Lucas Entertainment Changes Travel Policy

NEW YORK - Lucas Entertainment has instituted a new travel policy that requires all models to purchase airline tickets on their own. Travel expenses will be reimbursed when models arrive at the filming location, the company said Tuesday.

"This decision was made following a disgraceful number of models not showing up for their flights for the company's current shoot, Flip This!, now filming in Atlanta, Ga.," a Lucas statement explained.
 
"We are currently in production in Atlanta, and three models did not show up," president and chief executive officer Michael Lucas said. "These tickets were non-refundable and non-transferable, causing us to lose money on top of precious time for filming. We are not interested in giving irresponsible models a second chance. If a model does not have the money or a credit card to fly to New York with, this is a red flag that the individual is reckless and therefore not particularly likely to show up. This is a person I wouldn't want to work with.
 
"In our case, one model did not arrive at the airport on time," he continued. "Another model was suddenly sick an hour before their flight's departure time, and a third simply did not board their plane and failed to notify the crew that they would not attend the shoot."
 
Delays and surprise absences cause organizational headaches for the crew, Lucas said.

"Other, more responsible models are left feeling frustrated, sometimes waiting up to a full day before a replacement can be found," he noted. "Over the course of its 10-year history, Lucas Entertainment has lost tens of thousands of dollars in missed flights."
 
Lucas said he hopes the change in travel policy will persuade models to become more responsible. He also encouraged other studios to adopt similar policies.

"We all know how expensive a day of production is," he said. "A shoot should not be ruined by people who don't care."