Qantas Airways issues apology for accidentally broadcasting R-rated movie on all screens during flight

October 10, 2024

Updated: October 10, 2024

NEW YORK — Qantas Airways has found itself in the midst of controversy after⁤ airing ⁣a somewhat provocative⁤ film on a recent ‌flight. The Australian airline has since issued an apology to its passengers.

During a flight from Sydney, Australia to Haneda, Japan last week, the in-flight entertainment system⁤ experienced technical difficulties, Qantas confirmed to the Associated Press. This issue prevented passengers from choosing their own movies. ⁢Consequently, the crew decided to play a single movie on all ‌screens, a decision influenced by requests from several passengers, according to the airline.

While Qantas did not disclose the title of the film, multiple media sources have reported that it was “Daddio,” an R-rated movie that was released earlier this year.

The plot of “Daddio” revolves around a woman (portrayed by Dakota Johnson)‌ who engages in a lengthy conversation with her taxi driver (played by Sean Penn) during ‌her ride home to Manhattan from John F. Kennedy International Airport. Their discussion ranges from the essence of being a New Yorker to relationships and infidelity, particularly her ongoing ⁤affair with a married man. The‍ film earned its R rating due to “language⁢ throughout, sexual material and⁣ brief graphic ⁤nudity.”

Several social media users who claim to⁤ have been on the Qantas flight expressed their discomfort with ⁣the nudity and sexting scenes in‍ the film,⁢ especially considering the presence of families and children on board. Two Reddit users also mentioned ‍that passengers⁣ were unable to turn off the movie individually.

Upon realizing that the film was not suitable for all audiences, the Qantas crew tried to adjust the screens‌ for passengers⁣ who did not ⁢wish to watch it. However, they later discovered that this was not feasible and decided to change their approach.

“The movie was evidently not appropriate to be shown to all⁤ passengers and we deeply regret this incident,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement. “We switched all screens to a family-friendly movie for the remainder of the flight, ‌which is our⁢ standard procedure in the‍ rare instances where individual movie selection ⁣is‌ not an option.”

The spokesperson also mentioned that Qantas is “investigating how the (initial) movie was chosen.”

In the aftermath of the⁤ incident, the airline has faced some criticism online, even from‍ competing travel companies.

“Plot⁤ twist: We let you choose your movies,” Air New Zealand cheekily ‌responded to the news on social media platform X.