creeped out by flirtatious Diet Coke napkins https://t.co/im8yDyqASv via @nypost

— Johnny Driscoll (@johnnydriscoll) February 7, 2019

There are literally 100 reasons why these napkins are a bad idea. Coke probably just assumed it’d be a cute holiday promo.

#delta #coke remove these napkins they are creepy 🥺 #TimesUp #boycottcoke pic.twitter.com/Kj5v4wsWjZ

— CEMGO1 (@CEMGO1) February 1, 2019

Even though the napkins can be used by both men and women, many felt as if it was just a vehicle to make a woman feel uncomfortable in a place where she couldn’t really escape. Even though airports are big, there’s always the fear of a passenger taking it too far after making contact, and following them home.

What do you think about these Diet Coke napkins on Delta flights https://t.co/30kZkQYkyF pic.twitter.com/JLRAG6ax3Q

— Jim Joseph (@JimJosephExp) February 7, 2019

Still, some frequent flyers believe that people might be overreacting. Coke’s big gimmick was flirtation, and nothing else.

Others disagreed by saying that Coke was just trying to have a sense of humor. They took a napkin, and turned it into a conversation piece.

By “old school,” people assumed they meant when people met in person, and not online. Dating has changed up a lot in the past few decades, and people might not have had the same reaction to these napkins back in the ’80s and ’90s.

Love the napkin idea. Creative, fun and dares us to go back to the times people used to say "hi" and look at each other when they first met and the excitement of making or waiting for a call. That thrill is replaced now by the bore of "clicking" on photos of others that we "like"

— ManiaX (@SoccerWorldHemi) February 7, 2019

Delta has been known for having interactive napkins. Sometimes, they’re used to help passengers jot down their dreams.

Other times, they just inspire a smile. Everyone could use some good words of encouragement, and Delta makes sure to give them.

So, it makes sense as to why Coke would want to partner up with them. But, this idea was a bit too personal to really work.

Instead, perhaps Coke could have asked passengers to share a few kind words about a random passenger, to lift their spirits. It’d be the same way of getting two strangers to connect and actually talk, but there’s a lot less pressure on the romantic aspect of that relationship.

Thanks @CocaCola and @Delta, for encouraging people to TALK to one another, make new friends, or do anything besides stare mindlessly at phones. But don't you know it's practically illegal to flirt these days? Sad world, but nice try & not #creepy https://t.co/5xvmHXSo80

— Ashley Bergin (@punkmarkgirl) February 6, 2019

And if that happens to go somewhere, then both people can decide whether or not to swap numbers.

Just handing it over to someone you don’t even know can put both of you in an awkward situation, which some people have recognized.

Luckily, Delta admitted this might not have been on their mind as the napkins were in rotation. “We rotate Coke products regularly as part of our brand partnership, but missed the mark with this one,” Delta said to USA TODAY.

Even though it’s good that Delta apologized for making passengers uncomfortable, many people still think they were in the right.

Feelings are really mixed about these napkins — but in reality, if it even causes a sample of people to feel uneasy during a flight, it’s probably best to get rid of them.

If you want to bring back conversation, a good way to do so is with a standard “hello.” It’s true that a lot of flyers today don’t want to be bothered — especially when they have plenty of entertainment at their disposal, and not just one in-flight movie, like back in the day — but general politeness can go a long way.

Next time you see someone cute on an airline, maybe say “hello.” If they engage you back, that’s great. But if not, it probably wasn’t meant to be. Because even though you never know where you’ll find love, airports and planes aren’t one of the most well-known spots.