Times Digital Download: Come Fly With Me

T-Mag Thursday 22/August/2019 10:08 AM
By: Times News Service
Times Digital Download: Come Fly With Me

‘So, how was your flight?’
It’s a question that’s become increasingly commonplace these days, with air travel being made far more affordable now than it ever was before.
Budget airlines mean that air travel is now even more affordable, but just because air travel is available to everyone does not mean it’s fun for everyone. We’ve all – for the most part – got something to rightfully complain about when they’re not given proper treatment.
We’re not talking about complaining when customer service is slightly below the best on offer, but when it is so shoddy that it actually remains in your memory long after your flight. An experience many of us have surely undergone, and have rarely come out feeling great about our entire experience. Given that so many of us feel this way, it seemed only natural that two of Britain’s most famous comedians went ahead and made a programme that reveals just how ridiculous, ineffective and downright idiotic people who work in the air travel industry can actually be.
Created by British comedic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas, Come Fly With Me is a hilarious show that exposes the inefficiency and laziness of the people we sometimes see working at the airport.
The show, which was aired by the BBC and features six rib-tickling episodes, features a varied caste of workers, all of whom seem to be professional enough on the surface, but reveal just how inept they actually are when faced with a problem. The funny thing is that you might actually run into such oddball characters the next time you’re at the airport.
You might, for example, run into Omar Baba, the owner of budget airline FlyLo, (a parody of EasyJet) who often makes insensitive, crude comments without really realising what he’s done wrong, while only making problems worse. On one occasion, he’s in hot water after a lady has to have her leg amputated because of the acute lack of legroom on his planes.
While Baba may not always interact with customers, his check-in assistants Melody Baines and Keely St. Clair certainly do. Baines and St. Clair claim to be BFFs on the surface, but the two women constantly snipe about each other behind their backs and aren’t afraid to point out each other’s flaws to their boss when an opportunity for promotion does come up.
Assuming that you’ve managed to get past the hurdle of checking in, you are likely to want a cup of coffee. Don’t expect to get any from Precious Little’s stand, though. Like her name suggests, she doesn’t actually do much all day, and constantly finds excuses to close her stand early so that she can while away her time, or go and catch the latest show.
On one occasion, because she has no coffee powder at her stand, she goes to the airport nail salon to get a manicure while the coffee is being delivered to her, but then claims to be unable to get back to work because the manicurist has given her a set of false nails. Don’t expect great service from baggage handlers John and Terry either.
This father-and-son duo are constantly on the lookout for expensive items from people’s bags, purposely waiting for an expensive Louis Vuitton or Lacoste bag to pop up on the conveyor belt so that they can pry open its valuable contents, such as a laptop (which they claim to take home so they can make sure it’s safe) or an iPod (which they say is not allowed on airplanes are therefore doing passengers a favour) or a set of golf clubs, only to sell them on for a bit of cash.
While you might meet this odd collection of people (and many more) at the airport, what really makes Come Fly With Me a fantastic show is its relatability. Add to that some typically British humour and plenty of ridiculous situations and you’ve got a show that you really can’t stop watching. A great show to watch this weekend. – [email protected]

The Short and Skinny
Name: Come Fly With Me
Genre: Comedy
Produced by: David Walliam
and Matt Lucas
Produced for: BBC
What it’s about: What’s the worst thing that could go wrong at the airport? In Come Fly With Me, David Walliams and Matt Lucas take a hilarious look at the ridiculous situations passengers sometimes find themselves in when they turn up for a flight.
Number of episodes: 6
Runtime per episode: 29 minutes
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, various streaming sites
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10