Air New Zealand's 'coolest' safety video in Antartica prompts backlash

Air New Zealand has produced some stellar safety videos and ads in the past, but their latest set in Antarctica is prompting backlash.

Starring Entourage actor turned activist Adrian Grenier, the pre-flight safety video takes viewers on a journey around Antarctica and the important conservation work being done there.

Grenier meets up with scientists from Scott Base to track penguin populations, explains ice core samples and pays a visit to the hut of early Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.

Air New Zealand said Scott Base staff and scientists doubled as talent for the video, while a total crew of just six travelled to Antarctica to minimise the environmental impact of filming,

Look, it's actually kinda educational.

However, the video has prompted anger from some families who were affected by the Mount Erebus disaster. Back in 1979, 257 people died when an Air New Zealand flight flew into Mount Erebus on a sightseeing trip.

"For many of us, flying with Air New Zealand can be a very difficult reminder of the past and how this changed our lives," David Ling, whose mother died in the incident, told the New Zealand Herald in January.

"To be on board and confronted by a safety video you're obliged to watch set in Antarctica is beyond ironic. It is the ultimate insensitive insult to the families, both immediate and wider."

An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the company was "very careful" in not using footage from Mount Erebus or memorial sites remembering the tragedy.

The airline said it had received some positive feedback from family members of those lost in the tragedy, but empathises with those unhappy about the safety video.

UPDATE: March 2, 2018, 2:37 p.m. AEDT Added comment from Air New Zealand.