Japan-bound flight screens R-rated movie for all passengers without option to switch

Passengers aboard Qantas flight QF59, travelling from Sydney, Australia, to Haneda, Japan, were left astonished when an explicit movie accidentally played on all in-flight screens due to a technical glitch. The incident, reported by news.com.au, caused significant discomfort among travellers, particularly families with children, as the R-rated film Daddio (2023) was shown without any option to turn it off.

(Also read: Couple kicked off flight, lands in court for sex act on packed plane, co-passengers outraged)

Uncomfortable experience for families

The film, featuring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, includes explicit sexual content and graphic nudity that many found deeply inappropriate for a public setting. "It was impossible to pause, dim, or turn it off," lamented one passenger on Reddit. "The worst part was that the movie was extremely inappropriate. It was super uncomfortable for everyone, especially with families and kids on board." Passengers noted that it took nearly an hour for the crew to replace the film with a more family-friendly option, exacerbating the awkward situation.

Technical glitch blamed

Qantas has since acknowledged the incident, attributing it to a technical malfunction in the in-flight entertainment system that prevented passengers from selecting individual films. According to reports from the New York Post, crew members attempted to rectify the situation by asking passengers for their movie preferences. However, the decision inadvertently resulted in the entire cabin being shown Daddio.

When it became evident that the film was unsuitable for many viewers, the crew made efforts to assist passengers in bypassing the offensive movie by fixing their screens. Unfortunately, when these attempts proved futile, they switched to a more appropriate film.

(Also read: Couple caught having sex mid-air aboard easyJet flight, escorted off plane)

Apology from Qantas

In response to the backlash, a Qantas spokesperson issued an apology for the distress caused, stating that standard procedure dictates the screening of family-friendly films when individual selection is unavailable. “The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight, and we sincerely apologise to customers for this experience,” the spokesperson explained, adding that the airline is investigating how the explicit film was chosen in the first place.