Everyone who has ever flown has had to endure a safety demonstration, usually a video that is played just before takeoff.
I use the word “endure” advisedly. Even though many airlines are going to great eforts and expense to make these videos entertaining, it is clearly in vain. The fact is that nobody likes them and nobody is paying attention.
Just look around the cabin next time you are flying.
And on the rare occasions when incidents do occur, we know that passengers generally do not follow the instructions imparted in the demonstration — leaving the frustrated cabin crew struggling to understand which part of “leave your cabin luggage behind” or “take off your high heels” the passengers didn’t comprehend.
Of course, it’s an international aviation rule that these demonstrations are given, and I’m sure the airlines’ lawyers and insurers would be aghast if they didn’t comply.
While I admire the efforts of Air New Zealand, which has a long history of creating innovative and funny videos that impart the safety message, it really is a matter of entertainment first, safety second.
I suggest a shorter, sharper approach that might be more effective.
It’s an announcement that simply says: “Wear your seatbelt, don’t smoke, do what you’re told, and in the case of emergency, drop everything and get out of the plane via the marked exit without being a selfish idiot.”
Or, more radically, they should just forget it. After all, you’re far more likely to be involved in a car accident than a plane crash, yet there’s never a safety briefing before you leave the driveway.
Virgin Blue used to inject a bit of live action humor into the Demo.
Although admittedly I haven’t flown domestically for a while.
I want back the 4 minutes of my life I wasted on that Air NZ mess; the Qantas vid I’d be happy to watch before every take-off.
The safety videos I find most intriguing are the ones that depict the passengers — that is to say, their valued customers — as dolts, doofuses, weirdos, crackpots, and other objects of derision for the strange things they say / do / wear. (I’m looking at you, Delta.) If they truly hold us in such contempt, why should we believe any of their customer-service claims?
I’m with you: just give us a summation of the facts we already know and let’s get on with the flight
I saw the Qantas one three times on my recent trip. Haven’t flown Air NZ for quite a while, but they’ve had “funny” safety videos for a long time. Totally coincidentally, Qantas has a better safety record.