Qantas' new safety video looks classy, makes absolute sense and features Singapore too

Finally. An airline safety video that's classy and actually makes sense.

Safety videos can be boring to some passengers who'd rather be reading a magazine or playing a mobile game. So airlines have of late been trying to come up with engaging and creative safety videos that'll catch the attention of such passengers.

One recent video release is from Australian airline carrier Qantas. 

In their new safety video, Qantas shows off some destinations around the world that the airline flies to, while featuring everyday Australians living overseas.

And one such destination is Singapore, where a woman talks about deep vein thrombosis while lounging at the sky pool on top of the iconic Marina Bay Sands (where else?).

It then cuts to a scene where an Aussie man is served a plate of chilli crab and he talks about making sure that the seat is upright and tray table is stowed.

According to Qantas, the two Aussies featured in Singapore are in fact working at the National Stadium.

And this is what makes their new safety video authentic - by showcasing Aussies who are working in various parts of the world. 

It also seamlessly weaves in safety advice in day-to-day scenarios. For example, an Aussie woman working as an actress at Broadway in New York talks about wearing the safety belt as she hops inside a cab.

A man in Johannesburg, South Africa, douses a campfire with his cup of tea, but not before he bites off the corner of a Tim Tam biscuit and uses it as a straw (so typically Aussie). He then advises passengers against smoking on the plane.

And another Aussie man, who works in education in Chile, speaks about oxygen masks while climbing the Andes Mountains in Santiago. The average height of the Andean Mountains are around 4,000m, so it makes absolute sense to talk about oxygen.

But our favourite scene has got to be the one in Shanghai, where practitioners tell passengers about the brace position while busting out some tai chi moves. Simply elegant.

Qantas said the new video, which took over five weeks to create, will begin screening across domestic and international flights from April, with different versions to accommodate 11 languages.

This unpretentious video is a refreshing twist to many safety videos that have been rolled out by airlines over the past year.

In August last year, we wrote about Singapore Airlines' new safety video and its attempts at showing safety instructions using props and tools that seemed a little odd and unnatural.

So it's good to finally see a safety video that comes across as genuine, natural and has a touch of humour too. Without even having to show off their cabin crew.

Of course, it's always good to end off with a hunk who happens to be a pilot.

klim@sph.com.sg