Galley Gossip: Can Passengers View Pornography on the Airplane?

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Last year I was on a flight with my boyfriend, and we had an episode of Game of Thrones that we wanted to watch on his laptop. I didn't think about the graphic content until we reached one of the nude scenes. I was a little embarrassed that passengers around us might think we were watching porn, but it never crossed my mind that it would be disallowed to the extent that we could have received a written warning if we hadn't put it away.

Is there a ratings limit on what's allowed to be watched privately? Is R-rated sex/nudity allowed? What about PG-13? How is this addressed on international flights, where local viewer discretion ratings are different? If you had a European magazine with you on the plane that showed nudity disallowed in the US, would you be required to keep it hidden? On the flip side, if you're flying to Saudi, must you keep your copy of Vogue closed so that there will be no lingerie or bare midriffs exposed?

1-14-2013 @ 8:38AM

On the other hand... said...

On Delta flights, they include episodes of "The Borgias" on the inflight entertainment. These include very risque scenes, as well as nudity and plenty of violence. This is provided by the airline, so using that as a yardstick, Game of Thrones should be acceptable. That being said - I had the same sense of embarassment when watching episodes on the plane on my tablet. I felt the need to cover the screen with both hands so my neighbor couldn't see it.

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