I just hope no footage of me barking for another 7 and 7 shows up on the newest reality show (via Fark):
DALLAS (AP) — The star of the next reality television show isn't a model, an actor or a beach-dwelling survivor; it's an airline. The show follows employees of Southwest Airlines as they deal with weather delays, blackouts and passengers who are running late or too drunk or too smelly to board the plane. There are unhappy travelers and a few shouting matches.
Airline begins Monday night on the A&E Network, which plans to air 18 half-hour episodes. A&E executives believe it will make compelling television that travelers can easily grasp.
Frankly, this doesn't sound substantially different from shows like World's Most Embarrassing Bar Mitzvahs or When Courtney Love Attacks, but it's A&E, which is all about the class.
A&E officials said they approached all the largest U.S. carriers with the idea for the show, modeled on a program of the same name that has aired in the United Kingdom for more than six years.
Can anybody in the U.K. tell me if the BBC or Sky One makes shows based on American programming? If so, feel free take one of our shows featuring an attractive woman and her overweight, obnoxious husband.
Along with constant shots of Southwest planes and people, the show includes frequent praise for Southwest's customer service — delivered matter-of-factly by the narrator.
At the same time, many of the scenes show unhappy travelers complaining about one thing or another. A few vow never to fly Southwest again, and the show's overall tone doesn't exactly glorify air travel.
For people who don't regularly fly Southwest, I can see how the concept of open seating and no meals might merit some complaints. Otherwise, I've rarely had a bad experience with them.
And what's to glorify? I loathe air travel. The concept of a being sealed up in a giant metal object hurtling through space doesn't bother me so much as who I end up getting sealed up with. If it weren't for portable CD players and laptops, I might actually have to interact with the twitchy, patchouli-drenched Phish fan crammed next to me as he sweats out his nicotine addiction on the 4:15 from San Diego.
A&E solicited story ideas from Southwest customers. In one episode, a passenger let cameras follow him as he proposed to his girlfriend in mid-flight.
For the most part, however, Dubuc said, crews simply showed up at the gate or ticket counter and kept their cameras rolling until something interesting happened. She said none of the scenes were scripted or set up to heighten conflict.
Although I'm dubious about the logistics involved in having sex in an airplane restroom these days, I think A&E might want to consider marketing an "adult" version to HBO wherein the camera crew busts in on couples engaging in a little in-flght hanky panky.
Anyway, I'll probably end up watching this. I have a good friend who's a flight attendant for Southwest, and I'm eager to see if her particular brand of righteous ass-kicking will show up on any of the episodes.
I was under the impression that, post-9/11, Southwest had switched to assigned seating.
My only complaint about Southwest stems from a single episode: flying during Christmas time from Houston, Texas to San Francisco, California. In addition to the swarms of impolite lunatics all vying for spots in line as if it were a blood sport and having to stop for 3 connecting flights, my wife screwed me. And not in the good way.
My well intentioned wife spoted one of those kids who was flying "unattended." The scared looking boy must have been 10 or 11. There being an open seat to her left, she warmly invited the lad to sit next to her. Huge, HUGE mistake.
This kid was a monster from the ghetto. He reeked like stale cigarettes. He proudly displayed the watch his dad had stolen for him from Christmas. And he, quite possibly, had the worst manners I've ever seen. Either that, or the world's most obnoxious case of ADD. After proceeding to crawl around on the floor, kick the seats in front of him, and wipe his boogers on us, my wife then begged me to switch seats with her. Thanks, hun.
I swear, its like someone gave this kid a line of coke before sticking him on the plane. At one point I actually put this punk in a head lock, pulled his jacket over his head, and told him I wasn't letting him up until he behaved. The flamingly homosexual flight attended approached me and, in a surprise move, thanked me for controlling the rascal. Next thing I know I'm getting free beers in exchange for keeping this monster in line.
Sadly, I had to bribe the kid to calm him down. A present after the flight (a cool little ball and cup game I had in my carry-on) in exchange for our calmly completing completing some puzzles and games the flight attended gave me. I guess when I discovered that this 10 year old couldn't even spell the city he lived in (he spelled it "Hooston") my mood switched from anger to pity.
While I generally do not approve of disciplining other peoples' children, it was apparant that nobody had ever laid down the law with this kid. At least, not rationally. As I exited the plane and gave this boy his hard earned ball and cup toy I watched him run up to his mother. She the promptly began to yell at him and spank him for no apparant reason.
Maybe none of this was South West's fault. Still, I'll never use South West to fly long-distances again. After the aforementioned experience, I'm willing to pay a little extra for: (a) direct flights; (b) assigned seating; and (c) flight attendants who properly take on the role of managing children flying unattended.