It may not have been good news for Alaska Airlines when a chunk of their plane flew off mid-flight. But for the Saturday Night Live, it was nothing but, as first-time host Jacob Elordi (of Saltburn and yes Kissing Booth fame) joined the cast in a great commercial for the beleaguered airline if they ever decide to lean into their misfortune.
The Alaska Airlines incident took place in Portland on Jan. 5, so the writers must have been champing at the bit to return from their hiatus. In the commercial parody, passengers and flight attendants list all the great things about being on a plane with serious mechanical failings. Like, having a great story to tell at work and becoming the most interesting person in your office.
On other airlines, you can watch movies,” says Elordi, “But on Alaska, you’re in the movie,” as footage plays of people screaming as a plane goes down.
Other policies building off their disastrous safety record? Commemorative photos like you get at Disney’s Splash Mountain, and an inflight safety manual that makes the complete works of William Shakespeare look like a Scientology pamphlet.
Oh yeah, and they’re now tightening some of those bolts that hold the plane together.
We also get a reenactment of the boy whose shirt was sucked out of the plane, courtesy of Marcello Hernandez, and Bowen Yang reminding us of the Alaska pilot on mushrooms who tried to turn off his plane’s engines less than two months prior. Two months! (And that flight was also out of Portland. Maybe the whole state of Oregon should take a break from planes and just drive for a while?)
In reality, there is probably nothing scarier than having a hole blow open in your plane at 16,000 feet. But isn’t that what comedy is for? To get us through the horrors of living? Or at least to get a healthy dose of schadenfreude at someone else’s?
Saturday Night Live had a PSA for those planning to travel on Alaska Airlines.
After one of the airline’s planes had to make an emergency landing when a part of the cabin broke off mid-takeoff, the NBC sketch show joked about the changes the company may be making to keep patrons safe.
“Here at Alaska, safety is our number one concern,” host Jacob Elordi, posing as an airline flight attendant, assured viewers. Kenan Thompson added: “Buuut you gotta admit, it looked pretty cool. Plane flying around. No door.”
In fact, Heidi Gardner joked, Alaska Airlines will probably change its slogan to: “You didn’t die, and you got a cool story.”
Because “on other airlines, you can watch movies, but on Alaska, you’re in the movie,” Elordi said before the video cut to a plane full of people screaming and crying as the plane made its emergency landing.
Speaking of safety precautions, Elordi added, “You know those bolts that hold the plane together? We’re gonna go ahead and tighten those.”
And for extra precaution, they’ve hired Captain Sully out of retirement. You know, the airline pilot who safely landed a place on the Hudson River after both engines were disabled in a bird strike.