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What in-flight entertainment is most popular for Thanksgiving travelers? We asked the airlines
A traveler walks past a Southwest Airlines airplane.
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Kevin Dietsch
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Getty Images
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The Thanksgiving holiday marks one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, with hundreds of thousands of people flying in and out of LAX.
To get a sense of the collective mood among travelers this year, LAist reached out to major airlines and asked: What’s this season’s most popular movie or TV series for passengers?
Alaska, American, JetBlue, Southwest, and United airlines responded. By and large, funny holiday classics like Home Alone and Elf were the most watched.
Home Alone premiered in November 1990. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, whose family accidentally leaves him behind in Chicago when they go on a trip to Paris. Kevin awakens to an empty house, assuming his wish to live alone has come true.
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“I made my family disappear,” he says with a smirk. Then, to protect his home from two thieves, Kevin fills his home with booby traps.
At JetBlue, Home Alone is the most popular holiday film so far on the in-flight entertainment system, and it was also the most-watched movie last year. Kevin’s saga is also among the top three films on Southwest, said spokesperson Dan Landson.
But Elf, starring Will Ferrell, has been a consistent holiday favorite.
In the 2003 film, Ferrell plays Buddy, an adoptee raised in the North Pole by two of Santa’s elves. After learning about his origins, Buddy heads to Manhattan in search of his biological father, who turns out to be a Grinch-like businessman.
On Alaska airlines, passengers are turning to Friends, the beloved TV sitcom about six pals in New York City that ran from 1994 to 2004.
Perhaps, given the ongoing impacts of war across the globe, a contentious election cycle in the U.S., and the prospect of tough conversations at the Thanksgiving table, travelers are looking for something reliably enjoyable.
Or maybe they just need a laugh.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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