British Airways Sorry for 'Discover Indian Ocean' Ad

Oops: British Airways has apologized for an ad in which Londoners were urged to "Escape the commute and discover the Indian Ocean." The ad, shown on a video screen at a busy train station, appeared against an ocean-blue background. The airline says the ad was created long before Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. "We are very sorry for any offense caused," a spokeswoman tells ABC News. "This campaign was planned some months ago and we recognize that its appearance at this time is inappropriate."

"I just thought it was a really strange time to have the ad running," Reddit user Alan Milford, who photographed the ad, tells the New York Daily News. But he works in advertising himself, and says he "understands these things are planned weeks or months in advance, so it’s not BA’s fault." After his photo went viral and got hundreds of thousands of views, Milford decided to use the exposure to promote a charity close to his heart and seek donations for www.cancerresearchuk.org. (More advertising news: Four Loko this week agreed to not use Santa in its ads.)