Did You Hear the One About the Pilot and the Farmer’s Daughter?
Continental Airlines is using comedians to lighten the atmosphere on some flights this week, but they’re not allowed to make jokes about the company’s bankruptcy court filing.
Continental’s Continental Express division is offering stand-up comedians and business speakers on its 46-seat commuter service to New Haven--the serious stuff in the mornings and the funny stuff in the afternoons.
The promotion was hatched two months ago and will continue despite the bankruptcy proceedings, Continental said.
“It’s going well,” spokeswoman Nancy Compel said Tuesday. “Travelers seem to enjoy it.” The comedians were advised last week to keep the cabin humor clean and not make jokes about airplanes.
On Monday, Compel said, she “told them the news of the day” and reminded them to “stay away from inappropriate material.”
Peter Bales, one of five comics chosen, said the airline’s financial troubles were the least of his worries. Turbulent skies on the Newark-New Haven, Conn., route on Monday forced the stand-up comedian to deliver his 10-minute shtick sitting down.
“It’s difficult to be funny when you’re try not to vomit,” Bales said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his home in Northport, N.Y.
Bales said he avoided negative airline jokes, but added that he generally says what he wants.
He began by warning hecklers that they would be asked to leave. Then he griped about the gig, saying there were “two guys with headphones” in his dressing room.
The jokes were delivered while he was strapped into his seat, with his head craning down the aisle to catch a glimmer of response over the noisy engines.
“I thought at one point I got applause, but I think my ears were just popping from the pressure,” he said.
Continental first served up cabin comedy on its Detroit-Cleveland route in August, Compel said.
On Monday, the airline said it would continue normal operations while it seeks protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The nation’s fifth-largest airline said a $2.2-billion debt and increased jet fuel costs because of the Persian Gulf crisis forced the move.
