Cabin crew call for ‘elitist and sexist’ Qantas safety video to be binned

The Flight Attendants Association is appalled and disappointed with the national carrier’s “elitist and sexist” new safety video. Watch it here.

The Flight Attendants Association of Australia has slammed the new Qantas safety video, calling it elitist, sexist and failing to acknowledge the important role of cabin crew.

Released on Wednesday, the six-minute video will be progressively rolled out on domestic and international flights in 12 different languages.

Frequent flyers and Qantas employees appear in the short film, sharing their “magic places” from Litchfield National Park near Darwin and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to Lapland in Finland and Marrakesh in Morocco.

High status Qantas travellers might recognise Nestor from the airline’s First Lounge at Sydney Airport buckling up in a classic Hollywood red convertible, while frequent flyer Taylor demonstrates a life jacket on the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

There is the staple Qantas tear-jerker family reunion in Rome, and a Bollywood-style instruction of the brace position in Jaipur, India.

A family reunion in Rome is among the stories played out in the latest Qantas safety video. Picture: Qantas

Filmed over 40 days in temperatures ranging from 36 degrees in Jaipur to minus 36 in Lapland, there are 75 different versions of the video which will replace the Qantas Centenary video introduced in 2020.

FAAA national secretary Teri O’Toole said she was appalled by the video, which appeared to be more about destination marketing than safety.

“Not once does it say ‘follow the directions of your crew member’, which you would’ve thought would be the focus of a safety video, especially after the Japan Airlines incident,” said Ms O’Toole.

“I thought the last one was bad, but this is worse. It was commissioned by (former chief executive) Alan Joyce, and it should’ve been shelved, just like Alan.”

She said the focus on frequent flyers and their favourite destinations came across as “elitist” at a time when many Australians were struggling to make ends meet.

Qantas has released its first new safety video in four years, showcasing 14 destinations in 10 countries.

Ms O’Toole also questioned why a female pilot appeared in a swimsuit, suggesting that sort of depiction took women in the workplace “back 20 years”.

“I didn’t see a male pilot in a pair of budgie smugglers. Vanessa Hudson needs to put her foot down, and scrap this video,” she said.

“We’re disappointed and angry the company is wasting money on that. A safety video should be about safety, not a rom-com.”

But Qantas chief customer officer Catriona Larritt said the video was designed to ensure travellers watched and listened to the critical safety information about their aircraft.

“First and foremost, the video is about familiarising our customers with safety procedures and we try to make it as engaging as possible, in particular for regular flyers who might otherwise tune out,” Ms Larritt said.

Frequent flyer Lachlan in Lapland in the new Qantas safety video.

As well as Nestor and Taylor, the 2024 video featured Qantas pilots, cabin crew and customer service agents.

“We are proud to feature our own well-travelled team members and customers, to not only deliver the safety message but also promote travel and tourism by inspiring people to explore destinations they may not have experienced throughout Australia and beyond,” Ms Larritt said.

All of the destinations featured were accessible to Qantas passengers through the airline itself, or its oneworld partners such as Finnair, American Airlines and Royal Air Maroc.

The video is a return to the “destination” style presentation first used in 2016 and repeated in an updated format in 2017 and 2018.

To mark its centenary in 2020, Qantas rolled out an eight-and-a-half minute safety video, taking passengers through the airline’s history from 1920 onwards.

As well as playing on thousands of flights, the short film became Qantas’ most viewed safety video on YouTube, racking up more than 970,000 views.

The Qantas safety video marking the airline’s centenary has racked up the most YouTube views for the flying kangaroo, nearing the one million mark.

Originally published as Cabin crew call for ‘elitist and sexist’ Qantas safety video to be binned