How budget airline Jet2's irritatingly catchy jingle became the sound of summer on social media

Jet2's holiday jingle has taken over TikTok, with over 1.5 million videos using it to soundtrack ironic travel fails.IMAGO/Aviation-Stock via Reuters ConnectUnless you're living under a rock, you'll know by now that nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.The British low-cost airline's jingle has become the soundtrack of the summer on social media.Millions online are pairing the cheerful audio with travel chaos, irony, and zipline mishaps.A whitewater raft flips, a camel charges a tourist, a car dangles off a ledge in Italy — and then comes that impossibly perky voice: "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday."Unless you're incredibly offline, you'll have heard those words dozens, if not hundreds, of times in the past few weeks.What started as a TV jingle for a British budget airline has become the accidental soundtrack of summer 2025.The jingle itself is a remix of the airline's long-running tagline — "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" — layered over the chorus of British popstar Jess Glynne's 2015 hit "Hold My Hand."To date, it's been featured on over 2 million videos on TikTok — many showing travel nightmares, vacation fails, or otherwise ironic nods to the very idea of a relaxing vacation.The brand behind the jingleJet2, largely unknown outside the UK, is a low-cost, three-star airline that flies from Britain to sunny spots in Europe.Known for its affordable travel package deals that bundle flights and hotels to destinations like Spain, Greece, and Portugal, Jet2 has built a loyal following among families and bargain seekers. Think £420 — around $560 — for flights and a week in a three-star hotel in Turkey, or £360 for a three-night city break in Rome.Its cheerful, no-frills marketing — once squarely aimed at mainstream holidaymakers — has now been hijacked on social media.As with many budget airlines, the airline's low prices come with some tradeoffs.One now-iconic video on TikTok shows a passenger squeezed into a Jet2 seat with no backrest at all — just a flimsy yellow-and-black plastic tape strung across the frame where the seat back should be. The video has racked up more than 32 million views.On Skytrax, it gets one star for its in-flight entertainment options; it rates higher — four stars each — for value for money and staff service.A viral earworm"I first heard the jingle while scrolling through TikTok — it's hard to ignore," Zane Fall, a TikTok content creator based in Brisbane, Australia, told Business Insider.Fall is among the many people who have used the airline's cheerful jingle as a backdrop to an utter vacation fail.In a video Fall shared on TikTok in June, Fall can be seen launching off a zipline platform in a tropical rainforest.Halfway through the ride, his harness gives way and flips him upside down, sending him gliding helplessly through the trees with his legs flailing in the air — all while the Jet2 jingle plays in the background. @zanefall #jet2holiday #funny #viral #viralvideo #ziplining #adventure #holiday #fyp ♬ Jet2 Advert - ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧 While he said the video was taken in August 2024 in the South Pacific region, Fall said, "This was the first sound that stuck out to pair it with.""I think what makes it go viral is the hilarious contrast," he said. "You've got this super upbeat holiday jingle that screams 'perfect getaway,' and then people pair it with clips of travel disasters, airport chaos, or just totally un-glamorous moments.""I still love it," he added, "though I'll admit it's been stuck in my head for weeks."Verity Walker, a London-based actor, used the jingle to express her frustration with the sweltering heat of the London subway during the summer, which, unlike many of its global counterparts, isn't air-conditioned.Her TikTok video shows an Underground train pulling into a station, with the on-screen caption: "Just watching my sauna arrive."Over the clip, she overlayed a remix of the Jet2 jingle — a screamed parody of the original ad shouting the words in a rasping, shaky voice."I didn't really think too deep into it," Walker told BI. "I didn't check my phone for hours and then it blew up." @theveritywalker Hell #londonunderground #tube #london ♬ original sound - Hillary Star The video struck a chord online, racking up 630,000 likes at the time of publication."It's so widely recognizable — it's got to be one of the UK's biggest inside jokes," Walker said.From organic meme to marketing strategyWhile Jet2 didn't respond to requests for comment from BI on the trend, the airline did help fuel it back in April.A TikTok video posted at the time showed cabin crew and airport staff lip-syncing, dancing to the jingle, and striking influencer-style poses.The caption invited users to participate, promising a Jet2holidays voucher of £1,000 for the best submission using the jingle tagged with #Jet2Challenge. @jet2 NOTHING BEATS A JET2HOLIDAY 🗣️🗣️ And RIGHT NOW we've got a BRAND NEW SOUND (that's better than the last one...) for you to get lip-syncing to... Yep we've seen you all! 🎤 You could even #WIN a £1,000 Jet2holidays voucher with your video 🤩 Simply upload our NEW SOUND from THIS video, use the #Jet2Challenge hashtag and tag us @jet2, and post to your account making sure we can see it (i.e. not on private!) and we will pick our favourite one! Get creative, you could be the winner! 🏆 Upload your entry before midnight on 19th May 2025 to be in with a chance! And of course, remember our sale is now on... Save £100pp with a myJet2 account!* *T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs can be found on our website. #Jet2 #Jet2holidays #NothingBeatsAJet2holiday #DarlingHoldMyHand #Viral #Funny #Trend #Trending ♬ original sound - jet2 Hannah Bennett, TikTok's head of travel, told BI the trend took off because it hit all the right viral notes: "An instantly recognizable sound, a trend anyone could jump on, classic British wit and a dash of summer nostalgia."She added that Jet2, Jess Glynne, and voice artist Zoe Lister all engaged "authentically, " so it was "no surprise the trend has burst off the platform to become a full-blown cultural moment."According to TikTok, the Jet2 voiceover has been featured in more than 2 million video creations and has racked up billions of views globally.This isn't Jet2's first brush with online virality.In December 2022, Jet2 launched an ad set to Glynne's "Hold My Hand." By 2024, the song had quietly become meme material, with TikTok users ironically pairing it with travel chaos and holiday fails.But April 2025 appeared to mark the first time Jet2 tried to take control of the trend — rebooting the jingle, framing it as a challenge, and offering cash incentives to keep the momentum going.The jingle's virality even reached the halls of political power.In a video posted to X on Tuesday, the official White House account used the Jet2 audio to soundtrack a clip showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escorting detained individuals onto a deportation flight.The clip drew swift backlash online — including from Jess Glynne herself. In an Instagram story overlaying the White House's post, she wrote: "This post honestly makes me sick. My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity — never about division or hate."The ad's release timing was no accidentMedia and marketing analysts said Jet2's move fits a familiar playbook for turning memes into brand wins.Tony D. Sampson, a reader in digital communication at the University of Essex's Business School, said the Jet2 jingle checks all the boxes for holiday-season virality: It's repetitive, "amusingly annoying," and ideal for subversive parody."It is the holiday season after all, so this outbreak of virality is perfectly timed and primed for silly holiday videos," he told BI.Sampson added that social algorithms tend to reward emotionally charged or playful content."The churning of content through platform algorithms also tends to favour high-intensity emotion," he said. "So yes, alongside more horrific and shocking content, irony, nostalgia, cuteness, silliness, and widespread stupidity tend to spread well."David Meerman Scott, the author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR," described Jet2's marketing video as a "smart move.""Often brands ignore what's happening on social media and treat it as just an outbound," he said. "The fact that they're watching and responded is great."He suggested that the airline's choice to release the video on TikTok was key."When the time is right to respond to a meme, I always suggest doing so in the same media where it caught fire," he said."If a video goes viral, respond with your own video."Read the original article on Business Insider

Comments

Business News

Aldi loses UK’s cheapest supermarket title – Which chain is the cheapest?

Evening Standard

Illinois Enacts AI Mental Health Law That Shakes Up AI Makers And Is The Starting Wave Of A Regulatory Tsunami On AI Therapy

about 4 hours ago

Seaside town terrorised by kids as young as eight hires private security firm to tackle gangs

Mirror

Comments

Business News

Aldi loses UK’s cheapest supermarket title – Which chain is the cheapest?

Fears for Claire’s stores after US owner files for bankruptcy

UK construction work drops at fastest rate in five years, survey shows

Glencore to stick with main listing in boost to London market

Asian shares trade mostly higher after stocks on Wall Street extend losses

Naomi Osaka Reaches Canadian Open Semifinal, Faces Clara Tauson Next

U.S. Has Top 2 Surpluses With Switzerland Ever As Trump Threatens Tariffs

Chancellor warned ‘tax rises needed to fill £51bn black hole in public finances’

Hiscox profits fall after £128m claims hit from LA wildfires

Myprotein owner THG cuts profit outlook after deal to sell flavourings brand

The huge number of first-time buyers relying on parents for a deposit revealed

HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk Apologizes In Leaked Email To Employees

People’s Tribunal To Consider Dire Situation Of Women In Afghanistan

‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Part 1 Review: A Delightfully Macabre Return To Nevermore

‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Is Now Streaming - How To Watch Episodes 1-4

Illinois Enacts AI Mental Health Law That Shakes Up AI Makers And Is The Starting Wave Of A Regulatory Tsunami On AI Therapy

Seaside town terrorised by kids as young as eight hires private security firm to tackle gangs

Damson Madder’s flattering midi dress gets me so many compliments and is now 50% off

Olivia Attwood raves about £90 solitaire ring that ‘looks like real diamonds’

Inside UK's tallest gothic tower in the world on sale as family home for £2.78m

Next's lightweight raincoat is perfect for 'warmer days and light showers'

Zara adverts showing models who appeared to be ‘unhealthily thin’ banned by ASA

FTSE 100 Live 06 August: Chancellor told taxes must rise, Legal & General posts results

Metro Bank returns to profit after cutting costs and boosting lending

RFK Jr. Cancels $500 Million In Federal Funding For mRNA Vaccine Research

When Does ‘South Park’ Season 27 Episode 2 Begin And What’s It About?

The truth behind LED face masks and if they actually work, according to experts

Aldi to open 10 new stores before end of 2025 - full list of areas

Boots No7 set worth £104 hailed 'brilliant box of goodies' slashed to £30

PIP review update as 10 people could be consulting with Stephen Timms on future of benefit

'I spent £3.50 on Costa surprise food bag and couldn't believe what was inside'

Working families urged to save £2,000 a year as 75,000 settings open

DWP to pay some disabled people extra £909 a month - see if you qualify

Home hunter wish list REVEALED: The features buyers want - and one thing they really don't

Is your fixed mortgage deal ending? Brokers reveal what those facing higher payments can do

An Accel-backed startup CEO says your next user isn't human &mdash; and it's changing how software gets built

One popular dating app is actually 'crushing it' right now

The US seized a Russian oligarch's 348-foot, $325 million superyacht &mdash; and now it's up for grabs

'I'm trying to cut down my alcohol intake and this 99p low-calorie drink converted me'

Paul Graham's guide to how you can save your job from AI

NFL and ESPN reach nonbinding agreement for sale of NFL Network and other media assets

Aldi loses title of UK’s cheapest supermarket

Chinese nationals charged with exporting Nvidia AI chips to China

China Is a Nation of Savers. Many Are Drowning in Debt.

Kelley Mack, Actress In ‘The Walking Dead,’ Dies At 33

UN Chief Says Fossil Fuels Are On The Way Out—Are They?

PIP review update as 10 people could be consulting with Stephen Timms on future of benefit

Consumer spending may be up, but so is household debt, a new report from the New York Fed shows

Rivian expects tariffs to increase car production costs by 'a couple thousand dollars per unit'

WhatsApp deletes over 6.8m accounts linked to scams, Meta says

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Attorneys Contacted Trump Administration About Potential Pardon, Report Says

How To Watch The 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships

Today’s Wordle #1509 Hints And Answer For Wednesday, August 6th

U.S. Proposes Visitor Visa Bonds Up To $15,000 To Curb Overstays

The Red Sox Didn’t Do Much At The Deadline, But Not For A “Lack Of Effort”

Forbes Top CPAs For Valuations, 2025: Methodology

Aldi fans can now get a tattoo in stores that look like Specialbuys - full list

NFL Will Get a Stake in ESPN in a Complex Deal

Brewdog ad banned for implying alcohol could overcome boredom and loneliness

Record installations of solar panels, batteries and heat pumps so far in 2025

An Accel-backed startup CEO says your next user isn't human — and it's changing how software gets built

The US seized a Russian oligarch's 348-foot, $325 million superyacht — and now it's up for grabs