Virgin has a reputation of never missing a gimmick, and this attention-grabber has been so successful that the eBay bidding wars started before the limited-edition bags were even released.

Star Wars has an enormous following, ensuring that the tongue-in-cheek bags - four designs giving spoof instructions to would-be Jedi knights - will not only raise a smile from passengers, but also heighten their desirability among collectors.

The fact that the latest Star Wars film, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, has been a massive hit is what makes the affiliation so effective; a promotion for anything other than a movie blockbuster would fall flat.

EasyJet, for example, has tied up with a photo processing company and the sick bags double as envelopes to post camera films to the company.

While this is a clever use of ambient media, I wonder how many people have even noticed, let alone sent their precious holiday snaps off in a barf bag.

Virgin Atlantic has pulled off a great tie-up that fits very nicely with the brand, as complementary as McDonald's partnership with Disney - the force is most definitely with it.

Advertiser: 20th Century Fox.