Christian-Owned Airline Companies: 89,000 Views For Hoax Meme About Red And Green Christmas Plane Wing Lights [Debunked]


The below meme claiming that Christian-owned airline companies change their lights on their airplanes to red and green to celebrate Christmas has gotten more than 89,000 views on Facebook. Posted to the Facebook page titled “Jetblue vs ATC Memes,” the description of the Facebook post shows that some people actually fell for the joke that stated Christian-owned airline companies adopt red and green wing lights for Christmas.

The so-called public service announcement is apparently being taken literally by some folks who don’t get the joke about how cute it might be for the red and green lights on plane wings to represent Christmas colors. As seen in the video, the meme claims that certain airlines that are owned by Christians make a practice of changing their lights on their planes’ wings to red and green in order to celebrate Christmas.

According to Snopes, the claim that some airlines change the lights on their wings to red and green in order to give a nod to the Christian holiday of Christmas is false. Also false is the claim that people boarding those airlines can ask for the green and red light bulbs to be switched out if they don’t celebrate Christmas.

[Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

The meme apparently began being spread around in November 2016 — and by Friday, December 2, the Snopes article debunking the claim about the red and green “Christmas” wing lights had been shared nearly 3,000 times on Facebook. It’s not clear if those who took the meme seriously are actually boarding airplanes and asking for the red and green wing lights to remain or be switched out for other colors.

What is clear is that the meme shows an American Airlines jet all decked out in red and green wing lights, with joke text that claims people can talk to their gate agents about the red and green wing lights when they are flying — with claims that those lights can be changed. The publication explained that they got to the bottom of the red and green lights on airplane wings by speaking with the FAA, which noted that the red and green lights have nothing to do with Christmas.

[Image by Edouard H.R.Gluck/AP Images]

“We contacted the Federal Aviation Administration to determine what (if any) colors were standard on passenger jet wings. They told us that ‘for generations,’ the port (left) wing has borne a red light, and the starboard (right) wing a green one. The representative said this had been standard in aviation for decades, antedating even the FAA itself, and is not related to Christmas or any other season.”

Meanwhile, the meme itself has received more than 1,300 reactions on Facebook — and has been shared on Facebook more than 1,000 times. With more than 300 comments flowing into the meme, some of those comments show folks quipping about asking for blue lights on airplane wings instead of the red and green lights, in order to represent their Jewish faith.

[Image by David Zalubowski/AP Images]

While it’s not clear who is in on the joke and who isn’t certain that the red and green lights on airplane wings for Christmas was just a hoax, the comments flowing into the meme are interesting all the same. Some of those comments being left on the viral post on Facebook can be read below.

Jarett Io: “I change the nav lights both to blue when I fly with my Jewish student.”

Clifford Aikoff: “You’re surprised that people believed this was real?! Did you see who was just elected President?”

Andre Morgan: “This post has given me cancer 6 times in the last 24 hours. I’d rather sit through 10 days of light chop with a plane full of Delta pilots. STOP IT!!”

Fraser Ardrey: “Buckle in then, cause you’re in for some light chop.”

[Featured Image by Alexey Y. Petrov/Shutterstock]

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