Funny safety videos damaging? Judge for yourself - Videos - Curt Lewis

Do funny airline safety videos do more harm than good? We all love a funny safety video, as do airlines. They draw media attention and give frequent travelers a bit of variety in the pre-flight routine. A recent parody by the comedy performance Funny or Die (slightly NSFW) calls to attention whether humorous safety presentations actually do more harm than good. It's always fun to laugh, and laughter leads to more attention. But, does it lead to more comprehension? The Funny or Die video focuses on a crew member that cracks constant jokes during the safety demonstration, but brings to light the issue of whether passengers actually recall the information that is being relayed. Sean M. posted a related article on Ben Schlappig's popular blog One Mile at a Time. He says: "Humour is great when it comes to engaging the regular flyers who otherwise would tune out the safety demos. But, humour actually tends to confuse those folks who are infrequent or inexperienced flyers and actually want to know more about safety on board." Still, jaded flyers seem more likely to pay attention to a safety video that draws their interest.Safety videos have certainly earned their attention in the media, but here are several laughable favorites that have not gotten the public attention they deserve: The Philippine Airlines' safety video features a rather animated actor who is caught off guard as flight attendants perform the safety parameters for him. Condor Airlines safety video is a bag of laughs with actors impersonating Paris Hilton (who tries to stuff her dog in the overhead bin), Elvis Presley, and even the queen of England. EVA Air uses a cartoon body builder to demonstrate some of the safety guidelines while on a constant quest to flirt with his seatmate. In China, kids take to the aisles to demonstrate the safety procedures for Shenzhen Airlines. Hainan Airlines released a new safety video based upon the popular cartoon program, Calabash Brothers. This comes after the airline launched a safety video based on Chinese opera. This is one you've got to see to believe. And like any movie, there are always the amusing outtakes like these from Air New Zealand. And these bloopers from Delta Air Lines.