Qantas Apologizes for Inappropriate Film Screening on Sydney to Tokyo Flight

In a recent incident aboard a flight from Sydney to Tokyo, Australian airline Qantas found itself at the center of controversy after a mature-rated film was inadvertently played for all passengers, including families with young children. The episode unfolded following a malfunction of the in-flight entertainment system, which failed to operate before the aircraft’s departure.

According to a statement from Qantas, technical difficulties rendered individual movie selections unavailable. As a result, the crew opted to play a movie for the entire flight, based on a request purportedly made by several passengers. The film chosen was “Daddio,” a sexually explicit drama notorious for its adult content, including graphic nudity and sexual themes.

The unexpected film screening prompted discomfort among the passengers, particularly those accompanied by children. Reports from passengers indicate that they were unable to turn off, pause, or dim their screens, effectively compelling them to watch the film. A passenger described the experience in a Reddit post, stating, “The movie they played was extremely inappropriate. It featured graphic nudity and a lot of sexting.”

The discomfort continued for almost an hour before the airline switched to a more family-appropriate film. Despite attempts by the crew to rectify the situation, including apologizing to the affected passengers, the choice of film has come under scrutiny. A passenger questioned, “How is this acceptable for a major airline?”

“Daddio,” released last year, stars Dakota Fanning and John Doe, and revolves around the story of a woman and a taxi driver discussing sex and relationships. The film is rated 18 in the UK, “Restricted” (R) in the US, and MA15+ in Australia due to its language, sexual content, and nudity.

In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for Qantas apologized for the passengers’ experience, stating, “The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight and we sincerely apologize to customers for this experience.” The spokesperson further mentioned, “We are reviewing how the movie was selected.”

This incident, which occurred on flight QF59, underscores the challenges airlines can face with in-flight entertainment systems and the potential for passenger dissatisfaction when technical issues arise. Qantas has assured customers that its cabin crew is committed to preventing similar occurrences in the future and that it is investigating the selection process of the film in question.