SWISS is giving its inflight safety video a major refresh, swapping its long-running animated characters for real people filmed across Switzerland.
The airline’s new video will debut on its first Airbus A350 delivery flight from Toulouse to Zurich in early October, before gradually appearing on other long- and short-haul aircraft during the winter season.
The updated film mixes safety instructions with shots of Swiss landscapes and everyday moments, aiming to make passengers pay attention and retain the information.
“We want our passengers to not just see and hear our inflight safety instructions,” said Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer. “We want to ensure that they really understand them, too, and can recall them should they need to. Whether we’re telling them how to use their seat belt, when to stow their electronic devices, where the emergency exits are located or how to put on the life vest or the oxygen mask, we want to convey all this key information clearly, understandably and as impactfully as possible. And our new video’s real-life scenes that appeal strongly to the emotions will really help us do so.”
The storyline follows a young woman revisiting Switzerland from New York. As she prepares for her flight, she remembers hiking in the Alps, road trips through scenic landscapes, and visits to Zurich and Geneva – the airline’s two hubs.
Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach said the project blends safety with a strong sense of place. “With our new video we’re both breaking with our familiar communications and combining safety and Swissness in a unique new way,” she said. “By putting a particular focus on close-ups and special moments, we accompany the main character through her memories of all the places she has been. So the video captures both Switzerland’s ambience and our SWISS brand identity, while still retaining all the vital importance of its safety instructions.”
The video also uses original graphics and uniformed cabin crew to make the key messages as clear as possible. It’s been designed with a modular structure, allowing future updates for different aircraft types.
SWISS’s previous animated video had been in use for more than a decade.
