Five Beautifully-Done Airline Safety Videos That You Need to See!

The start of a wonderful journey for some, or part of a busy work week for others. A mind-boggling 2.5 million people fly through the United States every day. Which means that each day, all 2.5 million of those people see one thing: The Airline Safety Video. Airline safety videos are so much more than background noise. They are a marketing piece as well as an opportunity for airlines to communicate their brand. It’s also there to tell their passengers that, out of all of the airlines they chose, the one they’re flying with today is the best choice. But above all, an Airline Safety Video needs to do one thing- effectively communicate airplane safety instructions to thousands of passengers who are already distracted by travel plans, hectic flight plans, and squirmy kids. And they need to do so in such a way that it communicates with non-English speakers, the hearing impaired, the visually impaired, and the chronically-distracted. This is a tall order. So, let’s take a look at 5 really creative Airline Safety videos and talk about what makes them great:

1. Air New Zealand’s Safety in Hollywood

Starting from a Brooklyn Nine-Nine style cop and seamlessly moving into almost every movie genre (and tossing in a good helping of Anna Faris, because why the hell not?). Filmed at the legendary Warner Bros. Studio in LA Air NZ’s video really fights for our attention. And I mean that in the best way possible.

2. American Airlines

This video is a technical masterpiece.  Beautifully branded. Incredible  transition shots (especially the ones at the 0:21 mark).  Very clear safety instructions.  It’s sleek.  It’s professional, but also finishes with an uplifting ending.  This type of production is very complex and difficult to pull off given their extensive use of moving mirrors and the sheer number of activity happening in the background.  Notice how the Flight Attendant’s steps synchronize with the music at the start?  Rhythmic.  Lovely.  Neat fact: the entire video is scored to the beat of a custom audio track made entirely from the sounds of the aircraft and airport.

3. Virgin America’s #VXsafetydance

It’s stylish. It’s catchy as hell. It has an insane amount of talent, choreographed dancers and somehow mishmashes rap, breakdancing and… Tango dancing? Oh you betcha. Virgin America pulls it off. Is it any wonder that the airline that’s the brainchild of Richard Branson brings out this production-packed, award-winning airline safety video? It’s so catchy that passengers sing along with it while it plays in-flight. Getting people to do a sing-along after enduring airline drudgery is like moving a mountain. They even put together this behind the scenes video detailing the work involved in making this masterpiece.

4. Qantas

The folks from down under have done it again. Qantas Airways’ video does away with choreographed catchy tunes, opting for a totally unique safety video that also functions as a video tourism guide for Australia most popular tourist destinations. This is an ambitious undertaking, but it does it so well. It feels so warm, inviting, and home-like, which is really special if you’re a tourist whose toes haven’t even touched Australian soil.

5. Air France

Air France embraces a cleaner, pastel-toned approach that’s not only bilingual, but nicely laid out and more information-focused. Notice the colour-scheme is modeled after the tri-coloured French flag: blue, white, and red. Subtle but beautifully-executed. Leave it to the Parisians to remind us that sometimes less is more.