Qantas dumps 'corny' John Travolta in-flight safety video
Qantas has begun replacing its in-flight safety video starring John Travolta.
The star of Pulp Fiction, who's an ambassador for Qantas, and owns a vintage Qantas Boeing 707-138B jet, starred in a three-minute demonstration video played before take-off on every domestic and long-haul Qantas flight since the beginning of the year.
But five months in, and the video is being taken off in-flight air.
According to the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), Travolta is a casualty of an ongoing industrial dispute with the airline, which Qantas denies.
According to news.com.au, the airline has confirmed it is replacing the Travolta video but insists it was only a 'temporary feature'.
'Qantas is not replacing the safety video featuring John Travolta because of the pilots' union in-flight public announcements or their industrial action,' Qantas Group Executive Olivia Wirth said.
The union made its suggestions because they believe the message in Travolta's video to be the same as their own.
In the video Travolta, who is also a Qantas ambassador, says: 'There's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot'.
An Aipa spokesperson says this is the same motto as their campaign against Qantas using overseas pilots: ''The seemingly common-sense message has now earned the Hollywood star the sack from the Qantas in-flight video.
'With Qantas management under Alan Joyce preparing to announce moves to replace Australian Qantas pilots with outsourced and offshore alternatives on 24 August, Travolta's message has been deemed inappropriate for the times.'
The release of the video earlier in the year initially caused outrage among cabin crew who argued that a 'real pilot' should deliver his message.
The video opens with Travolta, dressed in a pilot's uniform and hat, announcing: 'This is your captain speaking - well, maybe not today.
'But I can guarantee that the guys on the flight deck and the greater team care just as much about aircraft safety as I do.
'I've been flying over 40 years as a pilot and I can tell you, there's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot.'
Qantas flight attendants at the time dubbed it 'corny' and 'tacky'.
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