The ultra-friendly skies

When the employment picture for this particular carrier becomes more stable -- it cut 200 employees in November 2008, and up to 80 more were said to be at risk in May -- one could do worse than sign up with Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand's new series of pre-flight safety videos features its usual cheery crew of Kiwis. But in a move guaranteed to get passengers to pay more attention, the staffers are only wearing authentic-looking uniforms made of paint. That's right, folks -- everyone's naked! Well, mostly: Life vests, seat belts, and other accoutrements are used to cover up the naughty bits. It's all tied into its current tagline: "At Air New Zealand, our fares have nothing to hide. Which is why the price you pay includes everything -- up front." (Evidently, you can find the "brief" clip on YouTube.)

Any company willing to poke fun at itself with this type of cheeky move has got to foster a great work environment, eh? The employees in the video -- who don't don those outfits for everyday flights, unfortunately -- weren't paid extra, but they did get some deserved(?) exposure…

--Posted by Todd Obolsky, Vault Staff Writer