Effective january, 2008. World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) Response to Pending Legislation H.R. 3676 Position Statement Issued October 8, 2007 The World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) is the official worldwide network of in-flight entertainment represented by nearly 100 passenger airlines and more than 250 content providers, airline suppliers and related companies around the world. With our members in mind, we are concerned about the proposed Family Friendly Flights Act 2007, H.R. 3676, that calls for a child safe viewing area within which air carriers shall not display violent in-flight programming to take effect on January, 2008. While WAEA concurs with the need for families to have appropriate entertainment for children while on airlines; the proposed solution is highly problematic logistically. In fact, members of WAEA are working together to identify possible alternative solutions that may be more realistic in accommodating the issues of some parents while considering ramifications to domestic airlines with publicly viewable entertainment screens. For example, most U.S. airlines have a single play back system allowing all sections of the plane to get the same film at the same time and designating a section for family-friendly films only would require comprehensive rewiring and overhaul to carriers. Currently, the movies shown on the overhead systems on US-flagged carriers are edited if their theatrical rating exceeds PG-13, or if they contain profanity, nudity or violence beyond what the airline deems acceptable. Each airline, in consideration of their passenger demographics for each route, strives to select movies that are most appropriate and least offensive to the broader viewing audience. In conjunction with makers of the movies, edits are made and approved by the films' studio/production companies to make the films as airline friendly as possible. The industry is in business to please passengers and create enjoyable in-flight experiences. Airlines and suppliers attempt to balance the integrity of the movie with the appropriateness of scenes and have operated under the g eneral editing standards developed by WAEA for main-screen exhibition that are more conservative than TV-editing standards. The guidelines indicate programming will be edited to eliminate airline crash scenes or references to airline disasters; nudity and sex scenes; profanity; images of or references to other airlines; and racist comments or denigrating references to culture, religion or nationality. Care and consideration is given regarding terrorism or references to terrorism violence and bloodshed; and references to guns, drug abuse, and/or physical abuse. The most ideal in-flight genres are comedy, romantic-comedy, and light adventure. As new aircraft are brought on line by U.S. carriers, many of those will have personal seat back systems, thereby allowing the parents to select appropriate material for their children to view. Until then, portable players personally owned or rented onboard aircraft offering the convenience may be used by parents in lieu of the overhead screening. It is the intent of the industry to address the concerns of the Act's supporters and we believe that there are alternative solutions – a form of industry self-regulation – to address the concerns of the Act's supporters. WAEA remains committed to excellence in airline in-flight entertainment and communications as well as the continual improvement of the airline passenger environment. For more information about the WAEA visit www.waea.org or contact Elinor Kinnier 703-610-0204. ###