Q: movies on flights - up to the flight crew??

[OnTheDanforth]

Hi ...

I'm hoping someone here may have a different answer ... I was on the phone today with American Airlines -- trying to see if our flight from BOS to MCO will show the in-flight movie (if they do, I wont have to bring our portable DVD player for DD to keep her entertained). They told me that on a "short flight" ((3 hours)), the option as to whether or not to play the movie would be up to the flight crew.

Is that correct?

If it is, do you think that talking to the attendants when I board would make a difference?

Or should I just chalk it up to "they wont listen to you so don't waste your breath"?

The last time I flew to Miami, I was on a smaller plane, so no video screens.

Thanks for any help you can provide! I am packing most of what we need this weekend and REALLY dont' want to bring the DVD player if I don't have to!!

J

 

[CarolA]

I think a lot depends on the actual flight lenght etc. Most flights I am on are so short they don't do a movie. That said I got a ground delay last week of an hour so they started a move.

The problem is that the flight is "scheduled" for three hours. That includes time spent taxing around the runway where you start while they do the saftey stuff and time spent taxing around MCO. So in flight is not normally three hours. People tend to get irate with the FAs if they paid for the headphones and then don't get to see all of the movie so if there is a chance you won't see it all, they won't show it.

Also, just becasue you are on a larger plane not all of them even have movie ability. I fly lots of jets where they still do the "safety show" the old fashioned way.

Also, most of my flights have more of TV show. It normally has a news segement, sports and some re-run of a sitcom. This is what AA.com shows

60 Minutes - Enjoy America's #1 favorite TV news magazine and its team of top-rate correspondents.
48 Hours - Catch up on current events in the world.
CBS Sports - The most entertaining and comprehensive sports programming.
The Late Show with David Letterman - Tune in to your favorite late-night host's top ten list, stupid pet tricks and more.
Everybody Loves Raymond - Everybody loves television's funniest comedian, Ray Romano and his sitcom on CBS.
King of Queens - Catch some laughs with Kevin James and Leah Remini

I think you have a decent shot at that, but I doub the kiddie would like it. The other problem is the movie selection. It's not usually very good and once again... is your kid going to like it (or even be able to see it)

 

[OnTheDanforth]

Thanks, Carol for your quick reply! !

One reason I was "hoping" we'd see the movie is that the flight fits the criteria to show "Madagascar" .. which we haven't seen yet and DD really DID want to see!

Uuggh -- gonna have to lug that dvd player along w/ the games, etc after all!

Thanks a bunch!! I really appreciate it!!
Jay

 

[ducklite]

Movies on short flights are seldom shown. From BOS to MCO I HIGHLY doubt a movie will be shown.

Anne