United Airlines has launched a new onboard safety video featuring its employees demonstrating essential safety procedures. This video, filmed inside a life-sized, airplane-inspired sequential reaction machine, aims to engage even the most frequent fliers. The development of this video began in June 2023 and was inspired by the coordinated efforts of United employees. The video will debut on select aircraft starting May 25, with a full rollout planned over the summer.
The creative concept, titled “Safety in Motion,” uses a sequential reaction machine where a ball moves through airplane-inspired setups, such as chutes, a snack cart, seatbelts, and directional signage. This approach intends to capture passengers’ attention and ensure they absorb crucial safety information.
“Safety is the foundation of everything we do at United,” stated Sasha Johnson, Vice President of Corporate Safety. Johnson emphasized the importance of preparedness and ongoing safety training for crews, highlighting that the new video aims to empower passengers with clear instructions in case of an emergency.
United collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from October 2023 to March 2024 to ensure the video met regulatory requirements. This process involved multiple checkpoints, including storyboard and script reviews before filming commenced.
The video required extensive customization, with 171 different versions created to accommodate United’s diverse fleet, which includes eight aircraft types and 20 seat configurations. Additionally, the video has been translated into 18 languages to cater to United’s international passenger base.
Behind the Scenes of “Safety in Motion”
The production of “Safety in Motion” was a complex endeavor, featuring 12 unique contraptions that the ball passes through. The video includes participation from 17 United employees across various roles, such as flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents, and tech operations staff. Over 1,000 real dominoes were used to create the sequential reaction effects.
“Our creative concept was inspired by the idea of connection and the many moments of any given day that our employee work groups have to connect to be able to get thousands of flights off the ground and to their destinations safely.” said Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer for United.
The video features “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, a long-standing musical element in United’s safety videos. United’s creative agency, 72andSunny, partnered with production company 1stAveMachine and director Karim Zariffa to produce the video.
Investments in Safety Training
The airline recently opened a 150,000 square-foot building at its Flight Training Center in Denver, adding to its existing 700,000 square feet of training space. The center now boasts 52 state-of-the-art full-motion flight simulators, enhancing training capacity for United’s 17,000 pilots.
In Houston, United expanded its Inflight Training Center to include new classrooms, additional cabin and door trainers, and an aquatic center for water evacuation training. Since 2020, United has required all pilots to participate in an annual Pilot Professional Development training, which exceeds FAA requirements and uses real United case studies to enhance self-awareness, confidence, mentoring, and leadership skills.
