With a wag of the finger, Delta produces spunky safety video

ATLANTA - Before YouTube, redheaded, blue-eyed, high-cheekboned Katherine Lee was just another beautiful flight attendant who worked for the nation's third-largest airline.

Next month, up to 80 million Delta Air Lines passengers worldwide will know her as the face of Delta's newest safety video, in which Lee walks fliers through government-mandated safety instructions with a smile and a playful wag of the finger.

Lee breathes fresh life into the phrase, ``Make sure your seat belt is fastened,'' establishing a new focal point of interest for frequent fliers tempted to tune out the routine message.

The safety video generated such a buzz after being posted on the Atlanta-based airline's corporate blog and on the video Web site YouTube that admirers dubbed the 33-year-old Atlanta woman ``Deltalina,'' a combination of the airline's name and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who they say she resembles.
The airline declined to disclose how much the video cost to produce.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)