Cathay Pacific has just released a new safety video, which will be screened on all flights as of August 1, 2024. It’s the carrier’s first new safety video in over seven years.
A look at Cathay Pacific new safety video
In addition to highlighting important safety features, Cathay Pacific’s new safety video is intended to promote Hong Kong as a destination, as the video was even produced in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The video is intended to highlight what a vibrant city Hong Kong is, and uses that as a backdrop for providing safety information in an engaging way.
The safety video captures many of Hong Kong’s popular sights, like the pedestrian crossing Causeway Bay SOGO, the Peak Tram, Yau Ma Tei’s Tin Hau Temple, Xiqu Centre, Clearwater Bay Country Park, and dragon boat races.
The safety instructions are around 6.5 minutes, which sounds quite long, though it’s in two languages, so I actually don’t think that’s too bad. You can watch the video for yourself below.
For those curious, below is what Cathay Pacific’s previous safety video was like.
My take on Cathay Pacific’s new safety video
Nowadays airlines put quite a bit of effort into their safety videos. It’s something that just about every passenger will watch, and therefore it’s viewed as an extension of the brand, and as a marketing opportunity. Furthermore, many airlines assume that passengers are more likely to watch a safety video if it’s entertaining.
In recent years, we’ve generally seen airlines go in one of three directions with safety videos. Some safety videos highlight a carrier’s home country or destination, some safety videos are intended to be humorous or entertaining, and some safety videos are just intended to convey information in a straightforward way.
As you can see, this video fits into that first category, and like so many airlines, heavily promotes tourism in Hong Kong’s home. Now, I happen to love Hong Kong, yet I haven’t visited since before the pandemic (aside from the airport). So I actually love these sights, but that’s just because Hong Kong has a special place in my heart.
That being said, I find the whole destination concept to be so predictable nowadays, and I also can’t help but wonder if the abstract nature in which safety information is conveyed in these videos makes it less easy to understand, especially for those who may not have English or Cantonese as their first language.
Given how so many airlines have gone this direction, personally I’m a big fan of Emirates’ “no-nonsense” safety video, which is proudly just a straightforward safety video that’s easy to understand, while still being calming and visually interesting.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific has unveiled a new safety, which uses Hong Kong as a backdrop for sharing important safety information. I love Hong Kong, and I find this to be one of the more visually interesting safety videos out there, though I’m still not a huge fan of the totally abstract way that airlines are going about safety videos nowadays.
This is Cathay Pacific’s first new safety video in many years, so I imagine it’ll take some getting used to for regulars with the airline.
What do you make of Cathay Pacific’s new safety video?
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