15 Films To Avoid When Boarding An Airplane

Terrifying movies of planes exploding in mid-air, plummeting to the ground, or disappearing forever should be avoided when traveling by air. Palpitations at 35,000 feet are never cool, and the last thing you need is to freak out high above the ocean. Here’s a list of films to avoid when boarding an airplane, so you don’t end up wishing you had put your tickets through the shredder and jumped on board a boat instead:

15. Flight Risk (2025)

A small plane above Alaska is a terrible place to discover that your pilot has been lying to you. In Flight Risk, a law enforcement officer and the fugitive she is escorting have much more to fear than bad weather.

Mark Wahlberg portrays the man flying the plane, and his passengers quickly find good reason to want him out of the pilot’s seat. The crowded cabin gives them hardly any space to fight back. Even making it back to the ground begins to seem like far too much to hope for.

14. Non-Stop (2014)

Bill Marks (portrayed by Liam Neeson), an air marshal aboard a flight from New York to London, whose routine shift turns into a hunt for a killer after he receives a text message. An unknown person is demanding $150 million and says a passenger will die every 20 minutes until the money is paid. The threat could be coming from virtually any seat on the plane.

Part of the fun is trying to figure out who the culprit is, even though the film makes it difficult to trust anyone – including the man searching. Marks is dealing with his own issues, and his behavior does little to reassure the cabin. You’ll have ample time to observe your fellow passengers on your own flight. This could lead you to form the wrong impression of them.

13. Air Force One (1997)

In this film, even the president’s own plane can’t provide a peaceful journey home. Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall, whose promise to stand firm against terrorists faces a deeply personal test when hijackers take over his plane. On board are his wife and daughter.

Gary Oldman makes the lead hijacker difficult to take your eyes off. He can transform a calm conversation into a threat within seconds, while Ford must crawl and battle his way through the aircraft.

It’s a big, loud action movie with an entire plane to destroy. It’s best watched somewhere you can step outside for a break.

12. Plane (2023)

For much of Plane, Gerard Butler works hard to grant his passengers even a short stretch of good fortune. Playing pilot Brodie Torrance, he lands a storm-battered plane on an island, only to discover that armed rebels are the next danger. The majority of his passengers end up taken hostage.

With little help available, Brodie must rely on the accused murderer who was being transported under guard, played by Mike Colter. The movie keeps heaping tasks onto a man who has already endured more than enough for a single shift. Simply making it through the flight leaves hardly anyone a moment to catch their breath.

11. Red Eye (2005)

The friendly stranger sitting beside you has a scheme in mind for you. Rachel McAdams portrays Lisa, a hotel manager on a flight back to Miami, and Cillian Murphy is the man who ensures they are seated next to each other.

As soon as they are airborne, he demands that she assist him in planning a murder, or her father will be killed. Wes Craven draws plenty of fear from two people conversing in a crowded cabin. Lisa has assistance all around her, but finding a way to request it could endanger her dad. Murphy’s composed voice makes those scenes even more unsettling.

10. The Grey (2012)

The plane crash in The Grey is grim enough on its own, even before you learn where the aircraft has ended up. Liam Neeson stars as Ottway, a member of a band of oil workers left stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. They are injured, far from any help, and trapped in freezing conditions. And then the wolves show up.

Don’t count on a series of easy victories simply because Neeson is in the cast. The men quarrel, make poor decisions, and fight to keep going as their numbers dwindle. The lengthy gaps between attacks give time for thoughts of home, which can be tougher to sit through than the fights. After all this, a cozy cabin might sound rather appealing, as long as you can put the crash out of your mind.

9. Flight (2012)

Few movies offer a nervous flyer as much to dwell on as the opening flight in this one. Denzel Washington portrays Whip Whitaker, a pilot who flips his damaged plane upside down in an attempt to keep it from falling out of the sky. The scene lingers with the crew and passengers long enough for you to sense how little control they have.

The film then asks how much faith you should place in Whip. His actions save lives, but the crash investigation brings his drinking and drug use to light.

Washington makes his efforts to evade the truth painful to watch. There is far more here than the crash, though that may be the part that follows you to the airport.

8. Carry-On (2024)

The problems begin before a single passenger gets on board. Taron Egerton portrays a TSA officer on duty on Christmas Eve when a stranger pressures him into letting a dangerous package pass through security. Jason Bateman delivers the threats, speaking with a patience that makes you wish he would simply yell.

A good deal of the tension stems from watching an airport carry-on operation while one employee tries to avert a catastrophe. Suitcases move along. Travelers wait their turn. He must take action while the man issuing the orders keeps a close watch on him. If you already find the security line stressful, this makes for poor viewing on the night before a flight.

7. Sully (2016)

Even though we know all 155 people survived the actual landing on the Hudson River, that doesn’t make the film’s depiction any easier to watch. In Clint Eastwood’s drama about the 2009 emergency and the subsequent inquiry, Tom Hanks takes on the role of Captain Chesley Sullenberger.

Engine power is lost so shortly after takeoff that the crew has barely any time to decide where to go. Inside the cabin, there is little passengers can do but brace themselves and wait. Hanks keeps Sully composed on the job, but then reveals the toll once he is back on land. You’ll be relieved to know how it turns out before the plane ever heads toward the water.

6. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022)

This one might have you checking which manufacturer made the plane you fly next. Rory Kennedy’s documentary looks into the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which claimed 346 lives. It examines how the aircraft’s design and the decisions made inside Boeing played a part in the disasters.

Interviews with the victims’ families lend the losses a human weight that a crash report alone cannot convey. The film also traces the effort to determine what went wrong and who was aware of the risks.

It makes for grim viewing, particularly if a boarding pass is within reach. Set aside some time to sit with it at home.

5. Alive (1993)

Alive is a shocking and moving tale based on the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team caught up in the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. While their plane is flying over the Andes, it unexpectedly hits turbulence and strikes a mountain peak.

The aircraft is ripped apart, six passengers are thrown from the wreckage, and the remains of the structure slide down a mountainside before finally coming to a halt. Altogether, 12 passengers lose their lives. The survivors figure out how to get by on the freezing mountain – are they able to manage it? You’re probably better off learning how it unfolds while tucked up in bed, instead of on a flight of your own.

4. Cast Away (2000)

While enjoying the refreshments onboard your flight, it is a very good idea to opt for a film like Love Actually, rather than Cast Away. Flying through a violent storm, a plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean, causing FedEx employee Chuck to fight for his life. Eventually able to escape the sinking plane, Chuck manages to cling to an inflatable raft and eventually washes up on an uninhabited island where he is forced to survive until rescued.

Starring well-loved actor Tom Hanks, Cast Away is a great movie, but not one to watch when you are high above the clouds.

3. Snakes on a Plane (2006)

Beware: Snakes on a Plane is enough to make you want to grab the flight attendant and demand the plane be landed immediately. A 2006 American horror-thriller, this film follows the events of hundreds of aggressive, venomous snakes being released onto a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness.

Capable of making your heart race and your skin crawl, this knee-shaking tale is one to save for another day; otherwise, you will never be able to relax without wondering what is lurking in the cargo hold.

2. United 93 (2006)

United 93 chronicles the terrifying events that took place on board United Airlines Flight 93 when it was hijacked during the September 11 terrorist attacks. A realistic interpretation of a day that shook the world, United 93 has the power to unnerve you to the core and is best avoided in mid-air.

Truly moving and incredibly powerful, the movie is an example of pure extremism and is better watched when your feet are safely on the ground. After all, you don’t want to be looking at everyone around you with suspicion now, do you?

1. Final Destination (2000)

A truly terrifying horror movie, Final Destination will mess with your mind and should not be watched on board an airplane, under any circumstances. When Alex Browning boards Volée Airlines Flight 180, he has a premonition that the plane will explode and tries to do all he can to delay departure.

All of the commotion results in Alex and a group of acquaintances being thrown off the flight. The plane blows up minutes later, killing everyone on it. The mind can easily play tricks on you, so unless you want to be chucked off your next flight for trying to tear open the cabin windows, you should most certainly leave this movie at home.

So the next time you are about to board a plane, think very carefully about what you want to watch. Avoid scary movies a while before taking off to avoid flashbacks, and remember – you are more likely to be killed by a donkey than on a plane. Would you like to add a title to our list of the top 15 films to avoid when boarding an airplane? Share your thoughts in the comments below!