Struth! Family irate with Alex Cross

 
Movie still from the ‘violent’ crime thriller “Alex Cross”

IN his continuing search for the more weird, wacky and wondrous in the world of travel, David Ellis says a flight from Denver to Baltimore in the United States was diverted to Chicago earlier this month after just an hour in flight, because a family complained about the inflight movie.

And when it landed in Chicago the family was surprised to be escorted off the plane – and confronted by police, two Border Protection Officers, the United Airlines’ airport manager… and an FBI Agent.

But after an interview that took just five minutes and a check of their identity, the parents – who complained because the R13-rated film could be seen by their four and eight year old sons – were told they could continue on to Baltimore, but only on a different United Airlines’ aircraft.

The movie that caused it all was “Alex Cross,” the story of a homicide detective pushed to the brink by a serial killer who specialises in torture and pain. The film’s R13 rating means that officially “parents, carers or teachers cannot give permission for anyone under 13 years” to watch the movie because of “graphic violence and sexual explicity.”

The parents complained it was shown to all passengers on drop-down monitors, and when they asked if the monitor in front of them could be turned off for their children’s sake, flight attendants said it was not possible. The parents diverted their children’s attention from the movie and sent a message to the Captain, but said they received no reaction – only the announcement soon after that the flight was being diverted to Chicago “for security concerns.”

United Airlines has said as a result of the incident “it’s since conducted a full review of inflight entertainment.”