Dubai: Everyone's been talking about the very different type of in-flight entertainment on offer at Cebu Pacific Air, but it appears the video of its dancing flight attendants was merely a test demonstration.
Cebu Pacific clarified on Monday that the video was just a demonstration and that a normal safety demonstration was done prior to takeoff.
“This was not meant to replace the regular serious safety demonstration, done by the flight crew for passengers,” Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing, told Radyo Inquirer 990.
In the YouTube video, flight attendants deliver safety instructions while dancing to Lady Gaga's Just Dance and Katy Perry's California Gurls.
On Monday, less than five days after it was posted on YouTube, the video had already received more than five million hits and was continuing to attract attention around the world.
One YouTube user called it a “nice change” to having to deal with “rude flight attendants”, while another said the routine made the plane appear like a “night club”. Others questioned whether the dance routine might compromise passengers' safety.
Cebu Pacific's Iyog said on Monday that the feedback was overwhelming, but that they have yet to meet with the airline's top management to discuss the issue.
In Dubai, Filipino expatriates who have travelled on Cebu Pacific gave mixed reactions to the dance routine. MJ Paca, an office administrator, told Gulf News: “I think the flight attendants' dance routine is good because it will definitely catch people's attention, unlike the typical and boring safety demonstration. Who really pays attention to that?”
Ariel L. Rivera, a senior guest service executive at Etihad, disagreed. “It's a light-hearted approach, but passengers' focus might be diverted to the dance and not on the actual flight safety instructions. How will people remember what to do in case of emergencies?” he said, adding that even frequent flyers need to focus when the safety instructions are being demonstrated.
Philippine-based Cebu Pacific calls itself a “fun airline”. It has already gained popularity for its in-flight games, which offer passengers prizes on the spot.
In a separate interview with GMANews.TV, Cebu Pacific's Candice Iyog admitted that the airline is “looking for something new and different to show that flight safety doesn't have to be boring”.
