Betty White and Air New Zealand

The video above is actually a flight safety video for Air New Zealand starring Betty White. She and other retirees demonstrate in-flight safety “old school”. It’s cute and mildly funny, as these Air NZ videos have been.

On one level, this is just another in a series of fun, playful safety videos. Studies have shown that passengers, especially frequent fliers, tend to tune out during the safety video, so Air NZ started mixing it up, injecting some fun into what is often a pretty dreary experience. So, there’s that.

But this is also a commercial: Air New Zealand is running a competition for a trip for two to Palm Springs (which has a lot of retirees…) or Hanmer Springs here in New Zealand. Running a competition using an inflight safety video is certainly an interesting approach. But I say, whatever gets people to pay attention is a good thing.

This video started popping up on my social media last week ago, when it had a few thousand views, and since then I’ve seen it posted or referred to dozens of times. Who am I to resist an Internet sensation?

As I post it here, it’s at 854,913 views. I wonder if any of them will remember the safety message…