Airline removes swimsuit safety video

A New Zealand airline is removing a controversial safety instruction video that features scantily clad swimsuit models, the New York Post reports. 

Women’s rights groups criticized Air New Zealand earlier this year for using Sports Illustrated models in a video called “Safety in Paradise,” which the airline said was an attempt to spruce up safety announcements that are typically drab but important. 

Several airlines have attempted in recent months to make their safety videos more catchy to grab passengers’ attention now they are allowed to keep their portable electronic devices on during most of the flight. 

{mosads}Air New Zealand faced backlash for its attempt to involve swimsuit models, however. A petition to force the airline to remove the video on the website Change.org attracted 10,000 signatures, according to the report. 

“This is video completely disregards passengers who find it offensive for religious reasons, who have body image struggles, who are parents concerned about their children’s impressionable nature, who believe women deserve more respect, and who have teenage daughters who deserve more respect,” the petition says.

The airline said when the video was first released in February that its critics were overreacting. 

“Safety in Paradise has been tested extensively with a cross-section of customers and staff to ensure we strike the right balance between entertainment and conveying important safety messages,” the company said then in a statement.  

A representative for Air New Zealand told BuzzFeed that the video was removed because it’s scheduled rotation was ending, not because of the criticism.