The simulated plane crash that starts this movie was so realistic that 40 people called 911, convinced that it was a real disaster.
In 1997, Harrison Ford and Dame Kristin Scott Thomas were announced to star in "Age of Aquarius," a romance set during the Bosnian War, directed by Phil Alden Robinson. Universal Pictures killed the project due to its inflating budget, and Ford and Thomas starred in this movie instead.
This is the only movie in which Harrison Ford played a character who wears an earring, as Ford does in real life.
The neon in the "Parkway Lanes" sign had not worked for over 20 years. It was repaired by the production company. At night, the lit sign may be seen from the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway.
During production planning for this movie, the studio contacted American Airlines to request information about its "C.A.R.E. Team" in order to portray the movie airline's response team more accurately. American declined, seeing no upside in being associated with a movie about a crash.