Actor John Travolta is not winning many fans among people who work for the Qantas airline. Travolta, a commercially licensed pilot perfectly capable of flying jet airliners, is the global ambassador for the airline, and appears in a pre-flight video that does not amuse Qantas staff. The video is being derided as “trite” and “cheesy,” among other things.
Qantas flight crews not thrilled by Travolta phenomenon
In his official capacity as a global ambassador for Qantas Airways, John Travolta stars in a pre-flight safety video that is shown on Qantas flights. As amusing as Travolta fans might find it, flight crews that serve aboard Qantas flights are not amused, according to the Daily Mail. The safety video is only shown on flights aboard an Airbus A380, and the video features the actor extolling the virtues of the aircraft and also the people who serve aboard Qantas flights. Flight crews are objecting to the video, saying the content is “cheesy” and “tacky.” Some have found the video demeaning, as Travolta refers to the flight crew as a “team,” not a “crew,” observing that “it makes us feel like we work at McDonald’s,” and that the video made the “safety message seem trite.”
Staff suggest actual professional pilot would be preferred
Employees of Qantas that serve as flight crew have suggested that Qantas film a new video with a “real pilot,” according to Time. Many have suggested that Qantas use Captain Richard de Crespigny, who made headlines several months ago after successfully piloting an A380 aircraft to safety after the aircraft suffered engine failure. Crespigny took off on Qantas Flight 32 from Singapore. When the plane began to experience engine trouble, he was able to successfully turn the aircraft around and make an emergency landing after one of the engines burst into flames and partially fragmented, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Crespigny was been credited with saving the lives of nearly 460 people that were aboard QF32 by doing so. Hence, many argue he would have made a better spokesperson for safety than Travolta.
Qantas could find new celeb spokesman by going up the irons
Plenty of celebrities have become licensed pilots. However, few famous people are licensed to fly commercial jets like John Travolta. If a celebrity spokesman must be had, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson currently pilots Boeing 757s for British charter airline Astraeus while the band is inactive. Astraeus was commissioned by the band to convert a 757 to a combination cargo and passenger plane to fly the band, crew and equipment between gigs on a 2008 world tour. The plane, dubbed “Ed Force One” after the band’s infamous mascot “Eddie the Head,” was featured in “Flight 666,” a documentary about the tour the band used the plane on. Ed Force One, according to the Astraeus website, is about to head out on its second outing.
Sources
Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1368733/John-Travolta-Qantas-video-Safety-video-featuring-actor-labelled-corny-airline-staff.html
Time: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/21/john-travoltas-qantas-safety-video-cameo-cheesy-or-smart/
ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/04/3057526.htm
Astraeus: http://www.flyastraeus.com/combi/iron-maiden-tour.php
Sam Hoober is a graduate of Eastern Washington University. He has held his current writing job for two years. He enjoys writing about history, science, politics, and the economy.
