"Never have we been so excited about putting our tray tables in the full upright and locked position," said Mashable this week, naming ‘Fit to Fly’ starring Richard Simmons as the ‘Best In-flight Safety Video Ever’.

Directed by Miki Magasiva at Curious in Auckland, this three-minute air safety clip for Air New Zealand is the number one most viewed video on YouTube in Australia and New Zealand, number two in the US and a staggering number four worldwide.

It’s been the most viewed video clip on YouTube since its launch on 28 March, also topping the YouTube charts for "Top Favourite" and "Top Comedy":

Magasiva captures Richard Simmons in all his perky, aerobics-king glory, transforming a mind-numbingly dull safety video format into something you actually want to watch.

The spot was created by .99, Air New Zealand’s chief creative agency.

"In a matter of hours the new safety video had become a global hit on YouTube, and was the ninth most Tweeted about video in the world yesterday – quite extraordinary when you consider there are 140 million Tweets per day," said Mike Tod, general manager marketing and communications at Air New Zealand.

The clip has been covered by news titles all over the world including CBS, CNN, USA Today, The Telegraph (UK), The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and Channel Seven.

Earlier this year, when Nike Tennis needed something entertaining to attract viewers to its Facebook page during the Australian Open, it called on Magasiva to film John McEnroe bickering with tennis player Bernard Tomic’s overbearing father.

Tomic Senior is a natural as the overbearing tennis coach Dad, and the spot shows Miki’s talent for drawing the best out of people – even non-actors.