Really?! American Express Sends Out Ad for Ship Wrecked Costa Concordia (PHOTOS)

Posted January 28, 2012 by Sapphira Martin for Global Grind Staff

Costa Concordia

Rescue workers search cruise ship for South Korean honeymoon couple.

If this isn't strange, then what is?

On the heels of a huge shipwreck in Italy, a mail promotion was sent out to American Express customers urging them to travel on vacation on the Costa Concordia.

An American Express mail promotion is urging customers to “Immerse Yourself in a Totally European Experience” ... aboard the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia. A seven-night cruise aboard the Concordia was offered for a tempting $749, with stops in Italy, France and Spain. The offer was set to run from Feb. 25-Oct. 29.

The liner remains half-submerged off the Italian coast as authorities search for 16 missing passengers presumed dead. The bodies of 16 other victims were recovered since the Jan. 13 wreck on the rocks.

Reports of the poorly-timed campaign surfaced on the internet this week, first in Florida and then Friday in a Washington Post blog. “The mailing was already underway when the accident occurred,” said American Express spokeswoman Christine Elliott.

“We apologize for any inconvenience to those who received it.” The span from production of the ads to mailboxes is typically six-to-eight weeks, she said.

Whoa! We hope that no one got too excited planning their dream vacation on a wrecked boat.

SOURCE: NY Daily News