During June 1989 , at least fifteen major airlines showed edited versions of '' Rain Man '' that omitted a scene involving Raymond 's refusal to fly , mentioning the crashes of American Airlines Flight 625 , Delta Air Lines Flight 191 , and Continental Airlines Flight 1713 , except on Australia-based Qantas . Those criticizing this move included film director Barry Levinson , co-screenwriter Ronald Bass , and George Kirgo ( at the time the President of the Writers Guild of America , West ) . " I think it 's a key scene to the entire movie , " Levinson said in a telephone interview . " That 's why it 's in there . It launches their entire odyssey across country – because they could n't fly . " While some of those airlines cited as justification avoiding having airplane passengers feel uncomfortable in sympathy with Raymond during the in-flight entertainment , the scene was shown intact on flights of Qantas , and commentators noted that Raymond mentions '' it '' as the only airline whose planes have " never crashed " . The film is credited with introducing Qantas ' safety record to U.S. consumers
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Rain Man