MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Steve, big subject change here.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
OK.
MARTIN: Be honest. I know you fly a lot. Do you pay attention to those safety videos on the planes?
INSKEEP: Sometimes I do because sometimes they're rather clever. Yeah.
MARTIN: OK.
INSKEEP: I'll watch them, yeah.
MARTIN: OK. Well, some...
INSKEEP: I don't watch the person standing in the aisle, I'm afraid. But the video...
MARTIN: OK.
INSKEEP: ...Sometimes catches me.
MARTIN: I think that's kind of mean, but OK. That's another subject.
INSKEEP: It's just real.
MARTIN: We'll discuss that later. Well...
INSKEEP: It's real.
MARTIN: Some people actually seek out these videos outside the plane. More than 10 million people have watched a safety novella that was posted by Philippine Airlines on YouTube.
(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "PHILIPPINE AIRLINES INFLIGHT SAFETY VIDEO, CARE THAT COMES FROM THE HEART")
KELLEY DAY: (As Luisa) Anton.
ROBERT SENA: (As character) Luisa.
DAY: (As Luisa) Papa.
SENA: (As character, speaking non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED FLIGHT ATTENDANT #1: Let us also ensure that all aisles and exit rows are clear of any items.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
INSKEEP: This is like a telenovela, which is a sprawling Spanish-language soap opera. Love triangles, a bride leaving the groom at the altar, meddling parents - all to get you to pay attention.
SCOTT LAIRD: The safety demonstration is pretty dry, but it is very necessary information. And a lot of travelers have a tendency to tune it out.
MARTIN: Scott Laird, who's been covering travel for 15 years, notes an example from Air New Zealand as far back as 2009, when flight attendants wore body paint like uniforms.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED FLIGHT ATTENDANT #2: Before we lift off, we'd like to give you what we call the bare essentials of safety aboard this flight.
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
MARTIN: After that came "Lord Of The Rings"-themed safety videos.
(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "AN UNEXPECTED BRIEFING")
UNIDENTIFIED FLIGHT ATTENDANT #3: Welcome aboard this Air Middle Earth flight. Before we set out on our journey, I would like to impart a story of safety.
INSKEEP: See, this is the kind of thing that might catch me. Laird says, though, it is hard to tell whether these videos work.
LAIRD: Really, the proof in the pudding is when there's an emergency situation. And unfortunately, what we have seen in emergencies recently is that passengers are not following the instructions of crew members.
INSKEEP: When there is an evacuation, the National Transportation Safety Board reviews it and makes recommendations for new videos.
LAIRD: When they tell you that your nearest exit may be behind you, that is directly related to an accident where passengers attempted to evacuate from exits forward because they knew where that door was because they had entered through it, not realizing that there were exits behind them at the back of the aircraft.
MARTIN: Laird says certain destinations around the world, like Japan, seem to engage with passengers who pay more attention, and some airlines like Emirates deliberately keep it serious.
(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "OUR NEW NO-NONSENSE SAFETY VIDEO")
UNIDENTIFIED FLIGHT ATTENDANT #4: 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.
INSKEEP: Oh, bummer. But ultimately, the point is that airlines really want you to watch so that you can be safe. Safety is no funny business. It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. It is kind of funny. I'm Steve Inskeep.
MARTIN: And I'm Michel Martin.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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