News & Advice

New British Airways Safety Video Is So British It Even Has Mr. Bean

Getting safety instructions has never been more entertaining.

Airplane safety videos aren’t exactly the most riveting cinematic works, but a number of airlines have attempted to up their game lately by entertaining while explaining. Anna Faris appeared in Air New Zealand’s video in 2016, while Air France’s très chic film was more fashion show than safety announcement. Now, British Airways is showing off its own creative chops by releasing a new video featuring some of Britain’s most notable faces.

Predictably tongue-in-cheek, we watch as various stars 'audition' for a role in the new video: Oscar nominated star Chiwetel Ejiofor is told the part could be his "big break," celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay fills in for legendary actress Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton is praised for her powerful performance when describing where the nearest exits are. Other stars like Ian McKellen and Gillian Anderson also audition for the critical director, played by comedian Asim Chaudhry. Of course, no British film would be complete without a cameo from the character Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson). He makes an appearance at the end of the video, fumbling around his seat for loose change to make a donation to the airline’s Flying Start initiative.

In fact, the purpose for the star-studded video is twofold: make sure passengers pay attention to the safety instructions and raise awareness of the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief with a goal of raising £20 million ($26 million) by 2020. It will be shown on all BA flights starting September 1, but the airline pre-released the video in hopes of garnering even more attention for the cause.

“It’s extremely important to us that customers engage with our safety video, and involving some of the nation’s most well-known personalities has given us the chance to create something fun that we hope people will watch from start to finish—and remember,” said Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, in a statement. “We’ve worked with Comic Relief since 2010 and our customers have already helped us generate £16.5 million for great causes. We hope the new video will enable us to exceed our goal of raising £20 million by 2020.”   Though the jury's still out on whether passengers actually pay attention to goofy safety videos, this latest effort certainly throws a new curveball into a recent Traveler debate on the matter.