Air France has just revealed its new safety video, which is the first new safety video the airline has released in over five years. The video will start being screened on flights as of March 1, 2021.
In this post:
Air France’s new 2021 safety video
Air France describes its new safety video as an “elegant, lively, and fast-moving showcase of French culture,” stating that the “video symbolizes the essence of the Air France brand.”
In the new safety video, two flight attendants explain safety instructions across all kinds of famous places in France, ranging from the steps of the Opéra Garnier, to the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, to the French Riviera, to the vineyards of Provence, and much more. The video ends at the top of the Eiffel Tower, natch.
As Catherine Villar, Air France’s SVP of Customer Experience, describes the video:
“With this new video, we are showcasing the best France has to offer in an emotionally engaging way. All our teams here at Air France are ready to welcome our customers and highlight this French lifestyle, which is so dear to us, as soon as they board our flights. We can’t wait to reopen the skies, flight after flight, with safety as our absolute and constant priority.”
Here’s the video, should you want to watch it:
My take on Air France’s new safety video
I adore Air France, and in particular the company’s commitment to being oh-so-French in just about every way. In that sense I love this video, because it’s all about France, from the landscape, to the fashion, to the lifestyle, to the attitude.
Beyond that, though, a few things stand out:
- In the past several years we’ve seen quite a few airlines introduce safety videos that showcase a country’s “culture,” so in that sense Air France is following the trend here (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing)
- There’s something strange about seeing an airline introduce a new safety video during coronavirus that in no way references anything about coronavirus; that’s not surprising given that the airline only produces a new video every several years, but I’m surprised Air France didn’t wait a few months to roll out the video
- What exactly is going on with the disconnect between the flight attendants’ mouths moving, and what they’re saying? Is this a lip sync error, is the video just dubbed, or…?
Personally I loved Air France’s previous safety video, which debuted in 2015:
That video coincided with Air France undergoing a brand refresh, including introducing its new onboard products, etc.
Bottom line
Air France’s new safety video will start to be screened as of March 1, 2021, and it sure makes me want to travel to France, and get there on Air France, of course.
It is a bit odd to see an airline roll out a new safety video during coronavirus that in no way acknowledges coronavirus, but I get that Air France only updates its videos every so often, which is probably why that’s happening.
What do you make of Air France’s new safety video?
I think it is brilliant. It’s creative, engaging, and represents the airline with panache. The accent and slight mispronunciation are all part of the charm.
I would ABSOLUTELY wear (and rock) one of those emergency exit camp shirts.
It’s directed by Romain Quirot and music by Ludovic Bource, who composed and won an Oscar and BAFTA for The Artist in 2011
Loved the scene of Hotel Martinez (the Unbound Collection by Hyatt)
Why would a safety video reference to covid? Is it a new fashion/fetish (like with masks)?
Risk groups are being vaccinated, so let all the others live as normal.
@Matt - had no trouble understanding him at all and found the accent quite charming.
Unlike a lot of people here, I prefer the new one ... and I miss Paris so much!!
The "stewardess" is Dorcas Coppin...
She is not a Air France stewardess, she is an actress.
@wpcoe
Because not all people part of the crew are FA.
On most flights I believe that's the case.
But on some flights such to Asia for instance, Air France hire (on a permanent basis) native chinese(or mandarin/cantoneselet say), japonese, brazilian speaker people who are not trained for evacuation.
They do not wear the red safety badge.
Air France used to hire also on a temporary basis students for the summer holidays to help...
@wpcoe
Because not all people part of the crew are FA.
On most flights I believe that's the case.
But on some flights such to Asia for instance, Air France hire (on a permanent basis) native chinese(or mandarin/cantoneselet say), japonese, brazilian speaker people who are not trained for evacuation.
They do not wear the red safety badge.
Air France used to hire also on a temporary basis students for the summer holidays to help the crew on long-haul flights (in economy).
Regarding the permanent specific language and cultural crew not in charge of safety: I think Air France has about 130 people like this.
It is only for long-haul flights: you will not find them on short and medium flights.
What's the deal with the red "Safety" badge? Do only certain F/As wear them?
Parts of it are cool though it looks and feels a lot like UA's. It's cute. The older one was better.
Loved the video. As for coronavirus, this video is for the long term and also the virus is not a flight safety issue (it is a health safety issue). They can always tell passengers to wear masks all the time but just speaking to them which BTW should be done way before a safety video is shown to all passengers.
@Matt, i think it is cute that they decided to use a voice with a light french accent understandable by everyone just as in the previous video. Many Americans are also mispronouncing english words, and yet US airlines are not replacing them with British actors in their videos...
@matt why a British accent ? I didn’t notice anything untoward
@pierre reminder for window shades has always been a requirement in Europe and every flight I’ve been on there’s been a notification
As far as I am aware, they are actually crew and not actors
It had a “La La Land” ( the movie ) vibe about it too , which I liked. Even though there is a crisis things have to move...
@matt why a British accent ? I didn’t notice anything untoward
@pierre reminder for window shades has always been a requirement in Europe and every flight I’ve been on there’s been a notification
As far as I am aware, they are actually crew and not actors
It had a “La La Land” ( the movie ) vibe about it too , which I liked. Even though there is a crisis things have to move forward and this was probably planned a while ago. Air France also has new a220 joining its fleet later his year
Nothing yet beats AF old's video in my opinion, not even them whith their new one. It was so simple and elegant. It lacked some parity (no men in the old one), yet the new one has little inclusivity (both FA are white...). Also the pace is too fast and it clearly lacks countryside views, or at least Loire Castles or Burgundy Abbeys.
@Matt
His accent is really good for a French, I am sorry...
Nothing yet beats AF old's video in my opinion, not even them whith their new one. It was so simple and elegant. It lacked some parity (no men in the old one), yet the new one has little inclusivity (both FA are white...). Also the pace is too fast and it clearly lacks countryside views, or at least Loire Castles or Burgundy Abbeys.
@Matt
His accent is really good for a French, I am sorry but some native English/American/Australian/NZ/South African... accents are far more difficult to understand for non-native English speakers. At least his, while not perfect (which is definitely not the pretense here), is really understandable. I take the liberty of saying this because English is my third language.
Regardless, the video is good, but on par with the standard, not above it as the old one used to be.
Also is it still the same FA as in the 2015 video? I recognize here voice but I am not certain about here features.
Anyone figure out how the new safety video is about a minute longer than the old one, was something added to extend the length? Happy they are not harping on Covid especially since we'll be seeing this video 5 years from now while flying. Cleaning and disinfecting don't need to be in a safety video. Think the people on United 777 the other day cared about Covid while watching the #2 motor disintegrate and burn up? Happy to see AF keep it about safety only.
I’ll miss the slimming line about seatbelts from the old video ❤️
The girl in this safety video is the same main one from the last one, an interesting tidbit.
We can hope that Air France and every other global airline will be able to carry alot more people in the near future than they have for the past year - and people will like that a lot more than any safety video.
I'm with you. I like the 2015 video. This one is great, but really, the safety message is clearly subsidiary to showcasing scenes of French travel and culture. And I find the male actor's English accent kind of put on.
It's not bad but I also prefer the old one, it was definitely quirkier and more fun.
And for the audio and video synching or lack thereof, it becomes more prominent towards the end I think? But I think that those are indeed dubbed in studio, they don't record the voices during shooting.
@ Matt:
I think it's intentional to stress the "French-ness" (it's a French accent). Sort of a dog wo pees around itself to mark its territory.
Apart from the gimmick, which is good, the only "substance" added is the reminder that window shades should be up during take off and landing, something relatively new in Europe but which has been standard for years in most other parts of the world.
Is the USA the only region where this is not done? And why? Maybe it's me and my AF FA training decades ago, when we were instructed never to open an...
Apart from the gimmick, which is good, the only "substance" added is the reminder that window shades should be up during take off and landing, something relatively new in Europe but which has been standard for years in most other parts of the world.
Is the USA the only region where this is not done? And why? Maybe it's me and my AF FA training decades ago, when we were instructed never to open an exit on one side if we could see smoke or fire, but in addition to the simple curiosity about my surroundings, I find it very unpleasant to be unable to see what's happening. Being an aisle person myself, it happens a lot to me. One cannot always over-reach and pull the blind up.
I thought it was well done and loved the nod to all things French - almost felt like a tourism advert without being cheesy, or...fromage-y. Plus, I greatly appreciate that it didn't go overboard with tongue-in-cheek nonsense like so many carriers do these days. It's clearly not competing in the "How cringe-y can we make this video and how uncomfortable can we make the passengers?" contest that American carriers seem to be participating in as...
I thought it was well done and loved the nod to all things French - almost felt like a tourism advert without being cheesy, or...fromage-y. Plus, I greatly appreciate that it didn't go overboard with tongue-in-cheek nonsense like so many carriers do these days. It's clearly not competing in the "How cringe-y can we make this video and how uncomfortable can we make the passengers?" contest that American carriers seem to be participating in as they try to "out cute" each other.
The guy’s English accent is weird and he mispronounces many words. Why couldn’t they find someone who can pronounce the English words properly? I have taken several airlines where the language of the country is not English but the announcement in the safety video is clearly done by a native speaker, typically someone with a British accent.
I like the old one so much better. It was timeless and elegant and oh-so French. This one is fine, but I dont feel it as much as the old one. Maybe with time. At least they had the same woman in this one as in the old one.