There's the lush 1936 George Cukor film, the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli version with actual teenagers in the leads, and the 1996 Baz Luhrman one replacing swords with guns. Then there're the multitude of outings from "West Side Story" to "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride" which follow the original story line, while taking generous liberties with the details. Each is an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," probably the most replicated script in all of literature.
Yet, another well-known text that has likely suffered through more iterations. Just 500 to 700 words long, it has been filmed by some estimates 3000 to 5000 times. You've likely sat through quite a few of those, though your attention might have been wandering. As for me, between trips to and from Spain and the west coast, it's been 7 times in the last 3 weeks. But even if you don't rate Super Gold Deluxo status on any carrier, you likely know chapter and verse of the preflight safety video.
It was in 1984 that FAA gave its blessing to prerecorded tape as the medium for the mandatory briefing. In some respects regulators thought that it was actually a better option than a live recitation, as they could be more consistent and standardized, as well as customized for each type of aircraft. And so as entertainment systems on planes became standard, videos became the preferred method to inform passengers about seatbelts, tray tables and the rest.
Eventually the airlines came to see them as a marketing opportunity as much as safety instruction. After all, you had a captive audience that was admonished to pay attention: in the advertising world that's a layup. And so an arms race started, with each carrier imparting their own unique spin on that most standardized of scripts.
There have been animated versions (Delta, British Air, Emirates) and dance versions (Air India, Qatar Airways, EVA), ones with characters from Middle Earth (Air New Zealand) and ones with characters from cartoons (United, ANA, Turkish Airlines). The aim is not just those sitting on the plane, but those away from it. British Airways' 2024 version, "May We Haveth One's Attention," is told with marauding hoards that buckle the seatbelts on their horses, and Regency England types straight out of "Bridgerton" struggling with oxygen masks. Directed by Sharon Maguire ("Bridget Jones's Diary") with costumes from three-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan ("A Room With A View"), it has nearly 2 million views on YouTube.
All of this begs the question: do any of these make the information more impactful or memorable? Nope. Research shows that while they excel at capturing initial attention, they fail at teaching passengers how to survive an emergency. In a University of New South Wales study, those who watched a "standard" briefing recalled 53% of the safety information. In contrast, those who watched a humorous version recalled only 35%, while those who watched a movie-themed video recalled 47%. And a Penn State University study showed those who watch versions with "tourism content" were 11% less likely to correctly answer a quiz on safety procedures.
Perhaps the one you should watch before taking off is the one from Doug Lansky, an American travel writer based in Sweden. He created an "Honest Pre-flight Safety Demonstration Video." It includes such nuggets as "80% of accidents happen within the first three minutes and last eight minutes of the flight, so that's when it would be wise to keep your shoes on." He advises you to "look at your seat belt. I know you all know how to use it. But it's common for people in emergencies to try to open that thing by pressing a button that's not actually there, like the seatbelt on your car." And he notes "the biggest danger is actually that the luggage in the overhead compartment will fall out. There are actually several thousand reported injuries from this every year, while the FAA only reports 58 or so serious injuries from turbulence. One could easily make the case that we should be handing out helmets and skip the seatbelts."
So the next time you take off, enjoy the briefing. Laugh at the gnomes with tray tables. Enjoy the beautiful mountain pass with exit path lighting. Marvel how the dancers slide into their inflatable vests. But once they're done and the flight crew sits down, make sure to keep your shoes on until you reach cruising altitude.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford flies more than he might like. His column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
