Derrie-Air, Charging Passengers By The Pound

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News ran an ad for a new airline called Derrie-Air, which purportedly charges passengers by the pound. Visitors to the airline's website learn that Derrie-Air is the world's only carbon-neutral luxury airline, and it justifies its fare policy by saying that it takes more fuel to move heavier objects. The carrier pledges to plant trees to offset every pound of carbon its planes release into the atmosphere.

The ad's tagline: "The more you weigh, the more you pay."

Yes, the campaign is a spoof, and the airline is a fake.

Philadelphia Media Holdings spokesman Jay Devine said the goal is to "demonstrate the power of our brands in generating awareness and generating traffic for our advertisers, and put a smile on people's faces." The company will track traffic to the Derrie-Air site. Devine said there's already buzz about the campaign on online blogs.

A disclaimer labels the ad campaign "fictitious" and says it is designed "to test the results of advertising in our print and online products and to stimulate discussion on a timely environmental topic of interest to all citizens."