Oprah Enlists John Travolta to Fly Studio Audience to Australia

September 16, 2010 — In a dramatic beginning to the 25th and final season of the daytime talk show Oprah, host Oprah Winfrey surprised the 300-person studio audience when she announced they were going to travel with her to Australia in December. As the audience screamed with delight, a loosely-based mock-up of a Qantas 747 fuselage slid onto the stage and John Travolta stepped out in full Qantas uniform. (Travolta works part time for the airline as a goodwill ambassador.)

Qantas reports on their website that the audience will fly in an A380 with Travolta serving in his role as Qantas Ambassador-at-Large, a position he has held since 2002. Travolta is not typed in the A380 but he did receive his 747-400 wings after completing the Qantas simulator course. Travolta also owns a Boeing 707 that was once owned by Qantas.

Oprah is no stranger to lavishing gifts on her audience. In 1994 she flew her audience to Philadelphia, where they toured the sites and consumed as many Philly cheesesteaks as possible. In 2004 Oprah opened the season by giving everyone in the audience a new car. See Oprah reveal the surprise trip