John Travolta Pilots His Own Plane to Cannes With Daughter Ella

John Travolta, 72, piloted his own plane to Cannes for the world premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach
He hit the red carpet with daughter Ella Bleu, 26, who stars in the film, in a rare public appearance together
Travolta wrote, directed, narrated and produced the film — an adaptation of his own 1997 illustrated book
The movie, which he calls his most personal project ever, streams globally on Apple TV+ on May 29
Travolta has been a licensed pilot since age 22 and has qualified to fly Boeing 747s, 737s and luxury jets

If anyone was going to fly themselves to Cannes, it was always going to be John Travolta.

The Grease legend, 72, made his entrance at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the most fitting way possible — piloting his own plane to the French Riviera for the world premiere of Propeller One-Way Night Coach, his directorial debut. Daughter Ella Bleu, 26, was right there beside him, both on the runway and on the red carpet.

In a video shared to Instagram on May 15, Travolta and Ella are seen standing outside his plane before takeoff, grinning as he announced their destination. “So, we’re going for the world premiere of Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” he said. “Ella and I are really excited about this. So, we’ll see you there.”

Then came the moment that felt very on-brand: Travolta settling into the pilot’s seat. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking,” he said. “Our flying time tonight to Nice, France is eight hours and 45 minutes. Sit back, enjoy the flight, and the champagne is on me.”

A Father-Daughter Moment on the Cannes Red Carpet

Ahead of the premiere on the evening of May 15, Travolta and Ella made a rare red carpet appearance together — and they both showed up. Travolta wore a sharp black suit with a white tie, topping the look off with a white beret that instantly became the talking point of the night. Ella, meanwhile, was stunning in a black velvet dress, her hair flipped in a way that gave serious retro glamour, finished with dangling silver earrings.

It was the kind of father-daughter moment that stops people in their tracks.

Why This Film Means Everything to Him

Propeller One-Way Night Coach is an adaptation of Travolta’s own 1997 illustrated book of the same name — a family-friendly story about a young aviation enthusiast making a one-way cross-country journey to Hollywood with his mother. The film stars Ella alongside Clark Shotwell, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett and Olga Hoffmann, with Travolta narrating throughout.

In the trailer, Travolta’s voice sets the scene as young Jeff, played by Shotwell, boards the titular flight — a journey through Pittsburgh, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver and eventually Los Angeles — marveling at things like “eating a hot dog at 600 miles an hour” while Ella’s character, Doris the stewardess, looks on with a smile.

Travolta has described the project as the most personal film he’s ever made. “It’s really a mixture of my sister and my mother because they both influenced me so deeply,” he said. “They were responsible for all my hopes and dreams, and they watched me make them come true.” He added: “So, this is just a little taste of my origins and what it was like to be me when I was little.”

His lifelong love of aviation is the heartbeat of the whole thing. Travolta has been a licensed pilot since he was 22 years old and has qualified to fly everything from the Boeing 747, 707 and 737 to luxury jets like the Bombardier Global Express. He’s also served as an ambassador for Qantas Airways since 2002.

Travolta shares Ella and 15-year-old son Benjamin with his late wife Kelly Preston, who passed away in 2020 at 57 after a private battle with breast cancer. The couple also shared son Jett, who died at 16 in 2009.

Propeller One-Way Night Coach premieres globally on Apple TV+ on May 29.