By KDPR Consultant, Stella Coppard
This Christmas I decided to ditch the heat, and head to Europe for a white Christmas. But with this came the dreaded long-haul flights and the staple in-flight safety video.
As we settled in for a gruelling 24+ hours of travel, the Emirates safety video opens with a flight attendant saying, “This is your no-nonsense safety video. We do not have dancers breaking into song, characters from movies, or celebrities trying to be funny, I’m afraid”.
I couldn’t help but immediately think of Qantas’ recent flashy safety video with no actual shots on an aircraft.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one with this thought. After some online research I discovered that this line had ignited a fierce and long-standing debate in the aviation industry – which is more effective, a video that is clear, easy to understand and prioritises safety, or one that prioritises retaining passengers’ attention.
Now Qantas is by no means the only airline to divert from the traditional format, but they’re certainly the airline to receive the most criticism for doing so.
Early last year, Qantas released a new, almost 10-minute-long safety video showcasing a variety of domestic and international destinations.
However, there was one glaring issue.
Flight Attendants Association of Australia’s (FAAA) national secretary, Teri O’Toole summed it up when she said, “There are no cabin crew in uniform and there are no shots of an interior of an aircraft, which are all important factors for non-English speaking passengers and those that need to know who is in charge”.
Qantas defended the criticism with Chief Customer Officer, Catriona Larritt saying, “…we try to make it as engaging as possible, in particular for regular flyers who might otherwise tune out.”
FAAA’s O’Toole had nothing but praise for Emirates ‘no-nonsense’ safety video, saying “The Emirates video points out the errors made by other airlines using these videos as travel blogs”.
But not everyone is a fan of Emirates ‘no nonsense’ approach. December 2024 saw Qatar Airlines releasing a new safety video starring Hollywood actor Kevin Hart.
Qatar wastes no time taking a jab at its competitor with Hart saying within the first minute, “no nonsense, how about we just call it what it is, unimaginative, uninventive, and flat-out boring”.
But in January 2024 the importance of in-flight safety videos became all too clear.
When a Japan Airlines plane collided with a coast guard aircraft, the plane was quickly engulfed in flames. While 5 passengers aboard the coast guard aircraft died, all 379 passengers on board the Japan Airlines plane survived.
The in-flight safety video was hailed as a key player in the survival of the passengers, with its clear and direct safety messages, particularly the importance of following cabin crew’s orders and leaving belongings behind in an evacuation.
The Takeaway
Don’t lose sight of your message.
As the in-flight safety video is a staple across every airline, many work hard to stand out from the crowd.
However, some become too caught up in trying to be the most different and the most impressive.
If airlines decide to go down the more playful route, a careful balance needs to be achieved. Remember sometimes it’s best to keep important messages simple.
Another key takeaway – consider your audience.
Airlines have the unique challenge of communicating life-saving information to a broad audience who speak numerous languages and have varying levels of flying experience.
In a situation where visual communication is relied on heavily, it’s probably best to keep it clear.