Earlier this week, I flew the friendly skies to visit with a few of our clients in the Northeast. Having just finished reading the book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by author Seth Godin, I couldn’t help but think about the airline safety announcements at the start of every flight.
In his book, Godin argues that the key to business success is to find a way to stand out–to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. And, let’s face it – the average pre-take-off safety briefing isn’t exactly what you’d call an attention grabber. Although the information is vitally important, these days, people blatantly ignore the safety demo…unless it is remarkable.
Southwest Airlines is credited with the starting the trend for remarkable airline safety announcements by allowing flight attendants to turn them into clever raps, comedy monologues, and even choreographed dance numbers. Some people love this approach, and some people hate it. No matter how you feel about this ‘remarkable’ approach, it does capture one’s undivided attention, which is the point after all.
Here are some of the most remarkable safety announcement lines that have made passengers sit up and listen:
Pre-Take Off:
- To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt, and if you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.
- If you don’t like our service, or the flight gets too long, we have six emergency exits…
- If you wish to smoke, please go outside the aircraft.
- If the use of a mask is required, oxygen will flow at a rate of $2.00 for the first minute then 99 cents for each additional minute.
- Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments.
- Just before take-off we will dim the cabin lights because it will make the person sitting next to you look much, much better.
Post-Flight:
- (after a less than perfect landing): We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.
- We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go zipping through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you’ll think of us here at US Airways.
- Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride!
Enjoy the ride this weekend,
~Bob
