Frontier Airlines is under fire for its new “Free Britney” advertising campaign, meant to capitalize on fans’ love of singer Britney Spears. The company announced on Twitter last week that customers with the first name “Britney” were eligible to fly for free by applying for a new promotion. Fans roundly condemned the idea.
“Frontier wants Britneys to Fly for Free!” Frontier wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “If your first name is ‘Britney,’ you can fly for free.” The company added an asterisk to the deal, denoting that the promotion is only valid for the first 100 people to apply. It also covers a free flight for up to $250, which must be taken between Feb. 23 and March 3. The company also included the hashtag “Free Britney,” which fans felt was a step too far.
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What the actual eff. Is the “terms and conditions” just a reminder that you’re tone deaf, Frontier?
Also, hi, it’s still a pandemic out there, so eff right off. pic.twitter.com/p4b64H94nR
— Laura Bedrossian (@LauraBedrossian) February 14, 2021
“Free Britney” has become the battle cry for dedicated Britney Spears fans over the last few years, who have campaigned for the singer to be taken out of her conservatorship program. Spears currently answers her father and cannot make many fundamental life decisions without his consent.
The “Free Britney” movement has gained even more steam in recent weeks since the release of The New York Times Presents Framing Britney Spears, a new documentary on Hulu and FX. It presents Spears’ situation while re-examining her life in the early-2000s with a fresh, critical eye. It takes particular issue with the way the media treated spears during that time.
To many fans, the promotion by Frontier Airlines was no different. One fan tweeted: “Frontier trying to capitalize on someone’s struggle. On Britney’s struggle.” Another added: “Commercializing off of a woman’s suffering is enabling the culture that allowed it to happen in the first place. I will never fly Frontier because of this. Ever. Absolutely revolting.”
If your name is “Britney,” you can fly free on Frontier Airlines as part of their promotion in support of the #FreeBritney movement. 100 people will receive a $250 flight voucher to be used between February 23rd and March 3rd. pic.twitter.com/20VvrjM5Jy
— Britney Fan 🌹 (@BritneyHiatus) February 13, 2021
Other fans actually thanked Frontier for the “support,” feeling that any amount of press and publicity on the “Free Britney” movement was a good thing. Meanwhile, Frontier deleted the tweet about its free flights for Britneys but did not comment further on the controversy.
Framing Britney Spears has not led to a general reckoning with early-2000s pop culture, mainly how it handled young female stars and their public controversies. In addition to Spears, fans are re-examining the treatment of Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson and many others. So far, there is no indication that Spears’ conservatorship is subject to change any time soon.
