Do you allow your fear of the numbers 13 and 666, black cats, and broken mirrors influence your travel plans? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Recently, workers at Brussels Airlines learned just how many of their customers hold tightly to their “irrational” beliefs.
In November the airline, which features a 13-ball logo in the shape of the letter “b” on the tail of its aircrafts, announced it would expand its service throughout Europe and North America. According to the company, a short time later it was flooded with complaints from superstitious customers in the United States and Italy.
Apparently, the disapproving customers believed that planes should not be flying with 13-balls painted on their tails. The news came as a shock to the logo’s designer who thought 13 dots looked just fine. In fact, Ronane Hoet told local news reporters that the stylized “b” and the number of dots it took to form it matched the destinations the airline flew to in Africa, a key market.
In the end, the irate passengers won out. According to company executives, last week Brussels Airlines workers started changing the 13-ball logo on the tail and sides of the planes by adding a 14th one.
Personally, I think it’s all a bit weird. But, then again, superstitions and those who believe in them are a part of modern society and you don’t have to look far to see how it affects behavior in all walks of life… especially in the travel industry. For instance, have you ever noticed that many hotels don’t have a 13th floor and some airlines have eliminated the 13th row? I once sat next to a guy on a flight from Chicago to L.A. post-9/11, who stroked a rabbit’s foot the entire way. And, I know others who refuse to board a plane if their flight number is 666.
Executives at Brussels Airlines say they merely made a “business decision” when they approved the 14-dot logo. And, some of their competitors say they did the right thing. One executive from another European-based airline commented that catering to the irrational could at times be a rational choice. Basically, he maintained that in this case it was easier for workers at Brussels Airlines to change the logo than to “buck the trend.”
According to news reports, Brussels Airlines had the choice to take out a dot rather than add one. Executives say they chose 14 because of the religious connotations of the 12 disciples. Others speculate that they didn’t want to offend their Chinese passengers. The number 14, or one-four, in Mandarin sounds similar to the phrase “to want to die.”
So, are you a superstitious traveler?
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