• by Tanya Gazdik , October 14, 2013

Air New Zealand has teamed up with Betty White and a cast of golden oldies for the airline’s latest in-flight safety video. 

“Safety Old School Style” is the airline’s first safety video filmed outside of New Zealand and is set at the fictional “Second Wind Retirement Resort” in the United States. It features the former Golden Girls star and multiple Emmy Award winner with fellow residents living life to the fullest.

American actor Gavin MacLeod, famous for his role as Captain Stubing on TV’s “The Love Boat’ and as Betty’s former co-star on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” makes a cameo appearance while a cast of fun-loving retirees, including actor Jimmy Weldon, aka the voice of Yakky Doodle duck in the “Yogi Bear Show,” take audiences through the safety briefing. 

To celebrate the launch of the new video,  Air New Zealand is giving online viewers the chance to win the trip of a lifetime to either Palm Springs, California or Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island, including a raft of activities. 

To enter, viewers need to share their story of how they are living life to the fullest at www.airnewzealand.com/safetyoldschool.

Air New Zealand Head of Global Brand Development Jodi Williams says Betty White is the ideal partner for the airline’s latest safety video offering.

“In Betty, we found the perfect partner,” Williams said in a statement. “She is renowned for being a little bit cheeky and with a career spanning 74 years, who better to learn survival tips from than the award-winning show business veteran?”

Air New Zealand’s brand is all about liberating from the ordinary and our safety videos have proven a great way to showcase our unique personality to audiences of all ages around the world, she says.

“As a small airline at the bottom of the world, we have to think outside the square when it comes to driving brand awareness and conveying important safety messages to our millions of customers,” Williams says. “Partnering with influencers like Betty has proven an effective way of doing this.” 

Past Air New Zealand safety video hits have included the Hobbit-themed “An Unexpected Briefing,” “Fit to Fly” starring fitness guru Richard Simmons and more recently, “The Bear Essentials” featuring renowned television adventurer Bear Grylls.

Collectively the airline’s safety videos have clocked up more than 25 million views online.