Qantas crew and Travolta

Travolta in the captain's seat of his Qantas-liveried 707

Like the Grease star says in the Qantas safety video, there's nobody I'd rather have in charge of my aeroplane than a Qantas crew.

But the crew seem to be taking themselves a bit too seriously, disputing Travolta's use  - in the video - of the word "team" where they think he should have said "crew", and also Qantas' decision to use this extremely well-known 707 owner/pilot to grab passengers' attention for the safety briefing. Some of them say they think it's cringeworthy.

When Travolta refers to the pilots and "the greater team", I hear him talking not only about the onboard crew, but the whole airline.

The Australian carrier has employed Travolta for years as an attention-grabber for the Qantas brand, because of his high profile and impeccable aviation connections.

I can't think of a better use for his talents than persuading the punters to watch the safety video.

Anyway, if you are still one of those who think safety videos can only be effective if they are deadly serious, this one will convert you.

As Nat King Cole didn't quite say, "Lighten up and fly right"!