History YMMV / Airplane

** This movie has also arguably become the subject of ParodyDisplacement itself thanks to Creator/SethMacFarlane referencing it in both ''Series/FamilyGuy'' and ''Film/{{Ted}}''.

** This movie has also arguably become the subject of ParodyDisplacement itself thanks to Creator/SethMacFarlane referencing it in both Series/FamilyGuy and Film/Ted.

** In-flight meals more substantial than a packet of crackers/cookies/nuts and a cup of soda are getting increasingly rare except when a flight is expected to go more than 4-5 hours between stops...or when it's run by El Al.

** Of the late 1970s early 1980s. While a lot of the jokes still stand due to the RapidFireComedy, there are references to now-obscure sports figures and pre-9/11 flying. For example, the "smoking ticket" joke (requesting a ticket in the smoking section of the plane, but getting a ticket that emits smoke) became outdated in 1998 when smoking was prohibited on all US domestic flights. For another, there's the Hare Krishna and other solicitors at the airport. Most young people today have never heard of them, but they were ''really'' aggressive in getting your attention at airports back in the day -- most audiences of the time would have viewed Rex Kramer's [[CurbStompBattle response to them]] as entirely appropriate -- but a Supreme Court ruling in 1992 allowing airports to ban solicitors such as Hare Krishnas and increased security measures after 9/11 has likewise made the joke outdated.

* MisaimedFandom: As with any popular work, ''Airplane!'' isn't free of being misunderstood for what was funny. Following parody movies that took after its manic style, including those by ZAZ themselves, seem to believe that the cartoony slapstick was the main reason why it was hilarious. They tend to forget that other aspects, such as random background gags and deadpan dedication to the insanity, were big parts of why it was so funny. As a result, the slapstick and literal humor is there, but falls flat due to more reaction shots and LampshadeHanging.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Hiring [[ComicallySerious non-comedic actors]] in a broad comedy. At the time, the entire joke with Creator/LeslieNielsen's character was seeing a serious actor bringing every bit of his usual gravitas to such ridiculous material. [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome Nielsen proceeded to make this kind of material his bread and butter]] (and with progressively less gravitas), so that viewers these days will likely just be surprised that he's not playing the lead role. So many other dramatic actors have done it since that it's impossible to cast anyone in this kind of movie without them being in on the joke.

* SpecialEffectFailure:

* OlderThanTheyThink: As revolutionary as this film was, it was not the first transportation-themed disaster movie parody, nor was it even the first one made by [[Creator/{{Paramount}} Paramount Pictures]] as ''Film/TheBigBus'' had already come out four years previously in 1976.

* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Several people connected with the film went to see it in theaters in black-majority neighborhoods to get a sense of how the jive scenes were being received, and were surprised to learn that they were utterly bringing the house down, with audiences clearly enjoying the whole meta-joke about how utterly clueless white people tend to be about black culture.

** The film was released in 1980, but at the turn of the decade, the film's aesthetics and jokes reference the culture of the late '70s. Notably, the TakeThat at Disco, which drew applause during the film’s original run, became dated as Disco’s reputation [[VindicatedByHistory substantially improved]] around the turn of the millennium.

** The film was released in 1980, but at the turn of the decade, the film's aesthetics and jokes reference the culture of the late '70s. Notably, the TakeThat at Disco, which drew applause during the film’s original run, easily became dated as Disco’s reputation [[VindicatedByHistory substantially improved]] around the turn of the millennium.

** The film was released in 1980, but at the turn of the decade, the film's aesthetics and jokes reference the culture of the late '70s.

** When Neubauer is attacked by Kramer's dog, we obviously see the dog is only licking him.

** Creator/JamesHong is the Japanese soldier who commits suicide.

** Many of the films parodied, such as ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' and ''Film/{{Shane}}'', are probably better known this film.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The tagline "...and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound", and the plane running into and destroying a radio tower on a building.
** A Roman Catholic nun reading a ''Boys' Life'' magazine.
** The turban-wearing passenger who douses himself in gasoline and tries to blow himself up to avoid listening to Striker reminiscing. (Though he was probably meant to be [[UsefulNotes/{{India}} Indian]] rather than Middle-Eastern.)
** Johnny's remark that a plane about to crash-land in Chicago "looks like a big Tylenol" became rather less funny after the 1982 rash of Tylenol product-tampering murders in that city.
** The swipe at Detroit becomes this when decades later, the city would be forced to declare bankruptcy.

** It's funny enough on its own, but the moment where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finally breaks down and starts talking basketball is even funnier since Jabbar himself [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h03QVlrwI_s misidentified the line]] on ''Celebrity Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

** The guy in the "Point/Counterpoint" gag, obviously meant to represent the conservative side, vaguely resembles liberal activist and political commentator [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton Al Sharpton]].

** To elaborate on the "disastrous attempt by Randy" mentioned above: A [[LittlestCancerPatient small child on the verge of death and in need of an emergency transplant]]? Tragic. Said child's IV being knocked out by a singing, guitar-playing stewardess who remains cheerfully oblivious as the girl spasms and tries to get the tube back in? ''Hilarious.'' It gets even better when the girl's mother is so caught up in the song she doesn't even notice the missing tube.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Of the late 1970s early 1980s. While a lot of the jokes still stand due to the RapidFireComedy, there are references to now-obscure sports figures and pre-9/11 flying. For example, the "smoking ticket" joke (requesting a ticket in the smoking section of the plane, but getting a ticket that emits smoke) became outdated in 1998 when smoking was prohibited on all US domestic flights. For another, there's the Hare Krishna and other solicitors at the airport. Most young people today have never heard of them, but they were ''really'' aggressive in getting your attention at airports back in the day -- most audiences of the time would have viewed Rex Kramer's [[CurbStompBattle response to them]] as entirely appropriate -- but a Supreme Court ruling in 1992 allowing airports to ban solicitors such as Hare Krishnas and increased security measures after 9/11 has likewise made the joke outdated.

* AcceptableTargets:
** [[BadGuyBar "Populated with every reject and cutthroat from Bombay to Calcutta...]] [[PlaceWorseThanDeath it was worse than]] UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}".[[note]]ZAZ frequently commented in their films about Detroit being the most frightening city on Earth. Detroit's economy and social stability collapsed in the '70s and '80s, and the Detroit population has plummeted from a high of around 1.85 million in 1950, to 640,000 in 2020. By 1980, when ''Airplane!'' was released, Detroit had already lost over 1/3 of its people, and most of it's long-term economy.[[/note]]
** The various religions and charitable causes being pitched in the airport, especially when Kramer starts charging through them all.
** "WZAZ in Chicago, where disco lives forever!" ''[plane smashes through radio tower and takes out the antenna]'' In its original theatrical run, it was not uncommon for the audience to ''[[DiscoSucks cheer]]'' at this point.
** Pedophiles.

** David Leisure (''Series/EmptyNest'', Joe Isuzu) is one of the Hare Krishna.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Johnny the control tower employee is a rather divisive character, due to his comically hammy and eccentric personality being tonally dissonant with the rest of the movie, and his antics are similarly polarizing, especially his ForTheFunnyz moment with the runway lights. He seems to be a take on the "comic relief" character that otherwise dramatic movies keep shoehorning in (even today), where the other characters don't seem to notice how inappropriately the comedy character is behaving in an otherwise serious situation. This was a compromise on the part of the filmmakers - ExecutiveMeddling wasn't sure the "dramatic actors playing wacky comedy straight" approach would work, so they mandated at least one out-and-out comedy character played by a comedian, and Stephen Stucker got the nod. Some viewers think he's one of the [[CrossesTheLineTwice funniest things]] in the movie, while others find him annoying, distracting, and out of place.

** [[BadGuyBar "Populated with every reject and cutthroat from Bombay to Calcutta...]] [[PlaceWorseThanDeath it was worse than]] UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}".

* AdaptationDisplacement: Even if audiences are aware that it's essentially a comedic remake of ''Zero Hour!'', they're unlikely to have seen the earlier film, much less be aware that some of the hammiest bits of dialogue[[note]]such as "Now you know what we need to find: someone who can not only land this plane, but who ''didn't'' have fish for dinner!"[[/note]] were lifted from it almost verbatim.

** ''[[Film/ZeroHour1957 Zero Hour!]]'', the movie it was based on. In fact it's technically a remake, not just a parody.