Qatar Airways has launched its latest safety video – titled “A safety video coming from the Hart” – led by comedian Kevin Hart and a host of other famous names. The humorous yet informative video will be available on select flights this month before a full rollout in January 2025.

Qatar Airways new safety video ft. Kevin Hart

New Qatar Airways Global Brand Ambassador Kevin Hart is at the center of the airline’s upcoming safety video set to play onboard all Qatar Airways flights by next month. Hart has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars and will be joined by the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Khaby Lame, Anwar and Amal Jibawi, and Adam Waheed. The seven-minute safety video was directed by Hollywood veteran Tim Story, who has collaborated with Hart before on the ‘Ride Along’ franchise.

The video opens with Hart sitting in first class accepting a challenge to create a safety video that isn’t “flat out boring.” Parts of the video take passengers around Nairobi, Paris, New York, Sydney and various sites in Qatar – the first celebrity to cameo is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who helps Kevin Hart stow an item of cabin baggage into the overhead locker. Kevin Hart commented,

“Buckle Up! This safety video is unlike anything you have seen on-board a luxury airline before. I have loved partnering with Qatar Airways to produce a video that passengers will not only pay attention to but remember for a long time coming, or at least until their next flight.”

Photo: Qatar Airways

Giving passengers something to watch

Airlines have invested a lot in their safety videos in recent years in an attempt to grab attention. With smartphones becoming ubiquitous around a decade ago, a lot of passengers instinctively reach for their phones when they’ve taken their seat, usually missing out on most of the safety information on the screen in front. With a star like Kevin Hart leading an action-packed and funny video, it is hoped passengers will put their phones away and enjoy the interesting content. As Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, noted,

“As we continue to become more technologically advanced, we are seeing more and more passengers not paying enough attention to the in-flight safety video, instead opting for entertainment content on their other devices. We decided there was no better way to capture their attention than with their favourite celebrities and content creators.”

Photo: Qatar Airways

Related

What Makes For A Great Airline Safety Video?

Over the years, we’ve seen safety demonstrations move from the cabin crew to the seatback screen. Not on all airlines, of course – many still task the flight attendants with this important job. However, on plenty of international carriers, the inflight safety demonstration has evolved into more of a marketing tool than anything else. We’ve seen catchy songs, videos promoting destinations in the airline’s home country, the iconic LOTR Air New Zealand effort… even United with its strange blue ball. But do we need all this distraction? Personally, I prefer a basic safety video – just some people delivering the information that is going to keep me and my family safe during the flight. It does seem that we are perhaps seeing a return to more basic safety videos – Cathay’s newly released creation doesn’t overdo the frills and delivers information quite well (although it is still 6 minutes long!). For me, I’d rather have a real person doing the demo or at least a very stripped-back video pl

This is something other airlines have recognized too – one recent example that comes to mind is British Airways, which rolled out an extravagant period drama-inspired safety video this summer. Nowadays, when you’re flying with a major airline, you can expect some kind of song and dance in your safety video – however, Middle Eastern carrier Emirates went in the opposite direction for its latest safety video, instead opting for a “no-nonsense” approach and keeping the entertainment for its IFE content.