Virgin Atlantic has announced it will implement “emotional health warnings” on particularly heart-wrenching inflight movies.
The carrier stated the first films to be tagged as such will be Water for Elephants and Just Go With It, which will flash up before the movie starts. Passengers will be advised to have tissues ready and to press the call button for "a shoulder to cry on.”
This move is based on the carrier's survey findings, that revealed almost 55 percent of respondents admitted to feeling more vulnerable when on a flight. Almost 41 percent of the male participants said they even secretly cried under blankets, while most women stated they would hide their tears by pretending they had something in their eye.
According to a psychologist commissioned by Virgin Atlantic, long-haul flights “allow for deep-seated feelings to surface, especially when triggered by tear-jerking films.”
Virgin Atlantic’s film critic, Jason Solomons, explains that heightened emotions may be due to the environment within a flight. “On a flight, we’re isolated, leaving loved ones or aching to be reunited with them. We’re nervous, we’re tired, we might have had a drink at a time we usually wouldn’t,” he said.
Have you ever sobbed when watching a tear-jerking film on a flight? Tell us here or for more information, visit www.virginatlantic.com
Alisha Haridasani
