However, a decision was made last fall to put and end to the midair proselytizing, though no specific reason was given.
End Of An Era of the Day: Alaska Airlines announced that it plans to cease its three-decade-long tradition of handing out prayer cards with in-flight meals.
Most of Alaska’s customers are unaware the airline is still in the prayer card business, as meals have been exclusive to first class since 2006.
However, a decision was made last fall to put and end to the midair proselytizing, though no specific reason was given.
“This difficult decision was not made lightly,” company heads Bill Ayer and Brad Tilden said in a statement sent to loyal patrons. “Some of you enjoy the cards and associate them with our service. At the same time, we’ve heard from many of you who believe religion is inappropriate on an airplane.”
A spokeswoman for the airline denied any connection to a recently announced frequent-flier partnership with the Middle Eastern airline Emirates.
One person who is happy to see the cards go is Seattle businessman Gordon Bowker, who told The Seattle Times he was not so much bothered by the religiosity as by what the cards represented.
“My reasoning was, if they put that card on the plate, they must be worried that something bad was going to happen,” Bowker said. “If they’re worried, I’m worried.”
[seattletimes.]