Julie Bowen's character Claire Dunphy speaks to her son Luke at the airport as Luke makes a reference to fellow ABC show, Lost (2004), when he says that it would be cool "if the plane flew into a storm and crash landed onto an island like in Lost". Julie Bowen guest starred on Lost as Matthew Fox character Jack Shepard's wife Sarah.
The episode is titled after the film Airport 1975 (1974).
When the two couples reunite at the airport, Phil and Claire kiss while Cam and Mitchell merely embrace. This led to some complaints from LGBT viewers who thought the unequal displays were out of fear of complaints from straight viewers. ABC issued a statement to gay-interest website AfterElton acknowledging the concerns and that they would be addressed in a future episode.
When Jay's e-reader breaks in the airport, he says "It's not fair... It's not fair." The line echoes Henry Bemis's (Burgess Meredith) line at the end of the famous The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last," where after a nuclear war Bemis has time to read all the books he wants, but breaks his glasses.
The first when the family travels.