NEW YORK (AP) — Qantas Airways has drawn up a stir after broadcasting a slightly-racy movie across an entire flight. And the Australian carrier now is apologizing to customers.
There were technical issues with the in-flight entertainment for a trip from Sydney to Haneda last week, Qantas confirmed to The Associated Press — making individual movie selection unavailable. As a result, the crew chose one movie to play across all screens “based on the request from a number of passengers," the company said.
Qantas did not identify the movie by name, but several media outlets have reported that it was “Daddio," an R-rated film that hit theaters earlier this year.
“Daddio" follows a woman (Dakota Johnson) who takes a cab from JFK airport and strikes up an extended conversation with her driver (Sean Penn) on her way back home to Manhattan — as the two discuss anything from what it takes to be a New Yorker to relationships and infidelity, notably her current affair with a married man. The film carries an R rating for “language throughout, sexual material and brief graphic nudity.”
Social media posts from users who claim they were on the Qantas flight said they were uncomfortable by nudity and sexting featured in the film — particularly for families and children who were on board. Two users on Reddit said that it was also impossible for individual passengers to turn off the movie.
After determining that the movie was not appropriate for all ages, the Qantas crew attempted to fix screens for travelers who did not want to watch it — but later found that this was not possible and changed course.
“The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight and we sincerely apologise to customers for this experience," a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement. “All screens were changed to a family friendly movie for the rest of the flight, which is our standard practice for the rare cases where individual movie selection isn’t possible.”
The spokesperson added that Qantas is “reviewing how the (inital) movie was selected.”
In the days following the incident, the airline has taken some flak online — including from travel rivals.
“Plot twist: We let you choose your movies,” Air New Zealand wrote in a reply to the news on social media platform X.
FILE - A Qantas jet arrives at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thieves surrounded Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler last month outside a horse racing track in a Los Angeles suburb and slipped an expensive watch off his wrist as he jostled through the crowd, police said Tuesday. It came weeks after another professional athlete in California was the victim of a brazen mugging.
Buehler was not threatened during the theft Sept. 28 at the Santa Anita Park horse racing track in Arcadia, police there said. They are investigating two similar episodes the same day that officials say were by organized groups who steal high-end watches in large crowds during events.
Buehler was at the track that day with his wife, McKenzie, and his teammate, starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, to attend the inaugural California Crown races. Buehler, a Lexington, Kentucky, native, is a major fan of the sport.
While walking from the paddock to his seat, Buehler was “unknowingly the victim of a snatch and grab robbery of his watch," his agency, Excel Sports Management, said in a statement.
“We are grateful Walker and McKenzie were not harmed and Walker is focused on the playoffs,” the agency said.
The Dodgers declined to comment and referred media to the Arcadia police.
In one of the three episodes of stolen watches being investigated that day, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Los Angeles. Police said the value of the watches stolen was $100,000 for one and $250,000 for the other. They did not say which one was Buehler's.
The theft came days after Buehler's last regular-season game and a week before the Dodgers began the National League Divisional Series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Buehler is slated to start Game 3 of the series against the Padres on Tuesday night in San Diego.
On Aug. 31, San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was walking alone to his car after shopping at luxury stores in San Francisco's Union Square when the NFL player was robbed at gunpoint by a teenager who took his Rolex watch and other expensive jewelry, prosecutors said.
A struggle ensued, and gunfire from the teen struck both Pearsall and the suspect, who was shot in the arm. Pearsall was shot through the chest at close range, officials said. His mother, Erin Pearsall, posted on social media that the bullet went through the right side of her son’s chest and out his back without striking vital organs. He was released from the hospital a day later.
Smash-and-grab thefts have been captured on videos in cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco and gone viral, feeding widespread concern about crime in the state. Voters will decide on a ballot measure that would roll back parts of a 2014 law that made many nonviolent thefts misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Associated Press reporter Beth Harris contributed to this report.
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Walker Buehler sits in the dugout after the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Walker Buehler delivers to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler looks on during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
