Emirates’ new safety video takes swipe at Qantas, Air New Zealand

Emirates has released a new “no-nonsense” safety video, going in the complete opposite direction to its Aussie partner Qantas.

Emirates has released what it calls a new “no-nonsense” safety video for passengers, taking a cheeky swipe at airlines like Qantas, Air New Zealand and British Airways.

As other international carriers invest in elaborate short films, the Dubai-based airline claims it has instead saved the dancers, movie stars and singers for its in-flight entertainment because they “take your safety seriously”.

“Hello and welcome on board your Emirates flight today,” a flight attendant says at the start of the four minute video (watch in the video player above).

“This is your no-nonsense safety video. We do not have dancers breaking into song, characters from movies, or celebrities trying to be funny I’m afraid.”

Another cabin crew member then chips in, “But at Emirates, safety always comes first. So it’s important that we take you through some safety features before takeoff. And then you can all get back to our award-winning entertainment system.”

Emirates has released a new "no-nonsense" safety video.

The new video is filmed on a real aircraft, unlike its previous video (pictured).

While the airline’s previous safety video did not have dancers, movie stars and singers either, the new video is shot on a real aircraft this time.

The decision to stick to the basics has been praised online.

“Excellent video. No fuss, no faff, just informative and not distracting. These videos are about safety first and foremost, not entertainment,” wrote one fan.

“Emirates got it right. This is THE safety video, simple and comprehensive which it should be,” agreed another.

“This video is sending message to other airlines,” stated a third.

Emirates has gone in the opposite direction to its Aussie partner Qantas.

The Australian carrier also rolled out a new safety video this year, ditching its retro-style video for an almost 10-minute long production filmed across 14 destinations, including Mexico, India, South Korea, Finland and Morocco.

It features a pilot jumping out of a helicopter in New Zealand, a frequent flyer wearing a lifejacket on a Mexican beach, and Indian dancers doing emergency brace positions.

Qantas chief customer officer Catriona Larritt said the video, which was centred around frequent flyers and Qantas employees sharing their “magic places”, captured the attention of travellers to then watch and listen to the critical safety information.

The Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) slammed it as a great marketing tool but poor safety video.

“There are no cabin crew in uniform and there are no shots of an interior of an aircraft, which are all important factors for non-English speaking passengers and those that need to know who is in charge,” FAAA national secretary Teri O-Toole said.

Air New Zealand also went down the inspirational route with its latest safety video, released in 2022.

It follows the story of a young man named Tiaki who boards a flying canoe and sets off on an adventure across the nation, with a message to care for Aotearoa’s people, places and culture.

It is actually shorter than Emirates’ new video, running for about three and a half minutes.

Previous Air NZ safety videos have starred rugby legends, surf stars and well-known actors including Rick Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Katie Holmes, Rhys Darby, Anna Farris, Elijah Wood and Betty White.

British Airways’ safety video, released last year, included famous faces like actors Ncuti Gatwa and Kaya Scodelario, entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, tennis star Emma Raducanu and chef Tom Kerridge.

But the airline’s most star-studded safety video may be its one released in 2017, made in collaboration with UK charity Comic Relief. That featured stars like Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gillian Anderson, Ian McKellen, Warwick Davies and Gordon Ramsey.

Speaking about the latest safety video, British Airways chief customer officer Calum Laming said last year: “We have all sat through safety demonstrations before, so we knew we needed to create something different that would capture attention and was totally in line with our British Original positioning.”