Flash Forward: British Airways Tells Its Story From a Newborn's Point of View

Ever wonder what babies dream about when they fall asleep on planes?

Some folks might say it’s enough that they keep quiet. But British Airways explores the inner visions of a newborn for an unexpected perspective on the travel experience.

The action poignantly flashes ahead to different points in the child’s life, present and future entwined at 30,000 feet.

So, these tykes are dreaming of airline commercials. Who knew?

Kidding aside, it’s a fresh framing device and novel approach for a category with few new flight plans left to unfurl.

“This film shows the beauty of flying and how it puts us out into the world to reveal to ourselves who we are,” says director Miles Jay, who developed the work with creative studio Uncommon. 

Newborns are, after all, at the start of life’s journey. Weaving that conceit into a travel narrative makes sense. Jay’s occasionally fuzzy frames—fusing the infant’s dream images with cabin interiors—lend the :60 an appealing art-house allure.

Saint Saviour’s “I Remember” amplifies the ethereal vibe. It’s meditative, but soars with a pop sensibility above the level of a simple ambient soundscape.

“The work showcases the many journeys British Airways takes us on and the role they play in shaping our lives and who we become,” says Lucy Jameson, cofounder of Uncommon.

The film began breaking last night across Channel 4, ITV and Sky in the U.K., with OOH elements to follow.