United Airlines Unveils New Safety Demo Geared Towards the Modern Flyer

After ten months of meticulous planning and production, United Airlines is set to introduce its new safety video across its fleet starting May 25th. The video, titled "Safety in Motion," showcases a bouncing ball navigating aircraft-inspired setups and features 17 real United Airlines employees demonstrating key safety procedures. These employees include flight attendants, pilots, ground agents, and central operations team members.

The video’s soundtrack is the classic "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, giving a nod to tradition while presenting a contemporary approach. The creative process for the video began in June 2023, with the final product being approved in March 2024 after collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to meet all safety standards.

To mark the launch, United Airlines released a behind-the-scenes video, offering an exclusive look at the making of "Safety in Motion."

Sasha Johnson, United Airlines’ Vice President of Corporate Safety, emphasized the importance of the pre-flight safety video: "Safety starts with being prepared. We have ongoing, rigorous safety training for our crews. And we also make sure our customers know what to do in the event of an emergency. We are proud that our new safety video empowers passengers by giving them information and clear instructions."

The new video aims to capture the attention of passengers, a challenging task in an age where personal devices dominate. Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer for United Airlines, explained their approach: "The safest safety video is one that passengers actively watch. Our creative concept was inspired by the idea of connection and the many moments of any given day that our employee work groups have to connect to be able to get thousands of flights off the ground and to their destinations safely. We worked across the airline to ensure our new safety video clearly and succinctly communicates critical information in a way passengers can't help but watch – no matter their age, background, or experience traveling."

Rolling out the video across United Airlines' extensive fleet will be no small feat. The airline operates 953 aircraft, with an additional 714 on order. To accommodate different aircraft types and seat configurations, the airline produced 171 different versions of the video, available in 18 languages.