Good People of the Week : Fun VIDEO: Alaska Airlines for Promoting Safety Through Music

As a big fan of pop music of the 80s, it made me smile to see that Alaska Airlines parodied "The Safety Dance" song by the group "Men Without Hats" in their latest commercial. The lyrics were spot-on and I could watch this over and over. :)  AND, the dancers were actual employees of the airline!  It certainly made me feel better about flying safely during this pandemic. Here's the story and video commercial: 

Alaska Airlines parodied an ’80s song to promote COVID-19 safety 

BOSTON GLOBE Dec. 16, 2020

Airlines have built plenty of COVID-19 rules into their messaging this year, but one U.S. airline just dropped safety tips via a music video parody of the ’80s song “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

Alaska Airlines released “Alaska Safety Dance” on Sunday, a video directed by Warren Fu, known for his work with artists such as The Weeknd, Daft Punk, Dua Lipa, and HAIM, and choreographed by Anna Matuszewski, who has worked with Macklemore, according to an Alaska Airlines blog post.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/b9w_paUjzKs

(Caption: At Alaska, we love safety so much, our employees made a music video about it. Watch the #AlaskaSafetyDance and find out how to safely get back out there in spring and summer 2021. 🕺🌴 Book now. Mask up. Let’s go. Book today at AlaskaAir.com)

“It was refreshing to work on a project with some much-needed levity after such a challenging year,” Fu said in the post. “You can highlight the importance of safety and still have fun with it. I hope the uplifting energy and enthusiasm showcased by our Alaska Airlines employee talent brings a smile to people’s faces.”

The revamped lyrics read, in part: “We can fly where you want to, we can leave your house behind. But if your friends won’t mask, and why don’t they mask? Well, they won’t fly this airline.”

The dancers are Alaska Airlines employees, chosen either for their involvement in the Alaska Flight Attendant Drill Team, which performs at Seattle’s Torchlight Parade and other nationwide events, or for their ability and willingness to dance, according to the airline.

The employees were provided a video of the choreography in advance so they could practice at home and then completed an eight-hour dress rehearsal with Matuszewski, according to the airline. The video was filmed in Alaska Airline’s Boeing cabin trainer and the Alaska Maintenance Hangar in Seattle over a period of two days.

A production crew of about 40 people followed strict COVID-19 safety measures when filming, including testing and wearing masks and following the directions of onsite COVID-19 compliance officers, airline officials said.