British Airways - Fuelled by Love

British Airways - Fuelled by Love

In a classic case of art imitating life, British Airways has based a new promotional video on the true-life story of a flight attendant who, on her very first working flight to India, befriended an elderly passenger on the plane.

The six-minute short film begins with a young British Airways crew member who is nervous about her new role flying Indian routes for the carrier. She is concerned about the differences in culture, food and language. However, in helping a similarly anxious Indian lady on the plane, she quickly finds a friend in the country.

At the end of the flight, the elderly Indian lady insists that Helena (the flight attendant) visit her home and meets her family. Helena eventually concedes and spends a special time with the woman’s family -- making friends, learning the culture and even getting an authentic Indian cooking lesson.

In just 20 days, “Fuelled by Love” was viewed 1.5 million times on YouTube, proving that viewers are not necessarily tuned off by longer videos, provided the storyline is compelling. British Airways has similarly produced numerous online videos similar to Fuelled by Love (such as Wings to a Dream and A Ticket to Visit Mum), aimed at winning the loyalty of familyoriented Indian customers and reminding everyone of the close ties between the UK and India.

Consumer media across the world have reported on the remarkable online success of this heart-warming video and the power of the story it tells. For example, the video was featured in the Wall Street Journal hindustantimes.com and campaignsoftheworld.com.