Firstly. Can I just state that Early flying (Sign On before 1400) is for those with pathetic seniority and Volvo-driving Soccer Mums. There I have said it. I am NOT no. 5 FA in SYD for
nothing, you know!
*Just kidding* The last week has just been horrendous (and that's just getting out of bed at 0315 - it was downhill from there, let me tell you)! I didn't even know JQ
had flights before Midday...
re. Boarding Music. Qantas Group has enlisted the help of Stellar Entertainment (or less-than-Stellar) for their boarding music across the fleet. It is consistantly both tacky and tragic. Trendy or even ambient doesn't enter the equation with these people.
The 717 fleet (Jetstar and QFLink) are only afforded one music compilation. This compilation - changed every two months - would have to be in the running for The Most Tragic Tunes Award EVERY time!
We have had to endure such tunes as (and I am NOT joking);
If Tomorrow Never Comes, Ronan Keating
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, Michael Bolton
This is it!, Dannii Minogue
A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton (featuring a chorus along the lines of "...fall into the sky...")
The Day You Went Away, Wendy Matthews
Wind Beneth My Wings, Bette Middler
Crash and Burn, Savage Garden !!! (That is not a joke!
)
There was the 'Special Edition' during the Rugby World Cup, which was particularily memorable. There was no less than three (!!!) renditions of
Waltzing Matilda 
And that was the least of our worries! We had the Qantas Children's Choir singing
I Still Call Australia Home and that "I am, you are, we are Australian...." song on rotation
Then there was that "Summer" one last year. The first song was
We're All Going On a Summer Holiday and some song about "...round round wheels, round round round. Down up peddles, down up down. Going to ride along to the other side of town 'til the sun goes down..."
What's with the 'themes' already?!!
And of course, the QFLink tapes had a sexy, deep breathing, "0055" voice (ex-TAA girl for sure!) saying "You are flying Qantas - The Spirit of Australia..." every second song!
Jetstar have got their act together and we get four different boarding music channels to choose from on the A320s. Although one does wonder how they decided which songs went into the two different day and night "moods"?
My favourite is 'Night Mood 1' (Ch 3), which is very Cafe del Mar / Groove Armada. Perfect after a night out! But most CMs select 'Day Mood 2' which is the same music that we have on the 717s
Vile. 'Day Mood 1' is OK. Lots of Pete Murray sort of stuff and even Kylie!
We have always been really unlucky with boarding music. Impulse back in 2000 had 2UE (an AM radio station!) do their music. It was OK but the business people on the 0630 Melbourne flight could really do without Anastacia
I'm Outta Love and Pseudo Echo
Funky Town screaming throughout the cabin. It was not the most suitable selection to say the least.
I was on a QF 747 coming back from AKL that had the
Titanic theme being piped throughout the cabin!
Myself and the other 15 or so occupants of the empty E Zone were exchanging VERY concerned glances throughout the entire crossing of the Tasman Sea.
You crew over in Europe and at Virgin Blue sound much more fortunate in the boarding music stakes than us poor old soles in the QF Group!
Trislander -
\'Do you know the way to San Jose?' - (haven't a clue who did that one!)
I am disgusted! That's Dionne Warwick! Repeat after me.
I-C-O-N
It's so hard to get good help these days...