Flying Funny

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    This article originally appeared in The Culture Issue of APEX Experience.

    We all have a memorable moment or two from our personal journeys through air world that stand out as nothing short of ridiculous. These often stem from an event that is completely out of our control: airplane food, screaming children, raucous passengers, delays, cramped environments, or customer service escapades gone wrong. And they inevitably result in the most shareable of stories.

    WHY SO SERIOUS?

    Bruce Hills, chief operating officer at Just for Laughs (JFL), aptly points out that it takes the expert perspective of a comedian to put unfortunate circumstances into perspective. Most of our travel disruptions or inconveniences aren’t actually all that funny in the moment, but Hills notes that it takes “the elite comics [to] find an original and smart way to attack it.”

    Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian Cameron Esposito agrees that the best comedy can’t rely on typical hacks. Rather than simply ask, “What’s up with that airplane food?” the better approach is, “Here’s a story about a very specific thing that happened to me on a plane.” She notes that stand-up is becoming more and more personal, especially as we share our lives through social media – and that personality and perspective have to shine through over generalities, regardless of the subject matter.

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    Comedians also travel by air a lot more than the general public, especially those within expansive geographical regions such as the US, Canada and Australia. And, like any good writer, comedians joke about what they know. As Hills points out, “They spend so much time on planes. Comics talk about their personal experiences – and if they’re on a plane, they’re going to bump into things they want to comment on. They’re going to naturally run into material about airlines.”

    UNIVERSALITY

    The personality of a given comedian is what gives them traction and sets him or her apart from the crowd – but there are still some forms of comedy that traverse geographical boundaries and cultural differences, and JFL Gags is a great example. While many in-flight entertainment [IFE] content providers have to heavily edit or curate content for airline clients, this type of comedy hasn’t posed a problem for JFL. “Gags [is a] very consistent, funny product that is not at all offensive,” says Hills.

    Maura Chacko, vice-president of Development at Spafax, echoes Hills’ sentiment: “There are comedies that are broad enough, and often include physical gags, that appeal to a wider audience. Non-verbal visual comedies hit the spot across multiple cultures and regions.”

    Esposito addresses the universal nature of comedy from the spotlight, explaining, “A solid act should work anywhere. I try to include some local observations to make folks feel invited, but I don’t know that I specifically hone my brand of stand-up depending on where I am. Except when I’m in Canada. Then I make sure to do 15 minutes about how their money smells like maple syrup.”

    Hills credits the Internet for giving comedians global accessibility: “The world has gotten a lot smaller. Everyone is watching comedy online. Louis CK and Aziz Ansari are universal now. That wasn’t the case 10 years ago … The biggest [comedians] in the world, especially those who are smart with social media networking, are world brands.”

    SEATBACK SILLINESS

    Physical gags aside, the seatback screen has eliminated much of the potential for controversy within the aircraft, liberating the type of content and comedy airlines can deliver to their passengers. As a content deployment leader, Chacko has expert knowledge in how to curate appropriate material for various airline clients, and thinks the seatback screen is opening up doors as never before: “Airlines have to play it safe when it comes to overhead screens and comedies, but on VOD [Video on Demand] screens, airlines are able to provide their passengers a choice to select content and can push the envelope more and more.”

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    And it’s in their best interest to do so. With all the potential flare-ups that could occur throughout the passenger journey, providing comedic relief is one of the smartest initiatives an airline can commit to. Why? Passengers are stressed creatures, and nothing relieves stress more effectively than comedy.

    STRESS BUSTER KEATONS

    Sean Springer, sociology instructor at Toronto’s Ryerson University, explains the two types of stress that affect people: “You can feel stressed about being unable to put food on the table – that’s a serious stress. But then you can feel stressed about your plane having departed two hours later than scheduled – that’s a relatively trivial stress … For trivial stresses, humor can give us some perspective.”

    But why are passengers so stressed out about flying in the first place? The primary answer may be obvious – you have no control, there can be delays, you feel helpless – but there is an additional layer to dissect here, says Springer: “Since you’re surrounded by your fellow passengers, you have to maintain a certain amount of composure. When panic sets in, you need to remember you’re in public!”

    So on the passenger happiness scale, comedy can be one of the wisest investments an airline can make. When researching how passengers respond to different forms of IFE and advertising within the VOD landscape, “We’ve found that passengers tend to have a more favorable reaction to funny ads,” says Chacko. “Similarly, passengers would likely appreciate the fun approach, and have a better association with the brand.”

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    Consider the rise in popularity of the tongue-in-cheek safety videos popping up on carriers like Virgin and Air New Zealand. Esposito herself admits, “I have laughed out loud at a Delta safety video, and you can quote me on that.” Springer agrees that these funny safety videos are a positive addition to the in-flight experience, adding, “We need something, anything, to distract us from the fact that flight attendants are showing grown adults how to buckle their seatbelts.”

    LIVE COMEDY

    The Wi-Fi-enabled cabin is introducing even more in-flight punch lines, although the immediacy of this type of connection is changing both how we consume and deliver jokes. Hills notes, “If a comedian is having or witnessing a surreal experience on an airplane … they’re going to tweet about it, the entire flight. [It’s] live comedy, vis-à-vis the Wi-Fi on the plane.”

    The freedom to comment publicly on your fellow passengers or crew may entertain readers who are following your social accounts, but it should come with a warning to text-happy flyers – especially for those comedians-in-the-making who haven’t yet developed a knack for delivery. Hitting “send” often comes a bit too quickly, says Chacko. “They don’t have a chance to think through whether or not the tweet or Facebook post is actually appropriate or offensive,” she says, pointing to the Justine Sacco debacle in 2013, which saw the PR representative lose her job after one tweet garnered intense ire and backlash on the Internet. In this instance, the communications director thought she was being funny with a racially charged tweet sent to fewer than 200 followers. By the time her airplane landed in South Africa several hours later, she was trending online.

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    Warning tales such as this serve as an important reminder of the “expert” touch that comedians bring to the table. As they say, timing is everything – and while live tweeting your cutting impressions might seem hilarious in the moment, these observations generally fare better with a bit of thoughtfulness applied. Esposito limits her airplane tweets more often to “stay relatable,” guessing that her followers may not want to hear about take-offs and delays week in and week out, but Springer circles back to the stress factor, predicting that “In the future, passengers using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any other social media app [will] release stress by humorously venting to loved ones at home.” Like any good comedian, you may want to try those quips out on your inner circle before taking them to the public skies.