Nowadays many airlines use safety videos as an extension of their marketing efforts. Some airlines have new safety videos every year. Then you have airlines like Lufthansa, which have more or less used the same safety video for the past decade.
Well, there’s a major update (at least for those who fly Lufthansa frequently) — the airline has just unveiled a new safety video, and it’s perhaps the okayest safety video ever.
A look at Lufthansa’s new safety video
Lufthansa has just introduced a new safety video, which coincides with the debut of its new Allegris cabins on Airbus A350s. Lufthansa will progressively be rolling out this safety video on its wide body aircraft (there’s no safety video on narrow body aircraft, as those planes don’t have screens, so instead have a manual safety demonstration).
The new safety video is roughly seven minutes long. Yes, that’s definitely on the long side, though that’s because instructions are in both German and English, so it takes a bit more time to cover everything.
The video shows people taking a trip, from the time they leave their home to when they get to their destination, with the flying part largely skipped. Instead, safety features are largely highlighted at the destination.
I can’t tell if these are real people with a green screen, if there’s some animation/AI, or if it’s a combination of both. You can watch the video for yourself below.
For context, below you can find Lufthansa’s previous safety video, which has only mildly been modified in the past decade. I’m sort of a sucker for the Lufthansa “jingle” at the beginning of the video, and I also appreciate how this is an old school, traditional safety video.
Lufthansa’s new safety video is… forgettable?
As mentioned above, we’ve seen a trend whereby airlines have increasingly put effort into making their videos engaging, in hopes that people will pay attention.
Air New Zealand started this craze, by frequently releasing hilarious or highly captivating videos, with a variety of themes.
We’ve also seen many airlines introduce videos that showcase their home country, since that’s an objective of many airlines (whether it’s just to promote tourism there, or because the airlines are government owned). For example, Oman Air’s safety video takes place around Oman, showing off the beautiful landscape.
Meanwhile Lufthansa’s new safety video just kind of feels like it’s missing the mark? It’s not terribly entertaining, and it doesn’t highlight Germany or any one other particular destination. Despite that, the video hardly shows anything involving an airplane.
Lufthansa isn’t alone in taking this approach, though I’m not sure I fully understand the logic. How do these discussions go? “Oh, I have an idea, rather than showing how to stow things in an overhead bin on a plane, let’s instead put an overhead bin on a taxi.” It all feels a bit arbitrary…
I guess on the plus side, the video isn’t offensive in any way, and won’t be unpleasant for frequent flyers. It’s calm, has nice background music, and isn’t annoying.
I appreciate how we’ve seen airlines try to create unique safety videos, but I think we’ve seen just about everything by now. Am I the only one who wishes we’d see safety videos actually shift to being filmed on planes again (or in mockups that look like planes)?
It also seems like if the goal is to make instructions easier to understand, using a plane might be helpful. Like, you’re not going to find the safety card to the side of your table at the diner, and you’re not putting on your oxygen mask in a gondola.
Bottom line
Lufthansa has released a new safety video, coinciding with the carrier’s new A350 Allegris cabins. The video is a lot more modern than Lufthansa’s previous video, which was screened for nearly a decade.
On the plus side, the video is pretty non-offensive in terms of visuals and sounds, and shouldn’t annoy anyone. At the same time, it’s rather unmemorable, and I’m not sure why airlines are so opposed to showing safety instructions inside an aircraft cabin.
What do you make of Lufthansa’s new safety video?
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