Flight attendant Marty Cobb found a novel way to ensure that passengers listened to safety regulations by turning her presentation into a comedy monologue.

On a recent Southwest Airlines flight to Salt Lake City, Ms Cobb grabbed her captive audience's attention with the following introduction: "If I can pretend to have your attention for just a few moments, my ex-husband, my new boyfriend and their divorce attorney are going to show you the safety features aboard this 737 800 series."

She then instructed passengers to "position your seat belt tight and low across your hips, like my grandmother wears her support bra," before informing them that "in the unlikey event the pilot lands beside a hot tub" each passenger would get their own "teeny-weeny yellow Southwest bikini" as her colleagues held up yellow life jackets.

"One size fits all. To activate the flow of oxygen, simply insert 75 cents for the first minute. If you're travelling with more than one child, pick out the one that might have the most earning potential down the road," she quipped.

"Basically just do what we say and nobody gets hurt," she concludes in the three-minute briefing, which was uploaded to YouTube at the weekend.