Everyone understands the importance of safety, but nobody wants to sit through the dry, monotonous safety instructions that every flight is required to promulgate.
In reality, the information provided in safety instructions is critical in case of an actual accident. But, after all, the chances of an accident occurring are slim, so tired passengers often use safety-instruction time as the lead in to a nice in-flight snooze.
In order to combat this tendency and keep passengers paying attention, for the past several years airlines have taken the approach of using entertaining safety videos.
At face value, it is clear that these videos are much more creative and engaging for audiences, which in principle more effectively conveys the safety information to passengers.
But, the other reason airlines allocate money and resources to create such videos is for branding purposes, according to Zach Heller, an author and marketing expert.
Heller says that the competition between airlines is fierce, and these videos are only the latest example of what airlines are doing to stand out and create brand loyalty among customers. These videos can get a strong emotional reaction from customers, which might make them more inclined to fly on that same airline in the future.
Below, we present to you some of the most popular videos making the rounds on the internet.
First, this music video produced by Virgin Airlines in 2013 made quite some noise when it first came out and has now amassed over 11 million views on YouTube. The production of the video went all out using an eminent director and cast--director Jon M Chu and former American Idol-contestant-turned YouTube celebrity Todrick Hall. Bet this got some passengers to stay awake.
Missin‘ the ’80s? Well this safety video published by Delta Air Lines in 2014 provides a nice throwback. It’s not too over the top compared some of the other videos--just one well-spoken flight attendant, some groovy music, and some super cool flight passengers from the past.
This is Thomson Airways’ in-flight safety video from 2009. This may be just the youngest group of flight attendants and passengers on an airplane ever.
With Elijiah Wood and Sir Peter Jackson playing roles, this 2012 safety briefing by Air New Zealand was produced in honor of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” the last film in the Hobbit Trilogy. The video has over 15 million views on YouTube, which probably makes it the most popular safety video out there.
An amusing Philippine airlines video was produced by Ambient Media in 2009.
Not exactly the entertaining video approach, but one can assume SouthWest Airlines benefits from employees that can deliver safety information in peculiarly fun ways such as this one. The employee’s name was David Holmes, and he performed this rap in 2009.
More funny flight attendants:
