Betty White still working and living life to the full at 91

At 91 years of age, Betty White is the poster girl for positive ageing. Still working and living life to the full, Betty recently teamed up with fellow TV veteran Gavin MacLeod, for Air New Zealand’s latest in-flight safety video launched on the internet today.

The video, Safety Old School Style, is the airline’s first safety video filmed outside of New Zealand and is set at the fictional ‘Second Wind Retirement Resort’ in the United States. It features the former Golden Girls star and multiple Emmy Award winner with fellow residents living life to the full with humour.

American actor Gavin MacLeod, famous for his role as Captain Stubing on TV’s ‘The Love Boat’ and as Betty’s former co-star on the ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’, makes a cameo appearance while a cast of fun-loving retirees, including actor Jimmy Weldon, aka the voice of Yakky Doodle duck in the ‘Yogi Bear Show’, take audiences through the safety briefing.

“Air New Zealand has a global reputation for creating unique in-flight safety videos. When the opportunity came up to be involved in this project, I couldn’t say no,” said Betty White.

“We had a lot of fun on set and I think we’ve shown that it doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s important to live life to the full.”

In 2013, the Guinness World Records awarded Betty with having the longest television career for a female entertainer. Born January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, Betty White has been in show business for 74 years, appearing in sitcoms, on game shows, and as guest host of ‘Saturday Night Live’.

Past Air New Zealand safety video hits have included the Hobbit-themed ‘An Unexpected Briefing’, ‘Fit to Fly’ starring fitness guru Richard Simmons and more recently ‘The Bear Essentials’ featuring renowned television adventurer Bear Grylls.

Collectively the airline’s safety videos have clocked up more than 25 million views online and have featured in coverage by global media outlets, such as CNN, BBC and the New York Times.

To celebrate the launch of Safety Old School Style Air New Zealand is giving online viewers the chance to win the trip of a lifetime to either Palm Springs, California or Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island, including a raft of activities. To enter, viewers need to share their story of how they are living life to the full at www.airnewzealand.com/safetyoldschool

Betty White and Gavin MacLeod in a scene from Air New Zealand’s in-flight safety video