As much as we know that airline safety videos are important, plenty of us zone out the minute they begin rolling. But airlines are totally onto the many passengers who, uh, don't pay close attention during the safety videos. And now, they're stepping up their game.
Anna Faris appeared in Air New Zealand's safety video last year and Air France’s très chic film captured the attention of fashionistas (but safety tips were sparse). Now, British Airways has created a star-studded safety video that is actually a fun, creative, and informative watch.
The video features Britain's signature tongue-in-cheek brand of humor as it depicts various stars "auditioning" for roles on the plane. They read aloud safety instructions, only to be repeatedly critiqued for their performances. But it's worth the criticism: After all, Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor is advised this could mark his big break.
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Thandie Newton is praised for her "beautiful, powerful performance" describing exit locations, and we gotta agree that she kills it.
Stars Ian McKellen and Gillian Anderson (who is advised to smile more) also audition for the critical director, played by comedian Asim Chaudhry.
But the real highlight is Mr. Bean's (Rowan Atkinson) cameo at the very end of the video. First of all, he's Mr. Bean and this beloved British sitcom character is pretty hard to compete with. In complete character, Atkinson fumbles around his seat for loose change to make a donation to the airline’s Flying Start initiative.
And that brings us to the final reason this video deserves our attention: In addition to providing safety guidelines, it raises awareness about the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief, an organization dedicated to poverty alleviation. The goal is to raise £20 million ($26 million) by 2020 and, if you're anything like Mr. Bean, you'll scramble to donate any spare change.
The video will be shown on all British Airways flights starting on September 1, but the pre-release aims to increase awareness for the cause.