Remember the Pepsi versus Coca-Cola ad wars? Well, a similar advertising feud has now broken out between United Airlines and Southwest Airlines on two stacked billboards in downtown Denver. The two airlines are using a playful marketing strategy, communicating with each other and their customers through ads in a market they both dominate. And this isn’t the first time they have taken aim at one another.

Indeed, both airlines are major players in the Colorado metropolis. Denver International Airport (DEN) is the 18th-busiest airport in the world and the fifth-busiest in the United States, handling over 61 million passengers each year. United Airlines is the largest in terms of flights, while Southwest Airlines follows closely as the second-largest, maintaining a significant presence.

“More Flights Southwest Than…”

This time, United Airlines put up a billboard saying that it has “more flights southwest than, well, you know…” In response, as detailed on Reddit, Southwest Airlines placed a billboard above it that read “Can’t hear you from up here.” Southwest also added that “Flying southwest doesn’t make you Southwest.”

Southwest Airlines added that it was ranked first in economy/basic class customer satisfaction by JD Power and included the line, “Don’t let the mic hit you.” Southwest has actually earned this award for the fourth consecutive year, according to the survey. On a third billboard, placed nearby to the right, United Airlines promoted its nonstop destinations from Denver, including Santa Fe, Honolulu, Tokyo, Cabo San Lucas, St. George, Kauai, Kona, Maui, and more.

The Banter Has Happened Before

Banter between United and Southwest has gone public before. In 2023, Southwest Airlines’ ads around the airport stated that Southwest Airlines is Denver’s most-flown airline. The problem with the ad was that on the bottom left, there was a disclaimer in fine print. The disclaimer stated that their position is based on data from the Department of Transportation from 2010-2021.

Southwest did not include the 2022 data, which would have challenged its claim. According to Denver International Airport’s 2022 investor relations report, United carried 14,028,146 origin and destination passengers, compared to Southwest’s 12,705,505.

United, unhappy with Southwest’s ad, launched its own campaign. The Chicago-based airline posted a video on X earlier today, opening with the line “Denver’s most flown airline.” The video also featured United’s “legal disclaimer” in large text, emphasizing that it has nothing to hide and, according to the DOT, carried more passengers to and from Denver than any other airline in 2022.

What Do The Numbers Reveal?

United Airlines, along with its regional arm United Express, operates 386 daily flights out of Denver International Airport, according to its official data. Of these, United Airlines’ mainline arm operates 175 flights, while United Express operates 211 flights. For international travel, United offers 15 nonstop flights to 13 destinations from DEN, including London Heathrow (LHR) and Tokyo Narita (NRT). The airline also operates daily nonstop flights to six destinations in Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean

It also has five destinations in Canada. In terms of United’s domestic operation from DEN, the airline offers 371 daily flights to 135 airports across the United States, including Newark(EWR), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), and Houston (IAH). Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines offers weekly flights to over 120 cities from Denver International Airport. The airline also stated that it operates nonstop flights to 80 cities daily on Mondays and to 170 cities nonstop daily from Saturday through Sunday.

It’s worth noting that other American carriers have also used similar marketing strategies to compete for customers. However, this example takes place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). As a major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines, the airport is seeing expansion from both carriers. This year, United took its passenger campaigns up a notch, creating cheeky ads that directly target competitors like American Airlines.