Amy Schumer and Vanessa Bayer play flight attendants who get carried away while singing the flight announcements. (Photo: NBC Contributor)
By Brittany Jones Cooper for Yahoo! Travel
On Oct. 10, Amy Schumer hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time ever. Naturally, many of her skits were hilarious, but the one getting the most buzz involved Schumer playing a musically-inclined flight attendant. While the skit was a tad unrealistic (at one point, Schumer is flying outside the plane), we couldn’t help but to notice how spot-on it portrayed the airline industry and all of the ridiculous situations passengers are made to encounter.
This sketch inspired us to search for other travel-inspired SNL gems, and we must say, the show pretty much nails what flying is like these days. Here are five hilariously accurate SNL sketches that get travel right.
Entertaining Flight AttendantsIt seems like we can’t go more than a week without seeing a video of a flight attendant sharing their hidden talent. From dancing to rapping and playing the guitar, today’s cabin crews look like they’re attempting to score a spot on “America’s Got Talent.” In this skit staring Schumer and Vanessa Bayer, that fact is expertly captured as the women channel flight attendants who enthusiastically sing their flight announcement to the tune of the Spice Girls hit, Wannabe.
“If you’re feeling hungry, we’ve got great snacks,” they sing. “If you want to buy a headset, we’ll be coming right back.” The flight attendants get so into their performance that at one point, Bayer dances her way through the plane’s safety door. Schumer is able to pull her back on board, and the slight hiccup does little to interrupt their performance.
After barely escaping death, Bayer replies, “All I need is to finish the announcement song that we worked so hard on in my garage.”
We guess the show must go on!
Related: Flight Attendant Entertains Passengers by Dancing to Uptown Funk
Ridiculous Boarding Procedures
Regardless of the airline, the boarding experience always makes passengers feel like they’re part of some weird social experiment. Sometimes you’re in a group, other times you’re in a zone, but either way it’s always confusing.
This sketch featuring Tina Fey embodies the randomness of the boarding experience. After loading the elderly and those who need assistance, Fey and the other “Express Air” gate agent start to call off ridiculous boarding groups. Some of our favorites include people who clap when the plane has landed, travelers with carry-ons that have no chance of fitting in the overhead compartment, and children with small parents.
It’s funny because it’s true.
Passive Aggressive Flight Attendants
Flight attendants aren’t happy all of the time, and occasionally you can see their frustrations boiling up. That’s why SNL introduced us to “Total Bastard Airlines,” where, as the captain says, “We are bitter about the career paths we’ve taken, and we intend to take that out on our passengers.”
Instead of friendly smiles, flight attendants David Spade and Helen Hunt ignore passenger questions about connecting flights and baggage. Instead, they dismiss everyone by saying“ Buh bye,” and literally pushing them out of the plane.
The crew also peppers in a few insults, but in true flight attendant style, they do it all with a smile.
Emotionally Robotic Flight Attendants
Flight attendants are always smiling, their uniforms are always neatly pressed, and nothing seems to ruffle their feathers. But once, just once, we want to see a flight attendant totally freak out.
Alas, it never happens, and this skit perfectly reflects how flight attendants can stay robotically calm even under the most dire of circumstances (which, we’ll be honest, is a great skill).
In a soothing southern accent, Kristen Wiig alerts passengers that the plane is going to encounter some terrible turbulence. Her co-worker, played by Meghan Fox, uncomfortably adds that the captain is really scared.
Then as the situation quickly deteriorates, Wiig is still able to calmly give the passengers baggage instructions.
“We’ve spoken with our control tower, and apparently the force of these winds are just going to end up ripping the plane into different parts,” she announces. “So just make sure all of your items are neatly stowed beneath you just in case the plane does rip in half.”
Talk about grace under pressure.
The Worst Lady on an Airplane
Hands down, the worst part of traveling is usually the other passengers. For whatever reason, people are the worst, and their annoying behavior is guaranteed to ruin your trip.
That’s why Seth Meyers interviewing “the worst lady on an airplane” during a segment of Weekend Update is complete genius.
Aidy Bryant plays a passenger who carries everything in plastic bags, laughs loudly at her in-flight movie, and eats disgusting food in a confined area— specifically chicken and broccoli from Panda Express
“I only eat the chicken and I leave the broccoli on the tray table to cover up my farts,” jokes Bryant.
Sadly, we can all relate to sitting next to a passenger like this.
More from Yahoo! Travel:
Airline Wars Continue: Passenger Chokes Woman for Reclining Seat
How Many Countries Are There Really? Depends How You Count