Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live (SNL) ran a bit on Southwest Airlines, focusing on the meltdown that took place last month. While I was only mildly amused at the skit, there was one moment that just made me laugh out loud.
SNL Takes On Southwest Airlines Meltdown
I would start by watching the skit:
Attempts at humor include:
- Upgrading the communications system to 2008 Dell computers (from existing 2002 ThinkPad laptops “with the little red nipple in the middle”)
- Not funny to me, since the problem is the software
- All baggage sorted by color: red bags go to Dallas, while blue bags go to Charlotte
- Is this a political joke? Both Dallas and Charlotte seem rather purple these days, though more blue than red.
- Southwest will introduce a new “Premiere Lounge” featuring Starbucks coffee: the airline will “just hold down two to three tables” in an airport Starbucks
- Ok, that’s amusing
- Southwest’s air traffic control network will be modernized with those 2022 ThinkPad laptops
- Still not funny
- From the airline of open seating comes open boarding. Just show your ticket to TSA and that’s good enough
- Swing and a miss…
- New Flight attendants will have prior experience serving customers at Waffle House
- Having never been to a Waffle House this was a big *whoosh* for me
- Taunting passengers by saying, “Here at Southwest, mistakes were made and that’s on us…mostly. But some of it’s on you. You bought a Southwest ticket, you obviously don’t respect yourself, so why should we?”
- Seriously? The only airline that gives you two free bags on every ticket? I may not personally like Southwest, but I respect the business model of Southwest (as in the open seating, free checked baggage, no change fees). Now it just needs to invest in modern software.
Humor is a strange thing. I watched the SNL clip and rolled my eyes at the most of the jokes. But then at the end the Southwest pilot thanks you for flying Southwest Airlines, removes his aviator sunglasses, and reveals he has a glass eye. And that is what made me burst out laughing.
I’m generally more of a visual humor type of guy (think Mr. Bean or Little Britain) and so this fits right in.
Side note, though, I don’t think I have laughed harder for years than when I watched Confess, Fletch starring Jon Hamm on a recent United flight. What a hilarious movie.
CONCLUSION
I find myself more in the One Mile At A Time camp than the View From The Wing camp concerning this SNL Southwest sketch. I always appreciate attempts at airline humor, but SNL could use a lesson from Key & Peele:
It was brilliant, spot on, and well deserved.
Please tell me your have watched the original Fletch with Chevy Chase? In my opinion the new one wasn’t even close in humor to the original. But Hamm did make it watchable.
THERE’S AN ORIGINAL?! It all makes sense now. It was such Chevy Chase humor. Goodness, I am going to have to find it. But Jon Hamm was masterful.
Talk about feeling old that Matthew didn’t even know there was an original. Uggh.
There was actually a sequel “Fletch Lives” with Chase as well, but it didn’t measure up to the original. Still worth a watch if you enjoy the first.
Fletch is on Netflix right now, go watch it. In fact, charge your subscription to the Underhills, they won’t mind.
It’s less applicable now that Allegiant and Breeze fly there but the fact that he flew to Provo was always hilarious to me. The scene is him driving out to the Stanwycks’ ranch isn’t far from where I grew up
It’s not you. SNL isn’t funny, nor has it been for a long time. Seriously, it sucks.
Waffle House can get pretty epic past midnight, you’d think the crackheads in Spirit/AA in MIA are reasonable.
lol I’m from Georgia and you’re 100% on target.
Why on earth would you think the red and blue bag bit was political? The humor lies in the ridiculousness of putting that obligation on the customer, i.e., we at southwest can’t figure how to get baggage to their destination so we’ll make the customers comply with an absurd demand.
The fact that this has to explained to you clearly shows your sense of humor is pretty terrible
Oh come on, I got that but you think the choice of red and blue was random?
Red and Blue is pretty common dude. Do you think in boxing, red and blue corners mean Republican vs Democrat lol?
That red vs. blue bags in that SNL skit would have any political undertones did not occur to me either.
I also feel older realizing that someone who watched “Confess, Fletch” was unaware of the existence of “Fletch”. 😮
It’s too bad you over thought a comedy sketch. If you hadn’t you’d have laughed more about it
You sound like you’d be a lot of fun at a party Matthew. They’re just jokes.
Dude, I speak click. That’s the name of this game.
Red/Blue was a coincidence. I actually think it could have been a good opportunity for a political joke, but they weren’t making one here.
As for Waffle House. A video recently went viral of a Waffle House employee expertly deflecting a chair that was thrown at her during a brawl at the restaurant. They were referencing that video. You need not have dined at Waffle House to know the reference.
I think if you don’t stay on top of pop culture, as well as current events, SNL won’t make too much sense to you. I liked the skit, and thought they did a pretty good job.
I was waiting for someone to
Comment about his lack of keeping up with pop culture:news regarding Waffle House and the recent fight. If you’re going to run an article please know what you’re talking about or find out what the references are referring to before writing this piece.
Still not funny. This isn’t Spirit Airlines.
And Jerry, are you on the writing team? I don’t think we can say with any confidence that they were not trying to make a political statement…
Oh boy, I sure do wish I was a writer for SNL, but alas, I didn’t make the grades to get in to Harvard!
That video is fucking epic. I’m glad somebody mentioned it because that’s the first thing my mind went to when they came to that line in the skit. Not only did she deflect it, didn’t she flat out catch it mid-flight? Crazy. And great skills on her part. It even looked like she was still actively manning the grilltop while this all went down. Those big bitches DO NOT play.
“Having never been to a Waffle House this was a big *whoosh* for me”
Matt, you life is incomplete!!
Waffle House is a southern experience….like living in LA and going to an In-N-Out Burger joint…you have to be there to appreciate the atmosphere. On your next trip to ATL, check it out, especially after midnight 🙂