In several scenes in the movie, Jeff Bridges' character mentions "Walter Henry Hagan" at the Dallas airport. Walter Henry Hagan was in fact head of Special Services for American Airlines up until his retirement in 1995, and remained on as a consultant in same capacity until his death in February 2000. Hagan was "the" man to talk to if you needed assistance in your travels with American Airlines. He considered former Dallas Cowboy, Don Meredith (father of writer-director, Michael Meredith) and his wife, dear friends.
Some scenes for the movie were filmed following an exhibition baseball game between the Corpus Christi Hooks (AA Affiliate of the Houston Astros) and the Round Rock Express (AAA Affiliate of the Houston Astros). The scenes were filmed at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas, including a shot flying over the Harbor Bridge down to the baseball field.
Jeff Bridges' character's surname is Garrett. Bridges had an older brother named Garrett, born June 14, 1948 but died from SIDS on August 3, 1948.