Austria or Australia? The truth behind the viral internet meme

afr.com:

CLAIM: Salzburg Airport in Austria has a help desk specifically for people who intended to fly to Australia.

THE FACTS: The European airport confirmed it does not have a desk for absent-minded holidaymakers who set out for Sydney but wind up thousands of miles away in Salzburg.

The sign at Salzburg airport that has taken social media by storm is actually an advertisement for an Austrian communications company. 

The misconception stems from a technology company advertisement that ran on a baggage carousel at the airport, which joked about offering such a service. The claim has delighted social media users recently. One post on X, formerly known as Twitter, has racked up more than 18,000 likes.

“If you’re having a bad day, just remember that the airport in Salzburg, Austria has a counter for people who flew to Austria instead of Australia,” reads another post on Facebook. Some shared an image of a large sign that reads in part: “Sorry, this is Austria not Australia! Need help? Please press the button.”

But Salzburg Airport said on Monday in a Facebook post written in German that no such counter or button exists and that the sign seen in some of the posts is actually an advertisement for Commend, an Austrian communications and security technology company.

Indeed, the sign also includes the address of Commend’s website and reads: “Commend provides Security and Communication. From Salzburg to the rest of the world. Even for the most unlikely of situations.” Wolfgang Peer, a spokesman for Commend International, confirmed that the advertisement was real, but had been discontinued last year.

“The briefing was to initiate a direct dialogue between the passengers who see the board and the Commend brand and its Intercom products,”