15th July 2009

Children star in Thomson inflight safety videos

Thomson is using children in its in-flight safety briefings in order to attract more attention from passengers.

In its new safety film, a group of children talk passengers through the workings of emergency exits, oxygen masks and lifejackets. 

Thomsons said children were used for their charm and ‘ahh factor’ with the aim of ensuring that passenger engagement remains high throughout the entire video.

The move comes after research by the National Transport Safety Board in 2006 found that over half of passengers did not watch the in-flight safety video from start to finish. 

“By adopting a somewhat quirky approach to a mandatory airline safety briefing, we believe that we will achieve increased levels of attention from our customers – and any subsequent debate that arises over in-flight safety can only be a good thing,” said Carl Gissing, director of customer services at Thomson Airways.

When testing the new film, Thomson found that there was a:

- 15% increase in the number of passengers who paid full attention to the video

- 66% increase in the number of passengers who felt that the new film made them feel more safe

- 33% growth in the number of passengers who engaged with the video

- 91% rise in the number of children under the age of 12 who watched the entire video until the end.

The new safety video has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and will feature on all short and mid-haul Thomson flights from July 13.

It will be rolled out on all long-haul routes from September 2009.