Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
<em>Princess Bride</em> T-Shirt Causes Alarm On New Zealand-Bound Flight
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 23, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 23, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A man on a flight from Australia to New Zealand Sunday evening was asked to change his T-shirt because its message—Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.—alarmed his fellow passengers. While we find it a tad inconceivable (THAT NEVER GETS OLD RIGHT?) that there are still people out there unfamiliar with the famous catchphrase from the classic 1987 comedy, we can understand how Wynand Mullins's T-shirt—paired with his shaved head and intimidating Bose noise cancelling headphones—might terrify the uninitiated.
Mullins tells Stuff, "The flight attendant said to me: ‘Are you able to remove it because some of the passengers are quite intimidated by it.' I thought it was all a bit silly. The person next to me was laughing, because they knew the movie." After Mullins explained that he didn't have another shirt to change into, it seems the flight crew gave up. He wasn't forced to fly topless, but says, "I wouldn't be surprised if they had someone watching me the whole time."
A spokesperson for Qantas airlines says the company had no record of the incident, but adds, "Qantas does have dress standards for passengers travelling on our aircraft... particularly for slogans which other passengers may find offensive or threatening." Most airlines do have policies about offensive attire, which is why we always tightly zip up our camouflage jacket when wearing our favorite Walter Sobchak T-shirt on a plane. [Via Gawker]
Tagged
air travel
new zealand
princess bride
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .