What would you do if a flight was showing a violent in-flight movie?

Question

A family complained about the violent in-flight movie, Alex Cross (PG-13), which they said was too inappropriate for their 4-year-old and 8-year-old. This eventually led the pilot to divert the flight due to "security concerns." What would you do?

Article: http://yhoo.it/XoBvw2

Answer 1

Put the kids in a rear facing seat which faces away from the screen.

Give the kids an entertaining alternative activity like a coloring book that will keep them heads down occupied and not looking at the screen.







So many possibilities without having to inconvience an entire plane load of people.





Next is sue the parent for making me miss my connecting flight and cruise ship departure.

Answer 2

The airline was stupid to show a PG-13 film in the first place. PG-13 images are generally not something I want in my own field of vision without my choosing it, let alone my little kids'. And I'm not a prude. Why can't they provide special glasses to see a special screen, or private screens for individual seats. If they're selling the movie headsets to begin with, and turning a profit I don't doubt.



I've been on a 5-hour flight with my little kids while a PG-13 film with violence and sexuality and "dark" creepy scenes was shown. I didn't say anything because I'd given my kids a portable DVD player already, but it bothered me a lot that the visual film was just shown to the whole plane, no choice. So disrespectful.



What's freaky about the story is that the airline reacted as though it were a security concern. It's like an Orwellian inversion. The only security that was ever threatened, was that of the poor little kids, and the other passengers who had to land and take off an extra time.

Answer 3

WHAT?

. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ,.-‘”. . . . . . . . . .``~.,

. . . . . . . .. . . . . .,.-”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“-.,

. . . . .. . . . . . ..,/. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ”:,

. . . . . . . .. .,?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\,

. . . . . . . . . /. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,}

. . . . . . . . ./. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,:`^`.}

. . . . . . . ./. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,:”. . . ./

. . . . . . .?. . . __. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :`. . . ./

. . . . . . . /__.(. . .“~-,_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,:`. . . .. ./

. . . . . . /(_. . ”~,_. . . ..“~,_. . . . . . . . . .,:`. . . . _/

. . . .. .{.._$;_. . .”=,_. . . .“-,_. . . ,.-~-,}, .~”; /. .. .}

. . .. . .((. . .*~_. . . .”=-._. . .“;,,./`. . /” . . . ./. .. ../

. . . .. . .\`~,. . ..“~.,. . . . . . . . . ..`. . .}. . . . . . ../

. . . . . .(. ..`=-,,. . . .`. . . . . . . . . . . ..(. . . ;_,,-”

. . . . . ../.`~,. . ..`-.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..\. . /\

. . . . . . \`~.*-,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..|,./.....\,__

,,_. . . . . }.>-._\. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|. . . . . . ..`=~-,

. .. `=~-,_\_. . . `\,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\

. . . . . . . . . .`=~-,,.\,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . `:,, . . . . . . . . . . . . . `\. . . . . . ..__

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .`=-,. . . . . . . . . .,%`>--==``

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _\. . . . . ._,-%. . . ..`



Is that for real???



What is wrong with the world!!!!!?





A)Im sure the kids would survive! Its hardly chainsaw massacre its a 13!! I watched 13 films when i was a kid cause my bro was older and i managed to grow up without being mentally scared or a mad axe murderer!!



b) even they decide there kids are to precious to watch the movie then its there responsibility to turn the tele thing off and entertain there own children!!



whats wrong with these people!! they ruin everyone elses plans cause they cant entertain there own kids for a couple of hours!! How do they function day today??????

Answer 4

If they are complaining about a movie on a flight then they are just fishing for money. This is absurd. What makes these people think they are the only one on the plane? Did they pay for first class? If so, then they could have changed the movie! If not, why weren't they more prepared and bring their children books and educational toys?



This is insane. My 5yr old watches PG-13 movies. Disney and Nick Channels are PG13! Which just means exactly what is written---- Parental Guidance IF UNDER 13. Were they present on this plane? C'mon! Like a 4 yr old would focus on the TV this long and remember it!



If our country wants an Authoritarian government keep on complaining!

Answer 5

I would have done the same thing as the parents did. It's inappropriate to broadcast PG-13 movies on a plane full of kids younger than 13.



The pilot, in my opinion, seems dramatic. Unless we are missing a huge part of the story (e.g., the dad got angry about the movie and started throwing punches), there was no reason to land the plane or notify Border Protection, the FBI, or the airline's managers. Very vindictive.



And is it really impossible to turn off the in-flight movies? That seems off.

Answer 6

If they didn't like it, they didn't have to watch it.

If you think about it, it's actually really hard to seriously watch a movie on an airplane. Especially economy class - the screens are blurry, or too bright/dark, and then there's always this one moment in which you stand up to go to the bathroom (not during turbulence, of course, like good little passengers) and realize you can't move your head because the whole time the screen you were watching was tilted in the most amazingly uncomfortable-neck-cramp-causing-direction. Take all that into factor with the headphones possibly not working, and the volume never being loud enough over the plane engine to catch what everyone is saying on-screen.

Basically, it takes effort to watch a movie on a plane. Effort to watch a violent in-flight movie. If the kids didn't want to watch it, it could easily be avoided. And what "security concern" is watching a violent movie? If they were too young to watch the movie, they were certainly not going to go around doing violent acts on the plane right there and then. It's all about good parenting - the parents should be able to exercise efficient authority in order to stop their kids from watching the movie if they had to. The pilot/everyone else on the plane should not be the ones having to do what all parents signed themselves up for the moment they decided to have kids.

Answer 7

PG-13 film in the first place. PG-13 images are generally not something I want in my own field of vision without my choosing it, let alone my little kids'. And I'm not a prude. Why can't they provide special glasses to see a special screen, or private screens for individual seats. If they're selling the movie headsets to begin with, and turning a profit I don't doubt.



I've been on a 5-hour flight with my little kids while a PG-13 film with violence and sexuality and "dark" creepy scenes was shown. I didn't say anything because I'd given my kids a portable DVD player already, but it bothered me a lot that the visual film was just shown to the whole plane, no choice. So disrespectful.

Answer 8

I believe that your ideas on what is violent, and what is not are your own to judge.

I also believe alex cross is a movie I would have little issue showing my son. (to give you an idea of where I am on the fence.)

Mostly I think that airlines put thought into what they show in flight, for just such a reason.



I am sorry you were upset, I recommend bringing a book or hand held game device next time.

also not allowing your children to wear the headphones to aid in their ignoring of such media.



but complaining to the staff is a moot point because if i was on that flight and the film was shut off due to a more conservative family. I would complain in the other direction. It takes all walks, please don't try to censor my life.

Answer 9

Judging by the article, the captain/airline staff certainly overreacted but without being on the flight and overhearing the actual conversations, it's hard to say which party is guilty.



But this type of concern is becoming less relevant as most planes ( at least the ones I've travelled on lately ) have individual screens that allow each passenger to decide which movie or show to watch.



By the way, could the kids even physically see the screen? They may not even be tall enough to see the monitor over the seat-backs. If the monitor was in direct view of the aisle they were in, the could have moved to a row just ahead of one of the overhead monitors so the kids would not be able to see the screen. That would seem to be a simple solution...

Answer 10

Give the little kid a book to look at or something. PG-13 means Parent or Guardian with a minor under 13 or being 13 years or older. There was no reason for the flight to change simply because of a movie. Have them look away from it, it's not like it was a Rated R movie, now that I could see not being suitable. I'd tell the parents to grow up and have their kids be busy with something else or if worse comes to worse no movie or change the movie? Is it really that hard? The whole plane with the 50-100+ passengers now have to sit at an airport and get their time wasted simply because of 1 family who could not control themselves.

Answer 11

All flights should be made to take into consideration the AGE of all passengers including children.

The movies companies probably have a contract with the airlines and therefor ALL kinds of crap will be shown on flights. And instead of airlines doing the right thing and taking into consideration the ages of the children, they would rather have the money than support family values. Money talks and until consumers make their voices known ---corporations, and big companies WILL rule! Movies on flights should all be G rated and none PG 13

Shame on United!

Answer 12

Seriously does this really take any type of an actual perce judgement if you don't like the movie there isn't anything else you can do about it, sorry if i'm coming here with such minimal valuable use of intent for a solution, suggestion, or yet offer, the only thing you can do in this cases is to not let or choose for yourself or your child to hear the content of such existing film



in reality when you go to a plane you can choose not to like the food in your own judgment

but when it comes to any particular film it is out of anyones hand to embrace the fact that everyone

is watching the same movie at the same time and not a single person chosed which kind of movie was to take place during air travel..

Answer 13

I'm not sure how long the flight is as I live in the UK, but I feel that if before the flight, the parents knew there would be an in-flight film that was rated PG-13, then they should of done their own research or asked about this film before-hand as they knew they were bringing young children onto the flight.



However, I also feel that the airline company involved should of seen to this first and not have to put passengers and other families out just because they failed to check the film and give warning first!

According to 'Motion Picture Association of America' (MPAA):

"A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them."



So I am not surprised that out of the many people who board their flights everyday, someone was not going to agree to a film of this rating being shown, but even refusing to turn off the film when asked, even though the other passengers said this was fine, wasting time and their companies money because of a "security breach" is a load of jargon!

The pilots and staff who were involved in making this decision should be fined or suspended for their actions as I am sure that this is not the procedure and they have discretion to use whatever initiative they may have in these types of situations.



If I did find the film inappropriate, and they refused to turn it off, I would keep myself "calm" and personally be very upset with their service. i would ask if they had any on-board children's items to occupy my children while the film is on. If they refused me even this, I would take it with someone higher as well as see as to what small-claims legal action I can take for my inconvenience. In the mean time, I think I would have to give my children my phone to use while in "in-flight" mode and make sure they do not look at the screen.

Answer 14

I don't understand why people make such an issue over certain movies. If they felt it wasn't appropriate then why didn't they bring things for their children to do. Most flights that I have been on have small personal monitors on the seat in front of you and you watch what you want. If that was the case then all they had to do was to turn the movie off. These parents are probably the same ones that let their kids watch Sponge Bob Square Pants. He is banned in my house. He is rude and a poor role model for kids. Parents today need to monitor their kids and I think these parents are trying to do that but knowing that these kinds of movies are shown on planes I would think they would have sought other methods of travel. Not everyone is going to agree with the movies or programs shown on airplanes....you can't please anyone. But it is our responsibility to find out what is being shown and then make any changes you feel necessary before you board that plane. Just my 2 cents worth.

Answer 15

That's a very difficult question to answer because as a parent we are expected to be our children's censors and to monitor what our children watch. And if the monitor was unable to be turned off, then I'm not sure what the flight was thinking allowing children on the flight in the first place. I'm beginning to think that it is becoming widely accepted that the "PG-13" rating label is becoming the new "PG".



The only way the flight would have been diverted is if the mother was causing a ruckus or the pilot was unsure what to do at risk of the airline getting sued... Seeing the coin on both sides, it was just one of those wrong place, wrong time moments for both the mother and the pilot...

Answer 16

Seriously? This is a joke, the crew should have told the parents to sit down and shut up, there's no reason the kids would have to watch the film. The penalty for forcing a plane to divert for security issues is 5 years in prison, I'd enforce this, even if there was no alternative, even if the parents did feel the need to complain. Compensation from the airline would have sufficed; not the diversion of the aircraft.



The customer isn't always right, they could have turned the whole movie off, diversion is a last minute resort used for violence and medical emergencies, not some gobby parents. Hopefully they'll be fined and put on a no fly list. Better yet shot.

Answer 17

1. I think that it is a good thing that parents actively protect their own children from to many violence



2. I do not think that a plane would need to be divert for that purpose (alone).

The aircraft crew could have simply turned off / swapped the video while remaining on course to their destination. This smells like indoctrination by the airline



3. The reaction of the captain and the airline is overreacting and s*cks big time to me personally:

I think it is a good thing that more parents are STANDING UP against the TONS of EMBEDDED VIOLENCE (adds, comic books, cartoons, movies) in the media across this planet.



Violence seems to have become the NEW NORM in the media, and that is ridiculous.

Answer 18

I would try to get my child not to watch it. If possible if they had another movie to watch I would ask politely. The world doesn't revolve around my children so I wouldn't make demands, maybe suggestions. That's what the parents did , I can't understand why the flight was diverted. Looks like a lot of paranoid people still after 9/11

Answer 19

This depends. as im not married and do not have kids and would not mind watching such a movie, as i am old enough. however, if i did have kids travelling with me, then i would either request the flight attendant or one of the hostesses to immediately hold the movie and put on another move, or if possible change seating arrangements so that i could go to a section where there would be separate viewing screens. worse comes to worse and they don't do anything, then ill take my children to the loo and make them wait there for the intimate or violent scenes and then make them come back after it is over. Or i would request that they would try to occupy my kids with some puzzles or drawing book, some type ok kiddie thing that would mean that they do not watch the movie. i would try to distract them when these scenes would come on, tell them to walk off when it would happen, make them close their eyes and ears...Or i would request that the kids would stay in the back cabin where the air hostesses are and make them play there or wait for them there, until the movie is over. or ill try to put them to bed. then after, when the flight was over, or if the movie was over, and my kids saw one or two bad scenes then i would tell them that this is fake, and that they should not do this in real life, and there it is bad. this film is just for entertainment, for fun, but we should not copy them. and then after i get off the flight im going to complain, depending on how violent the movie was. if i had a 4 yr old kid and they played something like SAW or something 18 + or 16 + and if it left my kids frightened or my kids started crying because of what they saw in the movie than i would take severe action and complain and ensure that something should be done about it to ensure this does not happen again. but if it was just something like PG-13 or less, then i would just tell the airport people that this happened and i think that next time you should be careful. Though i think that the pilot was being a little harsh for knocking the family out of the flight! But I still do think that flight attendants should be careful as to what they show. They should show movies that they know everyone will enjoy, and would be suitable for everyone. I think that there should be individual seat viewers where the people on the flight have control over what they watch. this can prove to be very beneficial as children would not be prone to violent and explicit material and also many people dont want to watch one movie, having multiple screens is better as they can thus watch whatever they wish to watch and not be obliged to watch a movie they don't feel like watching. This is the best solution to the problem. though some flights cannot afford this. in this case, what they can do is to check as to whether there are children that are quite young that are on the flight and play a movie according to that. or, they can seat people according to whether they are a family with young children. so if there are families that have young children in one screening room where they can watch children movies, and then a separate movie for those who don't have children. moreover, if they want to they can take the children to a special place where the children can be away from the screening room and can play games or anything like that, if not many families are present, only a few children are there, like 7 or 8. then. the flight people need to keep people happy and ensure everyone has a good journey, and for one thing to spoil it makes it bad for everyone. however, i think that the flight attendants thought that the movie allowed younger kids to watch ensuring that parents were present, and thus played it. some kids are mature enough to handle it, whereas others are not. therefore it would be the flight people's fault, and they shuld try to make the flight convenient for all. though, to be fair, some PG-13 movies are ok for children to watch, and some disney movies are pg-13, but 4yr olds can watch it. it would depend on the person, and whether they would risk their child(ren) watch something like that. some children are mature enough to watch something 18 rated, even though they are 5. but they have the understanding to realise that this is not real and the stunts are fake. i hope this would not happen to my kids, and id have to be thrown out. that would be a baaaad holiday! Oh and to add, i would also maybe let my kids watch a movie if i knew it was not that violent, like maybe x-men (the first one) or something, where there weren't any explicit scenes. and then would tell them it aint real. any fist fighting movie maybe, not guts galore or intimacy.

Answer 20

According to the article the parents accepted that the movie couldnt be turned off and were fine with making sure the kids didn't watch the screen. The captain took it upon himself to divert the flight one hour later because of a security concern. I don't think the parents should hold much of the blame for this, I think the captian needs some additional training so he knows what costitutes a legit security threat.

Answer 21

To be honest, I'd be pretty pissed about the flight diversion more than anything! If there was a violent movie on, and children underage were present, it would be better to tell them either not to watch it or pay attention to the IFE screen, educate them properly about the violence in the movie, or engage them in another activity (although this relates to the first thing I said). A flight diversion is way off the scale though!

Answer 22

I'd get over it. What, is the four year old going to be scarred for life? Give him a few weeks and he won't even remember the movie. As for the eight year old, he knows it's just a movie, and knows its not real. Little boys play "army", "war", and "superheroes" all the time. A pg-13 movie is NOT a big deal. I have a feeling these are the kind of parents that give their kids trophies for participation and pride themselves in being the "perfect" parents.

Answer 23

firstly let me just get this off my chest. lots of answers here didn't go to the article link and read the full details. they answered on reduced information and are not helpful at all.

ok , here is my answer.... the passengers are totally within their right to ask that the film be switched off. the cabin staff should have announced to the rest of the passengers that they had made a mistake and cannot show the film. it is the mistake of the airline to show a film publicly which is not rated for all it's captive audience. done deal.

the captain was probably told about a heated passenger threatening the cabin crew. he should have asked for more details and allowed his cabin crew to diffuse the situation without taking drastic action and diverting the plane. he most likely was having a bad day and it his intention to make everyone suffer.

the cabin crew need better training.

the captain should be held responsible for his actions but ultimately the airline should be held culpable. i hope this turns into more of a fiasco so everyone can see that the world has gone mad. it has blown up out of all proportion. what has happened to good old common sense ?

Answer 24

First and foremost I would give my kids something to distract themselves. Reading, coloring, listen to music, whatever. Then request (politely and respectfully) that either the movie be changed or the monitor turned off. If neither of those are possible, request that the monitor be covered (paper and tape, a cloth, whatever gets the job done). If that cannot be done, continue to divert my kids' attention, maybe encourage a nap. There's only so much the attendants can do, so getting mad at them isn't going to solve anything.



Upon arrival, contact the airline's customer service as well as the ACPD regarding the incident. Offer some suggestions to help prevent incidents in the future. Most passenger flights will have underage travelers, not to mention there are many individuals who are bothered or even offended by sexual or violent content, so why the airline felt it was an appropriate movie to play is beyond me.



That being said, flight diversions create huge bureaucratic nightmares for the airline. If the captain, who didn't even have contact with the family, felt it necessary to land and remove the family for security reasons, it's pretty clear that the parents were doing more than expressing concern over the movie selection.

Answer 25

The pilot acted accordingly per training. The incident was not the fault of the pilot or the airline. It was the sole reaction to a very, very complaining parent which is grounds for security reaction per their own in house training. People often do very dangerous things while in flight. As a former steward for 8 years I support the pilot's decision completely.



Each passenger should file a civil suit against the party causing the security breach.



Also if mom and dad had taken the time to read all bookings and such they would have discovered that PG -13 movies are shown, common and the norm and nothing of their flight experience was hidden or a surprise.



The pilot reaction was 100% correct.



To answer the question though not any airline I worked for nor any flight/cabin I ever worked showed any violent movie. We can't. Airlines don't want to show any violent movies.

Answer 26

Honestly, I think the parents overreacted a little. You can't actually think you can shelter your kids and it actually work, short of never letting them leave the house. I'm sure the kids heard the guy cussing out the lady at the terminal when he found out there was a problem with his tickets. Or saw the computer screen of the guy watching porn while waiting for his flight. They've probably even seen fights happen at school. If you want to be a good parent, don't try to hide your children from reality. I've known kids whose parents tried to do that and they ended up being the ones who smoked weed, lost their virginity at 13, cut class and everything else just because they weren't prepared for LIFE. Being a good parent means that you acknowledge reality, but make sure your kids know what is right and what is wrong. Good morals values instilled in kids wins over strict parenting every time.



As for the captain diverting the flight: Yeah, that was an overreaction, but more than likely he didn't really know what was going on. The reality of it is that one of the flight attendants probably just radioed the captain (or however they communicate) and said two of the passengers are causing a disturbance. And the captain didn't know if disturbance meant the person was throwing up or threatening to kill somebody. And really, wouldn't you want the captain of the plane you're on to be safe rather than sorry?



Just my two cents.

Answer 27

I would be concerned for the 4 year old, but the 8 year old!! That age is already jaded. Still when I travel with my kids who are now 16, I take portable DVD players and a lot of discs to play. Diversion is the key for the kids, NOT the airplane. In addition, I always travel with "eye masks" so I can sleep. I would have insisted that everyone try sleeping since we have a long flight ahead of us. Of course, once the little one is asleep, it may be OK to take your own mask off.



I am curious about what caused the pilot to use the term "security concerns" when he inconvenienced a plane full of paying customers by booting the family off the plane. According to the article, no voices were raised by anyone. Their explusion from the plane is why they wrote a letter to United and informed the media of their problem. I feel for the passengers who missed their connecting flights.

Answer 28

Don't know about diverting the whole flight over it....yikes, but sure! Obviously 4 and 8 years old are underage for a PG-13 movie.

Answer 29

As the aircraft commander (pilot, left seat) stop the picture and offer free drinks as a complimentary alternative for temporary appeasement. The carrier's administration must then deal with this issue prior to allowing any further controversy.



American culture is all about violence.

Maybe a good start in changing this global perception is to screen movies to a test sampling of air travellers and note their common sense recommendations. Then apply this to the type and content of films best suited the the carrier, travel class and routes.

Answer 30

Retarded parents is all I can say.

If their children are thick enough to not understand that it's a movie and they shouldn't put stuff into practice they see on TV, then they have reason, but I'm sure their children are normal human beings with some sanity.



I hate over protective parents because it's counter productive, and in my eyes they are idiots for disrupting a whole flight, causing inconvenience for a good few hundred people, costing the airline company a few more hundred or thousand just because a pair of individuals thought the movie will indoctrinate their innocent minded 4 year old child who doesn't understand what the heck is going on into a full fledged criminal of some sort in the near future.

Answer 31

That situation is ridiculous, diverting a flight for a violent film. People have places to be and their plans should not be compromised for such a trivial matter. Usually films shown on planes are just released. People are lucky they have the opportunity to travel, never mind the added bonus of entertainment! If it were me I would just have my kids do something productive such as read/colour/draw etc. I am sure you need headphones to watch the film anyways. Usually when I am on a flight I listen to my iPod and read.

Answer 32

If I were on an airplane with my family and the in-flight movie was something I didn't want my daughter watching, I would simply turn off the individual screen. If this particular flight did not have individual screens I would notify the flight attendant of my dilemma and ask them to bring my child something else to do, such as a coloring page and crayons. I would not ask them to interrupt the entertainment of others simply because my children were not allowed to watch the program.



If the program continued and I had no alternative entertainment for my child, I would simply explain to my child that the movie was inappropriate, explain the scenes that I questioned and encourage her to answer questions. We might as well make it a learning experience.

Answer 33

Is this on the big screen in the middle or the plane or what?



Now a days, I have a personal tv in front of me, so I can turn it off any time I want. I also have multiple channels to choose from.



I would say the family should get ban from flying on that company airline ever again. Causing a plane to land all of a sudden cost everyone money and time.

Answer 34

First of all, I don't think that EITHER side is being 100% honest with their version of events. Just sayin'.



As for what I would do: well, since I don't rely on TV to keep myself or my family entertained (I don't even have cable TV in my own home), I'd have brought along colouring books and other games/activities in order to keep the little ones busy. What was showing on the screen would have been a non-issue.



People need to learn to be more proactive when it comes to raising kids. The real world isn't rated "G", after all.

Answer 35

I would not show it to my kids if they were that young! It's rated PG-13 for a reason! No one under 13 should be watching it! End of story! A 13 year old maybe a 11 or 12 year old too can handle that kind of stuff... not the young minds of a 4 and 8 year old!

Answer 36

I would sit still and enjoy the movie.



If I was a parent, and my kids were present, and if the movie was playing in such a way that the events on screen were being displayed so my kids could see, and if my kids were younger than 10 years old, I would complain and just ask them to change the movie or turn it off or give us different seats. I'd love to watch the movie myself, but I do believe in the rating system (with the exception of R movies, I think we need to split those in half and create a new rating. Like PG-15 or something), and feel if a movie is violent I don't want my kids watching it.

Answer 37

I don't know, watch it? But anyway, I actually got angry at the parents for being so self-centered that they had a flight diverted because they didn't like the movie. And how was this a "security concern" exactly?

Answer 38

I would have explained to the parents that there were other passengers on the plane who may not have wanted to watch a rated 'G' movie. I would have told them that the PG-13 was sort of a compromise, since there are others who may be used to rated R movies. I would have told them that their children were welcome to play with whatever toys and activities the parents had provided for them.



****However-to Yahoo and Y/A, I would suggest to them that they actually READ the article that they linked. It says this entire incident was reported as a letter that the family wrote to a newspaper. The comment from the airline is generic and doesn't state at all what 'disturbance' caused them to remove the family. I would guess that we don't have the whole story and I would love to hear the flight attendant's version.

Answer 39

If the movie was rated PG-13, there should not have been enough violence present to scandalize your children. In this case, if you have a problem with the amount of violence in the movie, you should take it up with the producers and the individuals who rated it, not the airline. They are perfectly within their right to show a PG-13 movie as these movies typically do not have an unacceptable amount of violence in them.



If you had a real problem with the movie, do not allow your children to watch it. Airlines cater to many people, all different ages, all with different movie preferences. It is important for you to understand that it is not the airline's job to entertain your children with an appropriate movie, as children make up only a small percentage of airline users. The majority of individuals on planes are middle aged men on business trips, to which a movie such as Alex Cross would have been appealing.



Its important to remember that children are not the only people on the plane, and no one is forcing you to allow them to watch it. In the end, it is not the airline at fault here. People need to realize that it's not up to other people and entire companies to cater to their kids and their kids only. The movie was most likely appropriate for more than 75% of the passengers on board the plane. Please keep that in mind when going to complain about something like that.

Answer 40

I don't fly with airlines that are 10 years out of date with modern standards. all inflight movies should be vod for each passanager on the back of the seat in front of them. if i'm flying some airline using planes that should have been retired 10 years ago I might have bigger worries then what might be playing on the movie screen which is too small to see anyway.



if for some reason i was in that situation then i would simply give the children something to pre-occupy them while the movie was on and obviously not let them watch it as it's likely with no headphones they will lose interest in it anyway.

Answer 41

I have never been on a plane where there were individual screens that people couldn't change. So change the channel. I think tha parents made a bigger deal about this then a 4 yr old or 8 yr old would. Sorry flights are not strictly "MF Kid Friendly".

Answer 42

Slap the mom and tell her

"to cool her jets there are ten billions of other thing a 4 or 8 year old can focus on.

You kid are not the center of this flight there are 50 more people on this plane and her stupidity is ruining the flight.

i am afraid of heights and having to take one plane flight is hard enough. I'm on this plane for a reason not to baby sit your kids who you can't control with out tv.

i have places to be and so does everyone else. Deal with your drama on the ground. "

Then if possible slap her a few more times. Get my plane landed oh heck no.

Answer 43

Hope that there is a good in flight meal to go with the movie. As for kids watching the show ... the parents should realize that the entire world is not going "rated G" for their convenience!



The parents should have had other activities planned for their children.

Answer 44

Make them not watch it, close the TV. They are under 13 the age of 13, so it wasn't really the airports fault. It is the mother's fault. Really, diverting the flight because the movie wasn't "appropriate"? Unless it involved nudity, I wouldn't be complaining about what is and isn't appropriate.

Answer 45

Really?



It's not a big deal, it's not like they wouldn't see movies like that soon anyway.



If it was a slasher movie or a rated R movie, they'd have room to complain but they're being too sensitive. In reality, those kids will be exposed to violence pretty soon, it's how the world works. The more you try to hide it from them the more of a shock it is to them when they find out how violent and cruel the world can really be.



Expose them to it at a young age and they'll be alright.

Answer 46

Wow! That would annoy me immensely that a family made an entire flight be re-routed just because of their children. If I was on that flight, I would not be a happy bunny. It should be up to the parents to entertain their children in that instance, no-body is forcing those youngsters to even watch a film. I believe in that instance, the majority should over-rule any fussing by a couple of parents. That's so unjust. I hope thise people are utterly ashamed of themselves.

Answer 47

The same.........ask to have the movie replaced.

Because some guy in a room labels a movie PG13, does not mean it is decent and acceptabble.

Besides, what does PG mean?

How are parents suppose to 'guide' or ovesee their children on a plane?

Airfares & airports put us through enough hassle, some respite should be found once on board.

Answer 48

The parents made a reasonable request, and were polite. They gathered the approval of other people aboard the plane. They ended their requests for getting the objectionable material turned off in at a reasonable time.



Then the pilot freaked out, and turned the plane around.



The parent's actions inconvenienced no one. The pilot cost everyone time, money and annoyance, involving flight crew, the police, air martial, and, if I'm reading the article right, even the fire department.



Everyone on the plane should be compensated for their lost time and annoyance. The family should get a substantial sum of money - say $10,000. The flight crew should be sent to training to help them learn to resolve such issues in the future. The pilot should be fired or put on unpaid leave due to him acting like a jerk.

Answer 49

I would do the same as the parents did.



Bullying is rampant in the USA exactly because people like that pilot (if the story is true) DO these kinds of things to terrorise (yes, terrorise is the correct term) all future passengers from doing the same.



The problem is the pilots. When we let others make us wear their shame, that's what makes slaves of peons.



I personally, will not ever let someone terrorise me into just sitting there letting them harm MY kids.



Let the airline sort it out, it's their problem.

Answer 50

Teach these people to be adults so they can properly parent their children. The world is in constant attack of real values and goodness so educate your selves and then educate your children. The plane should have never turned around the Pilot was weak.They should have provided the kids and the parents with food drinks coloring books any other distraction in other words help the parents parent. Then arrest them for disturbing the flight and let the courts sort it out.

Answer 51

You can turn the monitor off and distract your kids with coloring books. The pilot and crew could have kept it together and arrived at their destination.



The saddest thing is that both parties overreacted. The parties reaction to a PG-13 movie on a consumer flight is oppressive to other passengers. Clearly, the movie is not illegal and probably approved by aviation consumer protection and enforcement. They wanted to dictate what was acceptable to everyone on the plane based on their own personal believes. This is unacceptable.



The crew and pilot could have tried to reasonably accommodate these ridiculous passengers, even if it meant reimbursing the cost of the flight. I'm sure that would have shut them up. Instead, they at best inconvenienced the passengers and airport load, at worst, endangered the life of everyone on that plane because of capricious small minded people.



Both were inflexible and had to have "their way or the highway." Both are at fault.

Answer 52

Very simple. Such in-flight movie should not be stopped for the viewing. Before the movie start Pilot should announce the scope of the movie. In such case airlines should help to give tranquilizers to the young children and diapers to he weak-hearted adults!

Answer 53

Completely overblown reaction by parents and pilot. What saddens me is that the parents are probably within my age range. Trust me, we grew up with more "unsafe for children" material than that! Sheltering your kids seems to be the new American pastime. Unless there's mechanical failures or a very serious passenger situation, there's no need to divert.

Answer 54

Anyone who has ever flown, knows that airlines only show the lamest, tamest movies available...........like Steve Carrell comedies or something..........and they cut OUT even the "worst" bits out of those.



I've NEVER seen an in flight movie, that could even be the least bit offensive.



Last flight I was on, they made me sit thru "The Girl With The Pearl Earring".



I should have sued the airline, for EXTREME BOREDOM....and mental cruelty.

Answer 55

Apparently the captain was having a bad day or has a very arrogant nature, and decided to have the final say in this pickle while the family was on board. Ridiculous situation, really.. it would have been solved by simply changing films. I just wonder what the captain's version of the story was, or what he invented to have to divert the flight and get the attention of the authorites.

Answer 56

I think that it would be sensible for an airline that doesn't offer a choice of films to pay attention to the types of tickets that are used in each flight and play films which are appropriate for the youngest age on board. United will have known there was a 4-year old on board as they will have had a child ticket and their passport details registered at check-in. It's all fine and good saying "the kids don't have to watch it" but as a parent of a 3 year old i can tell you that there is a kind of hypnotic effect of TV on kids, they just zone in to TVs and as a parent i can also tell you that keeping your kids distracted from something you don't want them paying attention to is extremely difficult at times, especially when confined to the cramped conditions of a plane.



Regardless of the original movie issue i honestly have no idea what was going through the pilots mind when he decided to divert the plane, words just fail me when i attempt to explain it. I don't blame any of the security officials who were awaiting the family once they arrived at their diversion to be interviewed, presumably its standard operating procedure when a plane flags a security alert to have as many hands on deck as possible once the plane arrives.



So i think airlines should take more responsibility when it comes to in-flight movies as it wouldn't take much effort to ascertain the ages of the passengers and then screen something appropriate. Far better the adults have to sit through something like Finding Nemo than small children sitting through violent films, even if they aren't particularly violent by adult standards. What we watch or may have watched as kids in the privacy of our homes is one thing, responsible companies screening inappropriate content to kids and offering no choice other than to sit there and watch it is another.

Answer 57

I would have been very angry with the family. Diverting a flight just so some little brats wouldn't get scared or become "influenced" by a violent movie? I don't think the parents realize that children watch a lot of violence in cartoons. Heck, I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid that most parents today would of frowned upon. Teen Titans was one of them. It had a lot of fighting, but I was never influenced by it. Parents these day over react.

Answer 58

If I were their parents, i'd either try to get them to do other things instead of watching. If they still watch it, I'd try to reinforce the fact that the movie is just purely entertainment, expressing a story and it is not supposed to be real (among other things)



Whether or not a movie is "too violent" is really a subjective opinion. The family is entitled to their own, but they asked the in-flight crew to stop showing it, which just sounds like being self-centered. They aren't the center of the universe, other adults or teens on the flight may want to see it. The family should have thought about ways to adapt, instead of trying to force the crew to cater to what they wanted.

Answer 59

I feel that was over-reacting, but I suppose the family had the right to complain if they deemed the movie too violent for their children. After all, PG-13 movies are for 13+kids

Answer 60

Jeez, just put on some kid friendly show for your 4 and 8 year olds. Why do they have to cause problems for other people? If I was on that plane that was diverted, there'd be more violence between them and I than the movie.

Answer 61

=== In my opinion the airlines have no biz showing a PG-13 movie == those parents should have been capable of ""diverting"" their childrens' attention away from the VIOLENT movie long enough for the airplane to reach the destination ...... what are those parents trying to do ,,,, sue the airline for the wrongful violent showing of a movie .. and what about those other passengers that missed connected flights and the costs related to plane divert and especially the gas expenditure ...... it was a farce to me to even hear about this and I think that those folks and their little babies should be put on a """ NO FLY LIST """ since they are narrow minded and selfish and disruptive in their attitude and they had no consideration for the other passengers ====== the staff on the plane should have turned off the movie, as movies are a bonus and not a right to fare paying passengers .... FOR the ""plane staff"" to tell us in a statement and tell all passengers that they [staff] could not turn off the movie had to be a LIE and was a ridiculous edict/statement .... CANNOT turn the movie off does, to me, accost anyones' intelligence ....

Answer 62

A flight was diverted after a young family objected to the plane’s “violent” and “sexually explicit” in-flight film.



The United Airlines service was scheduled from Denver to Baltimore, but ended up in Chicago after the pilot changed course due to “security concerns”, the Atlantic reports .



The flight, which took off on February 2 this year, was showing the 2012 crime thriller Alex Cross, which is rated “15” in Britain. In the US, it had the “T” classification, which warns of adult themes [and is currently rated PG-13].



According the family making the complaint, the film was screened on drop-down screens, which meant they could not shield their two children, who were aged four and eight, from its content.



They have described how they first asked flight attendants for it to be turned off at the monitor, then asked if the captain had the means to do so.



Nothing happened for more than an hour, they claimed, leaving them trying to divert their children’s attention from scenes they described as “horrific”.



The pilot then announced the plane would be landing at Chicago due to “security concerns.”



At the airport, the family were briefly interviewed by police and border protection officers, before being placed on a later flight.



The father, whose name has not become public, accused the captain of “abuse of power”, and criticised the airline for showing “grossly inappropriate cinematic content.”



Charles Hobart, the United Airlines spokesman, confirmed the flight had been diverted “after the crew reported a disturbance involving a passenger.”



He added: “We re-accommodated the customers on the next flight to Baltimore and have since conducted a full review of our in-flight entertainment.”



Featured

SkiftSocial promo

SkiftSocial: How travel brands use social media

Subscribe



Get breaking news, analysis, and highlights delivered to your in-box every morning of the work week.

Top Stories

UK town turns homeless into tour guides to solve social problem

Tourism solves homeless problem in Bath, UK

Sands China’s CEO predicts double-digit growth for Macau gaming in 2013

Macau's gaming haul to increase in 2013

Expedia’s smart luggage tag campaign has an even smarter media placement

Expedia’s smart luggage tag campaign's media placement

Vermont can have its beer and drink it too: Local breweries spark tourism boom

Vermont's local breweries spark tourism boom

Kingfisher submits full plan to restart airline with help from Mallya’s spirits

Kingfisher submits plan to restart airline

Answer 63

The parents are a pair of pathetic poofs and the fact that the flight was diverted really frustrates me!



If this happened I wouldn't care. If I had kids, they would have been taught that movies were fake, and they would have been far too intelligent to be affected by such crap.



What annoying parents!

Answer 64

some people need to stop blanketing their kids like seriously you can tell which kids are blanketed because they have no idea what to do in real life and i dont see how a parent could get to a point making the flight divert over a freaking movie....its simple grow up.

Answer 65

I would have told the children not to watch it. The airline company should probably not be showing PG-13 films. U should be the films. Its unfair on the people who had their flight diverted too! I mean, people have facebook underage, smoke underage, drink underage- an inappropriate age film isn't such a big deal.

Answer 66

I am curious about what caused the pilot to use the term "security concerns" when he inconvenienced a plane full of paying customers by booting the family off the plane. According to the article, no voices were raised by anyone. Their explusion from the plane is why they wrote a letter to United and informed the media of their problem. I feel for the passengers who missed their connecting flights.

Answer 67

With today's digital entertainment technology, you'd think airline planes would carry the ability to feature a menu of View On Demand ( VOD ) movies---with "parental block / screening" options for adult passengers, for their children.



Passengers can select a movie to view, when they want to view it---and block their kids from seeing PG or R rated films.



That, I'd say, solves the problem from recurrence.

Answer 68

I would not care. PG-13 is not going to scar the minds of your special little children. Whiny parents. And the pilot is an even bigger asshole for wasting people's time and money on something that barely counts as trivial.

Answer 69

I would comply with the parents request if I was siting near them. They can judge what is best for their children and I have other things I could be doing other than watching the movie.



You could explain this to me: why does shutting off a movie constitute a security threat? Everyone was reasonable. Since I'm retired, I really don't care if I miss a flight as long as the airline makes good.



I don't blame the pilot. We live in strange times. Everyone has to be inordinately careful. Perhaps he over reacted, but again, these are not normal times. On the other hand, it seems to me that this really is an instance of kind of politically correct action that can be so annoying. Why in the world did the parents write a letter?

Answer 70

If it was really violent, such as R-rated, I would do the same:complain. But PG-13? No way. PG-13 usually doesn't contain murdering or things like that. Shooting might be it. You know, comedy shows on Disney Channel are PG yet they contain no violence. But really, if you want to be technical, technically anybody under the age of 13 can't watch PG-13 movies. But unless your kids are complaining and are scared, why cause such inconvenience to the other passengers? For now, when I fly, I have no kids with me, so if an R-rated movie was showing, I wouldn't complain. But mostly on all flights, there's at least ONE kid. So the airline should NOT be showing such violent films. I might complain, but don't do it unless your kids are complaining or it's anything higher than PG-13 rated. Don't cause a diverted flight.

Answer 71

I would ask the staff to turn it off. Ratings are there for a reason to make sure that the film being shown is appropriate for the audience.

Clearly the film is rated as pg-13 which is highly inappropriate for small children and the staff on the aeroplane should have acted in a Professional manner and not played it in the first place as it was unsuitable for the audience on that plane.

Disciplinary action should be taken against the staff and the airline has left itself wide open to a lawsuit being taken against them because the parents had obviously asked them to turn it off and been refused or ignored otherwise there would not have been any "security issues".

Airline staff have a responsibility and obligation to act in a Professional and courteous manner which did not happen on that flight.

Answer 72

They should have known what to expect, it is a PG-13 movie. In fact the novel by James Patterson was mainly aimed for adults. They should have simply distracted the kids with a book or video game device instead of having them watch it.

Answer 73

change the carrier, maybe lodge a complaint and contest in court for such act.



But diversion of flight must have costed people and airline their precious time and money, so also have some patience, complain after landing at destination and turn of lcd of your kids

Answer 74

They made a big deal out of it, which is probably what ended up catching the kid's attention to the movie. It's highly likely that there were more kids on that flight whose parents didn't complain about it. Sooner or later, kids are going to come across violence. Wouldn't sooner be better so that they can start to see what is happening early on?

Answer 75

If it was just me, then put headphones on and listen to music, read a book or a magazine, take a nap, talk to a seat mate.



If I was the parent of the kids, give them the kid's activities I should have packed to bring along to keep them amused, played a game with them, had the oldest one read a story to the youngest one, etc etc.



If I was one of the other passengers be really torqued that the parents wanted to ruin my flight and make me not watch a movie because of their kids. That's like making me watch kid level TV because parents can turn their own TVs off and complain to the networks.

Answer 76

Rather than divert, If it was so much of an issue why didn't they just switch the movie off and ban that family from flying with them ever again

Answer 77

Simple......take the kids' headphones off and let them read a book or play with a toy - I would come prepared on an airplane and NOT depend on a movie to entertain my kids. Sad when an entire planeload of passengers is inconvenienced because of a couple of overly sensitive people.

Answer 78

What a crappy crew...diverting the flight only happens when an emergency occurs. The movie would have been simply stopped! Send a letter to the airline expressing your disappointment - that's all you can do :(

Answer 79

it's a tricky game. If you complain the airlines were rise up from the sea and smite you down like a greek god. If you don't complain then you are a coward and your kids get to learn something you probably don't want them to from the in flight "entertainment."



personally i would get my kids attention with coloring books like we normally do and complain to someone after the flight is over with this event as a reference of why i was stand offish to complain outright. these airlines are turning dumber by the day.

Answer 80

Watch

Answer 81

There probably were warnings that the movie was PG-13. The parents should have been paying attention! They can't always play little kid movies!

Answer 82

I'd have realized the world does not revolve around me, or my kids, and gotten out the books and crayons I'd packed to entertain them.



Children and the overwhelming minority when it comes to airplane passengers, and airlines should not have to worry about catering to them. What if there hadn't been an in-flight movie at all? What if the kids hadn't been interested in the movie? Didn't the parents make plans to keep their kids occupied during the flight?

Answer 83

I don't like violent films so I just wouldnt have watched it. What exactly did the people think: that the entire plane should have only childrens films to watch? It does seem however that the pilot over reacted.

Answer 84

The inflight movies are a big joke. The little screen is barely visible, let alone hear the words if you did not"purchase" the ear plugs to hear it with.

Transfer this family to the back where the children cannot watch the tiny screen. or give them coloring books.

Answer 85

And if it crashes just for that stupid reason.



Wow...what a way to go.



Plane safety matters more than some little violent movie - and it's rated PG-13 even.

Answer 86

Turn the movie off.... No one forces you to watch it.....

This is where your IPad would come in handy...

or maybe even IPod music, and electronic fairy tales??

I don't really know, but those parents have to learn that they are not alone in the world.

Grow up, or don't fly



They thought Alex Cross was not a good movie? I'll bet they have an X Box with Call of Duty at home... and dad plays it!

Answer 87

Just a matter of not letting your child watch it. The movies you have to plug in headphones to listen to it, most likely if the movie doesn't have sound the kids won't even watch it, they won't even know whats going on. I would not inconvenience a whole plane of passengers. Plus the children are too small to really "understand" anything anyways.

Answer 88

Nothing. I once went on a 9 hour flight where they showed us three movies: Alive, Cast Away, and United 93.



That was fun.

Answer 89

It's called PG13 for a reason.



The parents should have told their children that it's just a movie and shouldn't be taken seriously and especially, don't copy it and such.



Stopping a flight just for one family? Wow. Hello egocentric human beings.

Answer 90

If I didn't want my children to see the movie (and I can't imagine why I would feel that way), then I would demand they not pay attention to it, and I would give them other things to distract themselves with.



I would feel exceedingly ashamed if my inability to cope with something as benign as a movie negatively affected dozens of other people, causing them to lose a lot of time, and the airline company to lose a lot of money.

Answer 91

They showed green lantern on the fair when I was helping at a nursery! I'm only 15 but ultimately they need to choose the movie with the audience in mind.

Answer 92

Well, if I was part of the airplane staff, I think I would be a little sympathetic. After all, who wants all of the anti-kudos that comes with showing violent videos?

Answer 93

Don't show them, simple as that.



EDIT: By them, I mean the children, not the movies. If the family doesn't want their children watching it, them move them to a different seat that'll block their view of the movie.

Answer 94

In the story, the parents asked the flight attendants to shut it off, and they claimed they did not know how to shut it off. I would ask a flight attendant if they could shut it off, or before they show the movie or show, ask what they are showing before they show it so you know what you are expecting.

Answer 95

Just give your kids something else to do. They can color, you could read to them, bring them something to play with. Don't disrupt hundreds of others, that is really rude and selfish. Just think of how important it could have been for those people to get to where they were going. Bet those kids had seen things just as violent on their tv at home.

Answer 96

I would be happy.... They need to start showing more age appropriate movies on flights, more adults and young adults go on a plane then children...

Answer 97

I've been on a plane where there is no in-flight movie. I've been on planes where they have a wide selection of in-flight movies - including movies JUST for kids.



It's common-sense for parents to know how their kids will react to the boredom of a flight, and prepare for that before they set out. THEIR JOB is to ensure their kids don't get so bored that they start getting over-tired, anxious and start having a tantrum.



In this case, the parents seem to be having the tantrum. Personally, I'd have provided them with parachutes and thrown them all from the plane myself (especially after 8 hrs of solid bawling from the parents AND the kids).



I think the pilot did the next best thing.

Answer 98

I would have gone up to the flight attendant and kindly asked if you could change the movie because of my under aged kids.

Answer 99

Airplanes shouldn't have screens that play one film for everyone. Each seat should have their own tv screen where the passenger can select the film they desire. But diverting the plane for this reason, without giving evidence of the plane being in grave danger is absurd...

Answer 100

Diverting the flight for everyone was unnecessary.

Answer 101

I will not tell the pilot to divert, we will watch and not complain about it, just like those ultra-conservative parents who are against violent and sexual content.

Answer 102

Watch it, anyway, now days violence are in almost every movie. Don't see the big deal.

But if it gets too "gross" like stuff you see on bestgore.com (not a good website to go to.)

Then it's probably a good idea to go to sleep.

Answer 103

let the kids play music or something in their earphones.you cannot quarantine your kids from violence,its one of life's realities.they will see it one way or the other and you must tell them that it is improper ,that violence doesn't solve anything and only leaves people hurt at the end of the day.but to control what people watch in a public setting is selfish,senseless and undemocratic.

Answer 104

Next time choose seats that won't have them watching the movie screen, problem solved.



What, EVERYONE has to watch Dumbo because one person brought a four-year-old?

Answer 105

Just goes to show that even 12 years after 9/11, the airline and authorities are still just as overzealous and paranoid as ever. Welcome to the Civil Cold War.



If that happened to me, I would give them a "security concern" they would never forget!

Answer 106

I would watch it.... seriously did the kids even care? what a joke, parents cannot protect their children from every bloody thing out there. Being over protective, while understandable will only harm the kids in the long run... Sides its not like the move was rated R or X.



These parents are making a big bloody stink about nothing.

Answer 107

Ignore it, and if necessary, use a set of sound cancelling headphones so I don't have to hear dialogue. It's not worth getting worked up over.

Answer 108

So these people who had the option of changing the channel and putting on something more suitable for the children caused everyone to be delayed to their destination? sheesh!!

Answer 109

The parents should have tried to find out what the in flight movie was, and if they deemed it inappropriate, should have booked another flight.

Answer 110

While I do slightly agree with the fact that age-appropriate media should be played based on the passenger list, you do have a choice to view it or not. It's like drugs; they're there whether you like it or not, and you choose whether to take them or not.

Answer 111

I'd take out my shoe bomb and politely ask the flight attendants to stop showing the film.

Answer 112

Well,this is most important,i am very edgy too on flights these days and i think it is better they play some good music videos instaed

Answer 113

It's just a film, relax would you. People take little stuff so seriously and yet the most important gets passed by them without noticing.

Answer 114

I would have told the family that if they didn't like what was being shown, they would be more than welcome to walk out of the in-flight movie.

Answer 115

No matter what your child is going to see violence in one form or another. If you're uncomfortable with it then give them something else to do such as a book, coloring, etc.

Answer 116

I'd raise my children properly: to understand the difference between reality and fantasy.



the parents were being very selfish and imposing their morals on a very large group of people.

Answer 117

Uh, tell the kids to take a nap or pre-occupy them with something else. What a drama people are these days. They need to get a life !

Answer 118

I would read. Maybe the dorky parents should buy their kids books to read rather than messing up everyone's flight.

Answer 119

just not let them watch it... its not like you are forced to watch an in flight movie, its there only if you want to watch it. just distract them with something else so they are not looking at the screen insted of disrupting everyone on the plane!!

Answer 120

No ones forcing you to watch the film, you have to get those headphones to watch them properly anyway. I think that was a huge overreaction on that family's part.

Answer 121

I simply would not have permitted them to view it. And written a letter of complaint to the airline.

Answer 122

I would have ignored the movie and let the kids watch something else on an iPad or laptop. Most kids have already been exposed to violence with video games nowadays, so why would a movie make any more difference?

Answer 123

a pilot turns around the plane because of a movie? that's absolutely ridiculous.

Answer 124

Really simple answer for this one, don't let the kids watch the film

Answer 125

If I were on that flight and it had to be diverted, I would be absolutely fuming

Answer 126

As movies are fictional and meant for entertainment, I will have no issue with it and if the movie is good I will enjoy it.

Answer 127

You can politely ask the stewardess to change the movie

Answer 128

I'd probably just watch porn on my laptop and rub one out under a blanket before taking a much needed nap.

Answer 129

from article

"Little did the parents know that they were the apparent cause for the diversion."

could the family be Muslim?

Answer 130

Complain! We as human beings were created with a right to SPEAK UP.

Answer 131

i would give the kids something else to do to distract them from the movie (like a video game)

Answer 132

F*cking turn it off. We're in the 21st century, what can people expect? Obviously they just want their 15 minutes of fame.

Answer 133

I would get over it, the children aren't forced to watch the movie

Answer 134

Raise my kids well enough for them to understand the difference between a movie and real life.

Answer 135

To divert my attention from that crap movie , i would stroke my cock looking at those hot leggy air-hostesses in their short skirts , walking down the passage shaking their tight bootilicious A.S.S



i mean , Damn ... that would be super hot ;D

Answer 136

im sorry but first of all when i was 4 and 8 years old i understood that a Movie was just a MOVIE with actors who go home afterwards....... as far as what i would've done i would've sat there and watched it..... if my child asked me questions and was scared, its called having a CONVERSATION with your child.

Answer 137

I would post here, because I have never need a yahoo answer/question with soo many posts you need to click on page links! Incredible

Answer 138

Erm maybe just turn it off so the kids couldnt watch it?

Talk about over reacting!!!

Answer 139

I'd watch it. lol @ Alex Cross; they made it sound like Scarface or something. If I was the pilot I'd have been super mad.

Answer 140

I would give my kids children books so there attentions will be diverted.

Answer 141

watch it pg 13 isnt very bad

Answer 142

File a complaint to the airline or boycott the airline if you can afford a better quality ariline like Qatar Airlines.

Answer 143

Eh, their kids, I would take away their head phones and have them play with their iPads or something.

Answer 144

I would have children friendly movies available.

Answer 145

I would watch it and try to ignore the family crying in front of me.

Answer 146

ai personally would have no problem with it as I watch violent movies all the time & have no kids.

Answer 147

The captain, apparently, felt that our complaint constituted grave danger to the aircraft, crew and the other passengers, and that this danger justified inconveniencing his crew, a few of whom "timed out" during the diversion, and a full plane of your customers, causing dozens of them to miss their connections, wasting time, precious jet fuel, and adding to United's carbon footprint. Not to mention unnecessarily involving several of Chicago's finest, two Border Protection officers and several United and ORD managers, and an FBI agent, who all met us at the gate. After we were interviewed (for less than 5 minutes), our identities and backgrounds checked, we were booked on the next flight to BWI, and had to linger in the terminal for hours with our exhausted and terrified little boys.

Answer 148

I would tell the family, tough, he doesnt have to watch it. Thats like throwing a cow about someone else giving you beer that you dont have to drink and getting mad at him for giving you a hangover. I would tell the family that they are unintellegent and just want to cause a problem in hopes of a free flight or cash back. And if the plane stopped i would throw themout the window. But not after showing the parents real violence and punching them in the face and cutting their cerebral chord cuz at least that would make them smarter.

Answer 149

throw a cola can at the screen and scream " ´whayyyeyeyyysdydyyay " and then tell people to stop watching me freak out

Answer 150

Whine about it for the entire length of the flight!!!!! ;D

Answer 151

o thats easy i would simply have them make it even worse to stop ppls complaing and i woul easily find a way to make this some type of reality show as me being host or some i dunno horror movie film that would be fun so yah

Answer 152

I'd sit back and watch the movie.

Answer 153

i wouldn't care. that is a dumb thing to complain abut. do your taxes or something if you have nothing else to complain about.

Answer 154

tape a piece of paper over my kids screen

Answer 155

Demand my money back and never fly with that airline again

Answer 156

Not complain at all. I don't mind violent movies at all, unless it involved a plane crashing. Then it'd make me feel uneasy.

Answer 157

I would ask my children to change channels. If that's not possible, I'd ask them to play a board game or watch something on their player.



There are so many other things that can be done on board a plane to be imposing my values on other people.

Answer 158

If it was too inappropriate i would cover my eyes and go to sleep.

Answer 159

If it was a good movie, I would watch it

Answer 160

Its not complicated. It's a simple case of spite.

Answer 161

God, is their anything people won't complain about. It's not gonna kill the kid if he see's a PG movie. Hell, their probably seeing worst things on the news then on a plane. but to answer the question, If it was me, I would give my child a portable dvd player or my mp3 player and let them use that while I watch the film :-D

Answer 162

I would politely let the airline staff know I thought the movie was not appropriate for all ages and ask if there was something else they could show. If there wasn't, I would tell my kids not to watch it.



If it really concerned me (like if they were playing "Django Unchained"...), I'd probably call the airline company and let them know it isn't a good movie for a flight with children. Depending on how they react and treat me I may just not bother with that airline next time I fly. I haven't seen the movie in question, so I can't say how I'd feel if my kid saw it.



I'm guessing there was more to the "security concerns" than was just stated though. There has to be something fairly serious happening, like the parents threatening to take the plane down if they didn't stop the movie or something.

Answer 163

Nothing. It's not a big deal. People are too sensitive these day. I bet their kids have worse violent video games at home.

Answer 164

sorry, some people need to grow the hell up.





how spoiled can one get? how inappropriate of them how arrogant and inconsiderate.





i hope this is their 15 min. of fame... KARMA people.. don't abuse it!

Answer 165

Get up and walk out.

Answer 166

Smart flight would not do that stupid things

Answer 167

I would leave open a crate filled with snakes.

Answer 168

I'll probably take the kids their own Entertainment, nowadays we have ipads, computers and any other device that kids can use and you can even program it to what you want your kids to watch. I'll simply put my kid some headphones and enjoy the action film myself it's simple.

Answer 169

I would be more worried about them showing a movie about a plane crash then a violent movie.

Answer 170

Watch it. The family probably lets their kids watch worse at home. They just want the world to believe that they are superparents. Bunch of phonees.

Answer 171

throw my kids off of the plane, theyre too expensive anyway...

Answer 172

Fire the cabin crew for not coming up with a way to handle it, such as for instance, upgrade the family to First Class, and disable the individual seatback screens.

Answer 173

Get fellow passengers together for a class-action against the pilot for excessive stupidity.

Answer 174

change the show

Answer 175

Get up an leave.

Answer 176

would be funny if they showed a in-flight movie about a plane crash rofl

Answer 177

Let them continue watching it, Disney and children films tv shows, and commercials all show sexual and disturbing subliminal messages if the parents wont let the kids watch Alex cross but let them watch these other shows which are 1000 times more inappropriate because they are directed at brainwashing children then that's just hypocritical and stupid.

Answer 178

I would let them watch it.

Answer 179

I wouldn't watch it. Nobody makes you do so.

Answer 180

I would watch it, if you don't like it turn it off.

Answer 181

Hello.I would complain too.The airline made a mistake showing that film.They should show a family movie.Diverting the flight did seem a bit extreme though.There must have been other options.

Answer 182

i would punch the pilot and hijack the plane

Answer 183

i think this went overboard, some violence in movies does not harm children..

Answer 184

Give the kids headphones.

Answer 185

choose another ,many to choose from

Answer 186

first thing is to scream as loud as you can, then run away

Answer 187

simply watch it.

or go to sleep.

Answer 188

head for the exit.

Answer 189

I'd watch it

Answer 190

well i dont have any kids..my bad and also i loved that movie!

Answer 191

Pray to God.

Answer 192

I wouldn't have sweated it. But, then again, my son wasn't raised to be a sheltered little sheeplet.

Answer 193

Watch it.

Answer 194

set the attendant's hair on fire.

Answer 195

I personally would not care! some people need to learn that they can't have things their way all the time!

Answer 196

I would ask someone who works on the plane to switch to a kids show like SpongeBob.

Answer 197

What?

Answer 198

Give the child a portable dvd player or portable game and watch the movie meself

Answer 199

I wouldn't mind it.

Answer 200

don't let the kiddies watch it.

Answer 201

Bash the tv and say it f**ing re**rded

Answer 202

americans have nothing more to do than to complain and complain.... about EVERYTHING

Answer 203

If I have kids, I would not let them watch it.

Answer 204

If I had children of such age and they were showing a movie with that rating, I would be upset too and request that they turn it off.

Answer 205

I would write a polite letter or notification to the captain/pilot, and tell him how my children were getting mentally disturbed by the film.



Also, write a complain to the airline HQ, Consumer court and the state of authority in the Congress.



Despite doing all of that, my most impromptu response would be to distract children, or make up a undeniable reason for pressurizing the crew to stop the video.

Example: the gory scenes are causing nausea, etc.

Answer 206

Watch it :)

Answer 207

id watch this sh*t then lol

Answer 208

The plane was DIVERTED for "security concerns" because the parents complained about a violent movie being shown? The world has officially gone mad.

Answer 209

I would call the airline involved before traveling to check what movies would be shown. If it is not to my liking, I would bring other games or such for my children to do.

Answer 210

i would look

Answer 211

I would enjoy it and not be an a**.

Answer 212

Not be a *****.

Answer 213

i'd make the kids fight with sticks and rocks and who ever wins gets to eat...

Answer 214

Turned the tv off...



Absolutely no need to divert an entire flight and inconvenience all those people for such a petty reason.

Answer 215

the parents of the children should not let the children watched that type of movie and the first place people are all ways complaining about stupid things all the time >>>> how could it be a security concern nobody was doing anything wrong you will all ways have people that will want all kinds of attention the parents of the two children should of got a big fat fine making a big deal out of nothing

Answer 216

wouldn't care.

Answer 217

I would have just sat back and not turn into "One Million Moms".

Answer 218

I would calmly explain my concerns and if they were not being responsive I'd give my kids something to distract them and not so calmly complain to the airline when I got home.

Answer 219

I would do absolutely nothing because movies are fake anyway. I would continue watching it and enjoy it for the entertainment.



See, in America, people have a high standard of living (too high), which leads to selfishness.



The family didn't care that they were in a public place, all they cared about is the fact that their children would be hurt by the movie. If their standard of living was not too high, they would have just realized that the plane is PUBLIC transportation, not their own private jet, and ignored the movie, or watched it with their children and enjoyed.



When I was little, I was watching violent films all the time. I watched movies were little children were getting shot. But it never turned me into a violent criminal because I had a community of people who taught me how to act. See, that's another thing with having a high standard of living. People forget that it takes a village to raise a child, not a damn movie on a plane.



If these parents teach their children the right way, they would be able to watch those movies and know that the movies are fake, and not real. My parents didn't even have to tell me that the movies were fake for me to know they were fake. I could tell the movies were fake because my parents allowed me to watch them and I used my God-given brain power to figure out that the movies are fake.



If they had hid it from me, and never allowed me to watch them, I would've learned the wrong way. I would've sneaked behind their backs to some ruthless kids' houses and watched the movies and learned the wrong way to react to them.



But then again, we must protect our precious little children, even though the plane is PUBLIC transportation; who gives a damn about everybody else on the plane? Their tickets aren't the same price as ours...

Answer 220

Fire the pilot for diverting. Should not have given in to blackmail by the passenger.

Fire the cabin crew for not coming up with a way to handle it, such as for instance, upgrade the family to First Class, and disable the individual seatback screens.

Answer 221

I'd cover my kid's eyes. I wouldn't keep arguing with a Flight Attendant after they said they weren't allowed to change it, then act like THEY did something wrong.

Answer 222

lol

Answer 223

ignore it read a book

Answer 224

Those kids are now traumatized by watching that PG-13 movie. Throw them in the trash and start from scratch.

Answer 225

i would say **** chams

Answer 226

First of all, Kudos to the family for acting on their moral values! I would certainly complain to the flight attendant 1st of all. If they refuse to cooperate or do anything about it, I would do what I could to distract my kids from seeing the movie! And when my feet hit the ground, you can bet the airline would hear from me. And SERIOUSLY, divert a plane full of people because someone had a gripe with the movie? COME ON, GIVE ME A BREAK!! The pilots WAY over reacted as close as I can tell!! I read nothing about any threat of violence any where.

Answer 227

I would ask to change seats, move into another section of the airplane

or simply ask them to stop showing the movie on the plane.

Answer 228

talk to the waitress and see if they can do anything about it

Answer 229

So stupid... If you don't want your kids to watch a movie, then turn it off.

Answer 230

Go to sleep.

Answer 231

Get out some popcorn and share it around

Answer 232

idk

Answer 233

WTF. People... They anger me sometimes.

Answer 234

Watch it.

Answer 235

watch the movie.

Answer 236

I commend those parents for not only having a moral compass, but in having the guts to stand up for their conviction. seems the airline over reacted.

Answer 237

Show breasts for one second and the movie is rated R. PG-13 movies are disney movies. The children did not have to watch.

Answer 238

I Would have told my kids that movie was real and if they misbehave i will force them to get on the airplane and let that happen to them

Answer 239

I would have done the same as the parents on that flight. We are careful about what we allow our children to be exposed to.

Answer 240

I would have shown them the new reality show, "In-Flight Violence" with me starring in the first episode at that moment.