Alaska Airlines has finally received the hallmark of a truly American public relations disaster: a “Saturday Night Live” sketch.
The “SNL” broadcast, hosted by Jacob Elordi and featuring musical guest Reneé Rapp, included a satirical Alaska Airlines ad mocking Flight 1282, when a panel blew out of the plane at 16,000 feet in the air.
“That’s why our new slogan is ‘Alaska Airlines: You didn’t die, and you got a cool story,’” said Heidi Gardner, playing a flight attendant, in the sketch.
“But you got to admit, it looked pretty cool! Plane flying around, no door,” Kenan Thompson said.
The sketch included “footage” from the flight: terrified passengers screaming, and one person holding onto someone as they’re about to fall out of the plane.
“On other airlines, you can watch movies, but on Alaska, you’re in the movie,” Elordi said.
Thompson said the airline decided it’s going to make some changes. “You know those bolts that, like, hold the plane together? We’re gonna go ahead and tighten some of those,” Elordi said.
Elordi said that the airline has hired pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — who ditched a passenger flight on the Hudson River in 2009 after both engines were disabled by a bird strike — out of retirement.
“At the time, I was terrified,” said a passenger in the ad. “But now, I’m the coolest person at the office. Everyone’s stopping by my cubicle all wanting to know about that little boy whose shirt got sucked out the plane.”
And Thompson makes fun of another Alaska Airlines incident that occurred last year: when an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly attempted to shut off a plane’s engines during a Horizon Air flight. “We’re so proud to say that’s our second worst flight,” Thompson said.