A flight attendant’s job is incredibly important, but, like any job, there are plenty of routine procedures that can get a little boring over time. One of these procedures is the safety announcement. Even if you’re not a frequent flyer, you’ll be aware of the demonstration that flight attendants perform as the plane prepares to take off from the runway.
Though we’re advised to listen in, most of us choose to zone out at this point. It’s just the same old – how to fasten your seatbelts, what to do if the plane loses oxygen, where to find the life jackets.
But as the safety procedures for each airline may vary slightly, it is important that you listen closely to this demonstration.
When it comes to getting their passengers’ attention, some flight attendants get clever. Take one flight attendant on a WestJet plane proved that safety briefings can be interesting – you just have to make them funny.
Mike McAdam had passengers on a plane from Las Vegas to Regina in stitches when he put his own comedic spin on his safety announcement. As the video begins, we can see Mike “stru*gling” to close his seatbelt buckle.
After getting his hair off with his seatbelt, he eventually figures out what to do and slots it in place.
But he’s not done yet – with a painful noise we’d associate with squeezing ourselves into a tight pair of pants, he yanks the seatbelt tight – demonstrating “pu-lli-ng the belt tight to fit you”.
Even though he’s relaying important information, there’s nothing serious about this guy. When Mike holds up his fingers to i!dica*e the number of emergency exits, he can’t help pulling a funny face and kn-ocking his elbows together, getting a laugh from his audience.
Things get even funnier when Mike demonstrates a situation where an oxygen mask may be required. He becomes a blur as he mimes sc**eami*g and yanking on the mask in pa*ic. There’s what not to do, anyway!
Whether he’s being mock-serious or he’s in full-on lunatic mode, he manages to make everything he does h*lario*s.
As he model-poses with his oxygen mask, he totally outshines the flight attendant at the front of the plane, who’s doing things the normal way. As the passengers applaud him, he holds out a finger, as if to say, “one minute”. Mike proceeds to repeat the demonstration as a French voiceover sounds over the speakers.
He does this with a pompous expression and a few hi*ari*us attempts at some French words. He’s figured out a way to get all eyes on him while important safety instructions are relayed, and people are much more likely to keep something in mind if they can link it to a hu*oro*s memory.
Not only that, but by making light of some of the scarier safety procedures that most of us hope we’ll never have to follow on a plane, Mike probably eased a few peoples’ nerves, too. If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’ll have you crying with laughter.