EasyJet, a British low-cost airline group, has come under fire after posting a picture of a customer who tattooed a flight number on his arm, evoking memories of numbers etched on Jews by Nazis during the Holocaust.
The customer wanted to celebrate his first flight ever and sent the airline a photo of his tattoo. EasyJet staff was excited to receive this token of gratitude, and re-shared the image on their Facebook page, with a caption reading: "you never forget your first flight."
The airline's media team was apparently unaware of the historic context of a number tattooed on a person's arm.
After posting it, they were flooded with angry responses, prompting the company to deleted the photo from their page.
An Israeli managed to snap a screenshot of the post before it was taken down, and posted it on his own Twitter page. The screenshot has since gone viral, receiving over 34 thousand likes and 2,000 shares.
Immediately after deleting the post, the low-cost airline issued a public apology, claiming the post was a mistake. Still, criticism of the company's ignorance and angry responses continued online.
"To compare your cheap flights to crowded concentration camps is an interesting method of advertisement," tweeted one of many online critics.
A representative of the company's media team tried to clarify the airline's actions. “While this is a genuine picture of a customer’s tattoo celebrating their first flight with us, we understand the concerns raised and as a result decided to remove the post.”