In a shocking incident that has left passengers and the public outraged, Australian airline Qantas has found itself in hot water after an R-rated film was broadcast across all screens on a recent international flight.
The incident occurred last week on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Passengers were reportedly subjected to the explicit content of the 2023 drama “Daddio” for nearly an hour before the crew finally intervened.
According to Qantas, a technical issue with the in-flight entertainment system prevented passengers from selecting their movies, forcing the crew to choose a single film to play across all screens on the aircraft. Based on “the request from several passengers,” they decided on “Daddio,” a movie that features jarring scenes of nudity, sexual material, and profanity.
“The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight, and we sincerely apologize to customers for this experience,” a Qantas spokesperson said. “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.”
However, the airline’s response has done little to quell the outrage, with passengers taking to social media to voice their frustration over the inappropriate content aired by families and children in plain view.
“The movie they played was extremely inappropriate,” one Reddit user who claimed to be on the flight wrote. “It was impossible to pause, dim, or turn it off… 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.”
Another user remarked, “That is insane. Surely, when you get the list of movies available, you are the least likely to offend. Like Finding Nemo or Despicable Me. How do you choose a movie that’s for mature audiences?”
The incident even drew the ire of Qantas’ competitors, with Air New Zealand taking a playful jab at their rival on social media. “Plot twist: We let you choose your movies,” the airline wrote in a reply to the news.
The backlash has undoubtedly come as an unwelcome surprise for Qantas, particularly given the airline’s longstanding reputation for delivering a high-quality travel experience. While the company has promised to investigate how the unsuitable movie was selected in the first place, the damage to its public image may already be done.
“Our cabin crew apologized to customers inflight, particularly those who had complained about the content,” the Qantas spokesperson said. “Our customer team will also be following up with customers.”
But for many, the apologies may ring hollow, especially given the airline’s acknowledgment that the movie was “clearly not suitable” for the audience on board. And with the explicit content now the subject of widespread reporting and social media chatter, the incident will likely have a lingering impact on Qantas’ reputation.
Maintaining customer trust and satisfaction has become crucial as the airline industry navigates the post-pandemic landscape. And for Qantas, this latest debacle is a stark reminder that even the most minor missteps can have outsized consequences in today’s hyperconnected world.
Moving forward, the company will undoubtedly need to take a hard look at its in-flight entertainment policies and procedures, ensuring that inappropriate content never again finds its way onto the screens of its aircraft. After all, for an airline that prides itself on providing a world-class travel experience, this kind of PR nightmare cannot be allowed to happen again.