Continental’s ‘Cheap Frills’ Radio Ads Run Into Static

Nine radio stations across the nation, including one in Los Angeles, are refusing to air two Continental Airlines commercials on the grounds that the ads are “vulgar,” the airline said Thursday.

Continental, however, said it would not cancel the commercials, which depict a man in one and a woman in another calling a reservations agent to book the carrier’s low-cost “cheap frills” fares.

The Houston-based discount airline said stations in New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles have rejected the ad outright or pulled it off the air following complaints from listeners who believe that the man and woman are calling to make a date with a prostitute and that the ad promotes “cheap thrills.”

A Continental spokesman refused to identify the Los Angeles station because it rejected the ad before airing it. The ad is running on 24 other Los Angeles stations and about 200 stations nationwide, the spokesman said.