Essay Questions

How does Ted and Ellen's marriage relate to the journey of the film?

Ted and Ellen's marriage is failing, and it looks like it is beyond repair. Although the film is about getting passengers aboard a commercial flight to safety, the metaphor is for their marriage. Ellen and Ted must man the two pilots chairs in the cockpit--they must work together. Ted needs Ellen's belief in him, and Ellen needs Ted to come through. And what is at stake are the lives of the passengers, specifically Joey, their son, if they don't work together to fight through this storm they are facing in their circumstances and the storm within Ted's mind from the war. The airplane itself is a metaphor for their marriage, and though they crash land, they are able to get everyone off of the plane and to a place where they will live.

Why is it significant for Ted to pilot the commercial airliner?

Ted was a fighter pilot during World War II. He came home after he was shot down and the men in his squadron were killed. Since then he hasn't been able to muster up the strength to fly again, and he's suffered from PTSD. Thus, when the pilots are incapacitated by the food-poisoning he is the only one on board who has experience flying a plane. His manning the aircraft is significant because not only is he flying again, but he must face down the demons that wreck his mind from the war in order to get the plane and everyone to safety on the ground.

Why does Ted purchase a ticket to get on the airplane in the first place?

Ted and his wife's marriage is failing. He has been in and out of several jobs over the course of ten years and it has taken a toll on their relationship. So much so that Ellen decides to leave him and take their son, Joey. She does so by going on an airplane trip. Ted finds Ellen's letter to him and goes straight to the airport to purchase a ticket aboard the aircraft. He does so in order to win his wife back.