United releases safety video 10 months in the making
United's new safety video
United has debuted a new onboard safety video that features more than a dozen United employees providing easy-to-follow demonstrations of critical inflight safety procedures. The video was filmed inside a life-sized, airplane-inspired sequential reaction machine.
The video is titled "Safety in Motion" and follows a ball as it makes its way through the sequential reaction machine, rolling and bouncing through chutes, a snack cart and drink cup, seatbelts, windows, seats, directional signage and more, as real United employees demonstrate safety procedures for viewers.
The airline has been developing the concept for this video since June 2023 and said it was “inspired by the teams of United employees whose coordinated actions ensure the airline operates safely.” It took ten months to make the film from creative development to final approval. The safety video is set to debut on select aircraft on May 25 and will roll out across the fleet throughout the summer.
"Safety is the foundation of everything we do at United," said Sasha Johnson, Vice President of Corporate Safety for United. "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."
United worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the development of the safety video beginning in October 2023 through March, when the video received approval.
"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," said Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer for United. "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 travelling."
The press release said there are 171 customized versions of the safety video to accommodate United's eight aircraft types, 20 various seat configurations on those aircraft and 18 languages.
The video features 17 employees from across the airline, including flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents, ramp service, tech operations, the network operations center and reservations. The 100-year old song, "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, that has been a consistent feature in United safety videos for years remains the soundtrack to this latest film.
The airline's creative agency of record, 72andSunny, production partner, 1stAveMachine, and director Karim Zariffa worked together with United to create this latest visual safety demonstration.
