Qantas has apologized for playing an R-rated movie on a flight from Sydney to Tokyo. Due to a technical issue with the in-flight system, passengers were unable to select their own movies. After complaints from passengers, Qantas switched to family-friendly movies.
Australia’s flag carrier Qantas has apologized after an R-rated movie was shown on all screens during a flight.
The incident occurred on a flight between Sydney and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
A technical issue with the Airbus A330’s in-flight entertainment system prevented passengers from selecting their own movies.
Qantas said there was a limited list of movies that crew could play on any screen, and some passengers had requested specific movies.
The Guardian reported that the movie shown was the 2023 film Daddio, starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn.
Rated R for general language, sexual content, and brief nudity. One passenger described it as “40 minutes of penises and boobs,” according to the Guardian.
The airline said flight attendants tried to repair the screens for passengers who did not want to watch the movie, but that was not possible, so children’s movies were shown on all screens instead.
In a statement shared with Business Insider, a Qantas spokesperson said: “This film was clearly not suitable for being played throughout the flight. We sincerely apologize to our customers for this experience.” said.
“All screens were changed to family-friendly movies for the remainder of the flight. This is standard practice in the rare case that individual movie selection is not possible,” they added. “We are currently considering how to select movies.”
Qantas operates two flights a day between Sydney and Haneda. According to a report from Australian Aviation, the third slot will begin in March next year, taking over the slot from Virgin Australia.
