FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Jesse Kalisher answers some of your questions about the cause and how we’re trying to address it.
 
1) What Effect will the "Family Friendly Flights Act" Have on Airlines and Airline Movies?
The bill introduced in The U.S. House of Representatives in September has no effect whatsoever on which films the airlines show on personal screens. It also has no effect on the seating configuration for planes that don't have publicly viewable (or overhead) screens. Further, it has no impact on flights with overhead screens when the films shown are rated G or PG and the television content is rated TV-G. The FFFA does require airlines to create a section on the aircraft where kids won't be exposed to the media content when there is a) an overhead or publicly viewable screen and b) the film show is rated PG-13 or R and/or the television content is rated TV-MA (for mature audiences).

2) Are You Asking the Airlines to Entertain Your Kids?
No we are not. It is not the airlines responsibility to entertain our kids. We can handle that. We are asking only that the airlines not terrify our children. Bear in mind that kids under the age of 6 cannot discern between reality and make-believe no matter how hard their parents try to explain the difference to them.

3) Are You Asking Airlines to Air Nothing But Kids' Movies?
Again, no. In fact, none of the movies need to be or even should be children's movies. There are plenty of adult dramas and comedies which don't contain violence and, as a result, are appropriate to be shown where children are present.

4) Is This a Form of Censorship?
We certainly hope not. We are not suggesting that films be censored and we in no way want to limit people's access to films. The truth is, we support everyone's right to watch whatever movies they want to. We ask only that socially agreed to limits be put in place when it comes to publicly viewable content.
 
5) Your Petition Calls on Congress to Act – Why Not Petition the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Instead?
a. We spoke with the FAA official in charge of Cabin Safety on airlines and according to her, 'no one at the FAA has regulatory authority over in-flight entertainment."

b. Congress has the power to hold public (and very high profile) hearings. Remember the Tobacco hearings? The hearings on violence in video games? Congress has the power of subpoena and can invite the media in for open hearings on any topic they choose. If the airlines don’t quickly change their policy (and the truth is, they will once we gain enough momentum), Congress could hold hearings which would ultimately lead to the needed legislation. But in order to get to this stage, we need to petition Congress, not some other non-elected government bureaucracy.

6) Why Not Petiton the Airlines?
The short answer is that the airlines have never responded meaningfully to parent's complaints on this issue - even though parents have been complaining about images of violence on overhead screens since 1999. We need to threaten the airlines, either with a class-action lawsuit or with government regulation, in order to get their attention.

7) Why Not Apply Public Pressure on The Airlines Through the Media?
That's exactly what we're doing. The media all but ignored this issue until the "Family Friendly Flights Act" was introduced in September, 2007. Without the legislation in Congress, there media didn't see a story worth covering.

8) Do You Really Believe That Regulation is the Answer?
Congressman Heath Shuler (D, NC) who co-authored the bill has publicly called on the airlines to be "good corporate citizens." He's calling on the industry to self-regulate and avoid the need for government regulation. We agree with Congressman Shuler - we'd love nothing more than to see the industry self-regulate and make the need for government regulation obsolete. In fact, we've reached out to Airline Association groups and the airlines themselves to help offer a workable, cost-free solution. As yet, of course, nothing's changed.

9) Won't "The Family Friendly Flights Act" Add Complexity and Possibly Cost?
It doesn't have to. The FFFA gives the airlines a choice - if they air PG films and TV-G entertainment on their overhead screens, they don't need to create a separate seating section.

10) Shouldn’t You Blame Hollywood?
Regardless of our own personal comfort levels with violence in films, Helen and I have no issue whatsoever with Hollywood. We are both artists and firm supporters of free speech and the First Amendment.

The truth is, Hollywood is on our side. The film industry, through the MPAA, acts responsibly to limit violence so that it’s shown only to audiences deemed old enough to process it properly. As adults, we each have the ability to decide what level of violence we’re comfortable exposing ourselves to. As parents, we have the responsibility to screen movies before letting our children see them. By way of example, if a daycare center showed violent films to children in their care we would blame the daycare center not Hollywood. And so we have no issue with the Film Industry but object loudly to the airlines airing of violent films to the children in their care.

11) Who’s Funding the Website and the Petition?
Helen and I are funding and managing the website. We have also donated to www.petitionsonline.org which hosts the online petition.
 
12) Are You Collecting Donations?
We are not collecting donations.
 
13) Why an Online Petition?
Just a few years ago, we’d be standing on street corners to collect signatures. Today, we can reach many more people much more efficiently thanks to the internet. And thanks to Petitions Online, a non-profit group dedicated to helping further public discourse, we can gather signatures online in an efficient, safe and meaningful way.
 
14) When I sign the petition, is my information safe – will people see my email address?
Your email address is completely secure. It will never be displayed online. No one can search for it. And even Helen and I as creators of the petition don’t have access to your email address unless you check a box allowing us to see it. Your email address is requested to deter people from inventing names.
 
15) How do I sign the petition?
Easy enough. Just go to our online petition.