Navigating between ‘global’ and ‘local’ : a transmodal genre analysis of flight safety videos

Abstract

Watching flight safety videos is a mandatory component of global air travel. While previous studies have primarily focused on using experimental techniques to assess passengers’ information recall and strategies to increase passengers’ level of attention, little has been done on the transmodal design aspects of these videos which can open up new spaces for branding. This paper first discusses how this genre has transitioned from solely delivering safety information, to increasingly being crafted as a space for airline and destination branding in a globalized context. Using the notion of assemblage and transmodalities, this study presents a comparative analysis of two airlines to investigate how they are similar or different in terms of how they communicate safety information and engage in airline and destination branding. This study aims to raise awareness of flight safety videos as not only an instructional genre but also a space for intercultural communication between airlines and passengers who may or may not have a shared understanding of cultural and safety knowledge. Taken together, the study contributes to a nuanced and evolving understanding of the flight safety video genre.