Internet memes come out to play in Delta safety video

The Internet and its memes are the stars of Delta Air Lines' latest safety demonstration video, which the carrier rolled out Wednesday morning. The quirky video is the latest in a line that has earned Delta a following for its offbeat take on the federally mandated safety demonstration.

Delta promises its newest video – which will start playing on Delta flights Monday (May 25) – will be "the best thing to happen to the Internet since the cloud." Stars appearing in the "mash-up of some of the Internet's most-loved memes" include Keyboard Cat, Dancing Baby, the Screaming Goat and the "Clicking Finger."

"We had a ton of fun with this one, and we think our customers will, too," Mauricio Parise, Delta's director of Worldwide Marketing Communication, says in a statement. "Internet fame is fleeting, but our commitment to the safety of our customers and crew is not. These memes and cameos tap into the zeitgeist as the latest way of capturing our customers' attention for our important safety presentation."

Delta says the video was filmed on an Airbus A330-200 in a hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The carrier used actual employees for all of its employee roles. The video required more than 20 hours of filming.

Delta began mixing up its safety videos in late 2012, hoping the move would better hold the attention of passengers by making them as entertaining as possible. The videos have spawned their own memes, such as the Exit-row Triplets and the Spooky Girl. And, of course, there's Deltalina -- the finger-wagging flight attendant who starred in an earlier Delta video. She and her disapproving finger return in the latest safety demonstration.

Delta has posted the latest video on YouTube.

"Delta's meme-tastic new safety video is not only a fitting homage to YouTube as we celebrate its 10th birthday this month," says Stephanie Davis, Industry Director for Travel at Google. "It's also a winning example of how to reach, engage and entertain customers around the world with great video content."