Virgin Atlantic Robot Flight Attendants as Imagined by Saturday Night Live

Last night Saturday Night Live envisioned a world with robot flight attendants on Virgin America.

And although similarly tech-obsessed Starwood is experimenting with robot butlers, we doubt that a brand as smart about tech as Virgin Atlantic would be impressed by the concept of flight attendants driven by artificial intelligence. (United, on the other hand …)

In the skit, the captain of a new Virgin Dreamliner tells its passengers that, “As a special treat those in first class will enjoy the services of the airline industry’s first fully automated flight attendants.” SNL picks up on Virgin’s love of ordering items on personal tablets, turning it into an opportunity to illustrate the limits of technology and communication.

As is to be expected, it doesn’t go well. The full skit is here:

“Speak clearly and into my face. My microphone is in my face.”