IAH-OIL-TRASH

Some parents have a problem with Barney the purple dinosaur and Teletubbies. UA can't win. I would be more than happy if UA would set up the rear of the plane for kids and their parents and a separate video system showing MR. Roger's Neighborhood re-runs, giving UA the ability to show non-lowest-common-denominator films up front.

Asking for the Captain's name wasn't necessary. If the passenger had a complaint, flight and date is all that's required. Asking for the name is somewhat of a challenge/implied threat. Not a physical threat, but a threat nonetheless. Not justifying captain's response (assuming we have entire story), but passenger elevated situation. Challenging a jerk doesn't always result in a benign outcome.

GBadger

I'm curious as to how many of the people saying "the film is only rated PG-13" have actually seen the film (even the United edited version).

Yup --
"Well, you see honey -- that man shot the other man in the face at point blank range because..."
"And the fighting in that cage where the one guy continues to bash the one mans face in even though he's bleeding profusely -- that's because..."
"Yeah, honey, I understand that that woman is pregnant, and no, that man probably shouldn't be so happy about killing her..."


Just seems to me that there are things that don't need to be shown on the overhead monitors, and this falls into that category. Plenty of other movies around (even PG-13 ones) that don't involve the violence in this one.

I completely agree with this, and this is a separate issue from whether Alex Cross is appropriate for children.

exerda

If the parents are that concerned about what their kids watch, provide the kids with their own entertainment options screened by those parents. Don't depend on the airline to do so. @:-)

andrewwm

Exactly. Sounds like a lot of complaining to the FAs about something they don't have control over from the person quoted in the story, and if done with a DYKWIA attitude...

I'm not saying what the captain did was right, but it sounds like their report was a highly biased version of what actually happened.

Always Flyin

My point exactly.

GimmeLegRoom

I was threatened with being met by the police and being reported to the FAA for using my rollaboard as a footrest by an FA a week ago. I had already decided not to challenge what I thought was an arbitrary rule but I didn't put it up fast enough in the OH bin (where it was during take-off) for his liking, and he confronted me outside the lav 5 minutes later. He went Defcon 5 on me when I asked for clarification so I know whether maybe a computer rollaboard is okay next time. The purser came and diffused the situation very professionally, and even gave me his card (and tried to give me a FC amenity kit, but I am drowning in amenity kits) -- he will get a nomination, the other guy will be the subject of a complaint/request for clarification to United.

I mean really. I may have broken a rule, but I was trying to turn it into a learning experience by having a calm conversation, and he took it as a challenge to his authority.

I am split on the movie choice - can't comment on that particular movie, but on the otherhand I think children's movies for a flight where 99% of the plane is over the age of 21 is also There should be a happy medium.

BearX220

And who knows what role the cabin crew played, or how they communicated to the flight deck?

I'm afraid this story just supports my view that about 10 percent of inflight staff are sociopathic or otherwise disturbed, and one should always be very, very careful about initiating unnecessary contact. That goes double on a carrier which promotes / permits an adversarial, anti-passenger culture like UA. Although the one time I came close to getting thrown off an aircraft for making an innocent comment, it was on Delta Connection.

Always Flyin

I doubt a "significant" fraction of the passengers were under 13. I would agree that a fraction of the passengers were under 13.

cyclogenesis

Boy I can see why you need a flame proof suit here
No one has commented on if raising the screen is possible.. and the fact that other users of the screen did not mind..
Since everyone is involuntarily exposed to the material on the plane it must meet the lowest common denominator .. Or there must be a region of the plane where the screens can not be viewed..

JetAway

True, although I have great confidence that James Fallows has carefully researched this story."Security" is causing a lot of strange behavior in air travel today.

Andy Big Bear

With access to DirecTV on many flights, there's all kinds of inappropriate content in the cabin now. There's that Lucy Liu thing that looks at american subcultures and up on my monitor in the last flight was some schlockumentary "the real fifty shades of grey." It's not that adults shouldn't have the right to see that content, but you can just inadvertently expose people to it because you had "Pawn Stars" on five minutes ago. I worked with Captains every day on flights back when I was a ramp guy, this seems like an extreme version of CYA. He won't pay for that today, but I'm sure he will have something to answer for. If you don't keep a schedule, and your crew times out, that's something management really, really doesn't like.

cyclogenesis

DTV=Voluntary access.. easily parentally controlled.. Drop down cabin wide IFE = forced consumption.. adults have the ability to tune out... Kids are mesmerized by moving images..

Always Flyin

When you take children out in public, they are going to be exposed to the world. Deal with it. That's what parenting is supposed to be about.

It is quickly going to get out of hand with surveys on raising screens and what should be shown.

Propose all children be placed in the back of the plane and watch the complaining start that you are discriminating against kids.

UA needs an objective standard on what it can show on airplanes or we will all be watching Mary Poppins every flight. I don't think showing PG-13 films is out of order.

GBadger

Sorry -- when I said significant I meant that on any given flight the odds are good that you have a handful (maybe 10-15, on average?) passengers under the age of 13.

villox

Though there is a LOT unknown about this story (there is something about asking to know the Captain's name that indicates they were upset about the first response, so there more be more there), it's likely NOT possible to raise just one of the screens. If it's those motorized LCD screens they are all connected with one switch (or maybe two, one for each side of the plane) and go up or down all at once.