A New Zealand airline has come up with a novel way to make sure even the most jaded and frequent flyers are paying close attention to the in-flight safety briefing.

Air New Zealand, the country's national carrier, has made a safety video for its domestic routes which shows a pilot and cabin crew dressed only in body paint made to resemble their normal uniforms.

As the crew go through the motions, showing passengers what to do in the event of an emergency, their private parts are obscured by well-placed oxygen masks, life jackets, seat belts and luggage.

The 3-minute, 28-second "Bare essentials of safety" clip, and a similar 45-second television advertisment introduced six weeks ago, have had passengers glued to their mini television sets.

A copy of the briefing, which comes complete with a cheerful soundtrack of “Under My Skin,” by a New Zealand singer, Gin Wigmore, has been posted on YouTube and has attracted more than two million hits.

It is not the first time Air New Zealand has used scantily-clad staff members to grab attention. The gimmick was used in the airline's recent "nothing to hide" marketing campaign for its low-priced fares, which featured staff, including chief executive Rob Fyfe, adorned in only body paint made to look like uniform.

Each clip took one day to shoot and cost about 10 to 15 per cent of the cost of a major brand commercial, an airline spokesman told the reporters.

However, for the crew members involved, it was a labour of love. They got no extra cash — just a moment in the limelight.

(Agencies)