Anyone who has ever flown on a plane has probably experienced either feeling embarrassed about what they're watching on the flight screen in front of them, or wondering if the passengers around them are judging them for their film choice.
But on a recent Qantas Airlines flight from Sydney to Tokyo, passengers experienced a shared embarrassment unlike any other when they all had to watch the same film, which contained inappropriate content.
Because of a technical glitch, Qantas Airlines flight QF59 had a malfunctioning entertainment system that prevented passengers from individually choosing which film they would watch for the duration of the flight.
To ensure everyone was entertained, the crew took a vote on which film to play for the entire flight. The in-flight options included Inside Out 2, The Fall Guy, Daddio, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Bad Boys 2.
Surprisingly, the film that was chosen was the 2023 Daddio, starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. Though most of the film takes place in the cab driven by Sean Penn's character, with Dakota Johnson seated in the back and striking up casual conversation with the driver, the film also contains explicit scenes and text message displays that include sexting.
A conversation that circulated on Reddit pointed out that the deeper issue was not the film choice but the fact that, because of the technical glitch, passengers were not able to mute their screens. Passengers who did not want to watch, and parents who did not want their children to see more mature content, were not able to pause or turn off the film.
One Redditor reflected:
"It took almost an hour of this before they switched to a more kid-friendly movie, but it was super uncomfortable for everyone, especially with families and kids onboard. How is this acceptable for a major airline?"
Qantas Airlines soon issued a public statement of apology for the glitch and for the movie choice.
"The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight, and we sincerely apologize to customers for this experience."
"All screens were changed to a family-friendly movie for the rest of the flight, which is our standard practice for the rare cases where individual movie selection isn't possible."
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Some found the technological glitch to be hilarious.
It’s certainly a story passengers won't forget anytime soon!
— Social Learner (@sapsiva1310) October 8, 2024
I wonder how they stayed awake to even notice. Such a boring movie.
— Back to Basics (@B2BTITA) October 9, 2024
Others didn't get what the big deal about the glitch was.
Oh my! Let me clutch my pearls! Bad language!
— Trent Harvey (@TheTrentHarvey) October 9, 2024
at least it wasn't X Rated lol
— The Woodland Ghost Tracker 👻 (@Benjami7051775) October 8, 2024
if that's the worst thing i have to worry about on Qantas, I'll be ok.
— Alyce (@Sincurly_Yurs) October 8, 2024
No need to apologize
— Sean Ledwich (@SeanLedwich) October 8, 2024
Accidents happen, even on major airlines, and perhaps the best thing we can do is try to laugh it off.
But it is questionable that it took the crew so long to notice the problem and to switch to a film that was more appropriate for everyone on the flight.