Pre-flight safety demonstration
safety demonstration given to airline passengers before takeoff
A pre-flight safety demonstration (also called a pre-flight safety briefing or safety video) is an explanation given to airline passengers before takeoff outlining the aircraft’s safety features and emergency procedures.
Aviation regulations generally require that passengers be orally briefed before departure but do not prescribe how the information must be delivered. Airlines therefore present the briefing either as a live demonstration by flight attendants or as a pre-recorded audio or video presentation shown through the aircraft's in-flight entertainment system. Briefings typically last several minutes and pre-recorded videos may include subtitles, sign language, or multiple languages.
Beginning in the 2000s, some airlines have produced stylized or humorous safety videos featuring celebrities, popular music, or cinematic themes, many of which gained wide circulation online. For example, Cebu Pacific staged a choreographed demonstration set to Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and Katy Perry's "California Gurls". A 2008 Delta Air Lines video led to the internet nickname "Deltalina" for one of its featured flight attendants. A later British Airways video featured performers including Rowan Atkinson, Gordon Ramsay, and Gillian Anderson in support of Comic Relief.
Required elements
ICAO Doc 10086 recommends safety briefings should be given in English and the language of the operator. In addition, the operator may consider use of the official language of the states of departure and destination, as well as any other language appropriate to the passengers on board.
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