5 Best Airline Ads in 2025

09/01/2025 Katrina Leung Optimize your media budgets

Selecting the "best" airline advertisements is subjective, but based on recent trends, media recognition, and marketing effectiveness, here are five notable examples from Hong Kong and other places in recent years. These campaigns stand out for their creativity, strategic approach, and ability to connect with a post-pandemic audience:

Cathay Pacific "Where Artistry Takes Flight
HK Express "LIVE MORE"
Emirates "Fly Better"
Lufthansa "Yes"
AirAsia "No Clue Escape"

1. Cathay Pacific's "Where Artistry Takes Flight" (2024)

This campaign launched in support of Cathay Pacific's new Business class product, the "Aria Suite." It positioned the premium offering as a work of art, focusing on the new level of comfort, privacy, and craftsmanship. The campaign featured a mix of film, OOH media, and a unique experiential launch event.

Source: City Outdoor Media

Why it's Great:

Elevated Brand Perception: It moved beyond just showcasing product features. By using the concept of "artistry," the campaign created an emotional connection, positioning Cathay Pacific as a brand that offers meticulously crafted, high-end experiences.
Innovative Launch Event: The campaign kicked off with a media and influencer event at an aircraft hangar, transformed into a "Gallery in the Skies." This created a memorable, shareable moment that generated significant buzz.
Strategic Storytelling: The campaign’s narrative challenged the audience to see the Aria Suite not just as a seat but as a piece of art, a powerful message that resonates with a discerning target market.

What Contributed to the Success:

Integrated Marketing: The campaign seamlessly blended a physical experience with digital content and traditional advertising, ensuring a cohesive message across all touchpoints.
Collaboration: Working with local Hong Kong artists for the launch event added a layer of local relevance and authenticity.
Focus on a Tangible Product: The campaign was tied to a specific, innovative product, the Aria Suite, making the message more concrete and impactful.

Measurable Results:

The campaign received significant media attention and was recognized with industry awards, including being featured on "Ads of the World." This buzz helped to successfully reinforce Cathay Pacific's premium brand positioning in a highly competitive post-pandemic market.

2. HK Express' "LIVE MORE" Campaign (2024)

Launched for its 11th anniversary, this campaign shifted the focus from just low-cost travel to a lifestyle brand with the tagline "LIVE MORE." It aimed to inspire spontaneous and adventurous travel, collaborating with content creators to showcase diverse travel styles.

Why it's Great:

Brand Evolution: This airline ad successfully moved its brand beyond its "low-cost" identity to a more aspirational and youthful brand that embodies a lifestyle of exploration and adventure.

Relatability: The campaign used content creators to show different types of travel (e.g., culinary, adventure, quick getaways), making the message personal and relatable to a broad audience.

Digital-First Approach: By leveraging social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook and partnering with influencers, the campaign effectively reached its target demographic.

What Contributed to the Success:

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with brands like Klook and AXA provided additional value and created a seamless travel experience for customers, from booking to activities and insurance.

Anniversary Tie-in: The 11th-anniversary milestone provided a perfect occasion to launch the new brand direction, tying promotions and special offers to the campaign.

Consistent Messaging: The "LIVE MORE" message was woven into all aspects of the campaign, from social media posts to website promotions, creating a cohesive brand story.

Measurable Results:

While quantitative results are not fully public, the campaign was widely reported by marketing news outlets, demonstrating strong industry recognition. The strategy of using influencer content and strategic partnerships to drive engagement and ticket promotions is a proven method for LCCs to boost sales and brand perception.

3. Emirates' "Fly Better" (2018-Present)

Emirates' "Fly Better" campaign is a long-running, globally recognized effort that cemented its position as a leading premium airline. It showcases the luxurious in-flight experience, from lavish private suites and onboard showers to gourmet dining and a world-class entertainment system. The airline advertising campaign is known for its high production values and A-list celebrity endorsements, such Jennifer Aniston and Penelope Cruz.

Why it's Great:

Focus on Luxury: The campaign is a bold, no-compromise celebration of luxury. In a world of budget cuts, Emirates doubled down on showcasing an aspirational, first-class experience, which effectively positions the entire brand as a high-end choice.

Celebrity Endorsement: Using globally recognized stars created instant credibility and a high level of brand recall. These airline ads push a lifestyle, making the brand feel more exclusive and desirable.

Consistent Global Message: The "Fly Better" tagline is simple, memorable, and universally understood. It reinforces the brand's commitment to quality across all markets, from economy to first class.

What Contributed to the Success:

Strategic Timing: The campaign launched when Emirates was expanding its fleet and routes, providing a powerful, cohesive message to support its growth.

High Production Quality: The commercials themselves are cinematic and visually stunning, making them feel less like ads and more like short films. This premium feel matches the brand's identity.

Focus on Emotion: The campaign evokes a sense of comfort, elegance, and escape, selling the feeling of the journey as much as the destination.

Measurable Results:

While specific financial figures are proprietary, the "Fly Better" campaign is widely cited as a benchmark in airline marketing. The campaign led to an increase in brand awareness, and its videos on YouTube have garnered tens of millions of views. The campaign's success is also evidenced by Emirates' continued strong brand value and high rankings in passenger satisfaction surveys.

4. Lufthansa's "Yes" Campaign (2024 - Present)

As part of its major brand refresh, Lufthansa launched a campaign with a simple yet powerful message: "Yes." The airline ad campaign features a series of cinematic TV commercials that tell emotional stories of people's journeys. The ads show passengers on board, reflecting on the "yes" that started their trip...a "yes" to a new job, a "yes" to a crazy adventure, or a "yes" to reconnecting with family.

Why it's Great:

Emotional Storytelling: The campaign goes beyond the mechanics of flying. By focusing on the emotional weight of a single "yes," it connects the airline directly to the most meaningful moments in a person's life, creating a powerful emotional narrative.

Simplified and Memorable Message: The transition from the old slogan "Say yes to the world" to a definitive "Yes" is a clever simplification. It makes the brand's core purpose—enabling people's personal journeys—easy to understand and remember.

High Production Value: The TV commercials are beautifully shot with a cinematic feel. The scenes are authentic and relatable, helping the audience envision themselves in the stories being told.

What Contributed to the Success:

Comprehensive Media Rollout: The campaign launched simultaneously across TVcinemas, ensuring a wide and impactful reach from the start.

Authentic Cast: The ads feature diverse passengers, from couples to families to solo travellers, making the stories feel genuine and inclusive.

Strong Partnership: The campaign was a collaborative effort with the agency Serviceplan, which helped to ensure a cohesive and well-executed creative strategy.

Measurable Results:

The airline advertising campaign's initial rollout generated significant buzz on social media and was featured on sites like Best Ads on TV, where it was highly rated. The "Yes" TV spots saw millions of views on YouTube and other platforms, demonstrating strong engagement.

5. AirAsia's "No Clue Escape" (唔知去邊亞) Campaign (2024)

AirAsia Hong Kong launched a campaign that tapped into the popular "blind-box" trend. They offered a "blind-box" tour where travellers would book a trip without knowing their destination until they were on the plane. The campaign was led by influencers and generated significant public interest.

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Why it's Great:

Capitalized on a Trend: The "blind-box" concept was highly popular among younger demographics and perfectly captured the spirit of spontaneity that AirAsia aims to promote.

Viral Content Generation: The mystery surrounding the destination and the real-time reveals by influencers created a natural and highly engaging social media buzz. It was designed for user-generated content (UGC), which is incredibly valuable.

Showcased Network: The campaign effectively highlighted AirAsia's extensive network of over 130 destinations without listing them all, turning a key selling point into an exciting game.

What Contributed to the Success:

Influencer-Led Strategy: The airline ad campaign's success was heavily reliant on the reach and authenticity of the selected influencers. Their genuine surprise and excitement were key to making the campaign feel real and relatable.

Smart Targeting: By aligning the "blind tour" concept with the spontaneous travel style of Gen Z and millennials, the campaign directly targeted its key audience.

Scalability: The initial success was so great that it prompted an immediate expansion of the tour, demonstrating its commercial viability and audience demand.

Measurable Results:

The campaign was a huge commercial and PR success. It generated massive media coverage across multiple platforms. The initial tour was 20 times oversubscribed in one day, and the subsequent second tour sold out in just three hours, with double the capacity. This proved its significant commercial impact and viral success. The campaign won a Gold award for "Most Efficient Use of Budget" at the IAB HK Digital Awards 2024.

Resources:

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/hk-express-ignites-travellers-wanderlust-with-new-brand-campaign

https://iabhongkong.com/iab-hk-digital-awards-2024-most-efficient-use-budget-campaign-gold-no-clue-escape