TUI's Cinematic Spot Offers a New Take on Flight Safety

TUI, the largest global travel and leisure company, and creative partners Leo Burnett UK have landed a new take on the classic in-flight safety film, Safety: A Global Film. The work celebrates favourite TUI destinations, offering an entertaining alternative to the traditional safety briefing by reimagining it through the lens of world cinema. 

Safety: A Global Film journeys with the viewer through multiple scenes, each taking inspiration from a different genre popular in, or, made famous by, a country that TUI operates to. From ancient Egyptian tombs à la Indiana Jones to Kill Bill-esque Chinese temples, the four-minute film is a bright, vivid, and colourful extravaganza of sights and sounds from around the globe. 

Following a single TUI passenger and her flight attendant accomplice in a variety of different roles, the film pokes fun at tropes to deliver crucial information about how to stay safe onboard. In one section, the protagonist is advised by the flight attendant in the role of spy handler, that “it’s important to fasten your seatbelt” as she flies through the streets in a high-octane car chase during the action segment.

Another segment plays on the stereotypical neo-noir plot of unravelling a sinister conspiracy, as the narrator discloses, “all the signs were there… no smoking on board”. The film ends with the protagonist and attendant returned to the TUI plane, directing passengers to the additional safety instructions, and providing a cheeky ‘wink’ to the adventures that may lie ahead for those on board. 

The ambitious creative, produced by Missing Link Films and directed by the award-winning Alicia MacDonald, involved working with Bollywood choreographers, dance troupes and historical clothing experts, to create a truly authentic film.

Safety: A Global Film takes flight onboard all TUI Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft as well as selected Boeing 737s across most of TUI’s European markets. To ensure relevance across all markets, Leo Burnett UK collaborated with local agencies from relevant regions within its parent company, Publicis Groupe, on transcreation. As a result, 28 different versions of the film were made across eight different languages, each with precise and accurate rendering of the original source material. 

Mark Elwood, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett UK, said, “What a great brief. This cracker has been a true labour of love from our brilliant TUI Team. Taking inspiration from popular film genres from across the globe (destinations for TUI), the attention to detail, the craft and humour will hopefully entertain and inform our audience in equal measure. Please fasten your seatbelts and pay attention until the end of the film.”

Toby Horry, global brand and content director at TUI Group, adds, “The safety briefing is an essential part of any flight, and its vital passengers pay full attention. There’s no better way to achieve this than with a brilliantly-crafted and engaging film – and I’m delighted with the end result.”

Alicia MacDonald, director at Missing Link Films adds, "Film genre jumping via a droll flight attendant and an intrepid passenger? Hot Dammit yes please! I am overwhelmingly proud of what our incredible Missing Link Films team achieved. Everyone went above and beyond to elevate the film away from predictable parody and into something entertaining, imaginative and informative."