Scattercat,
It's a good point, and a good question. It could well be a factor in the decision making process of some pilots.
As to my situation, the 'big red light' was a bit of a give away to the pax that something was up, not only that but they ended up being diverted to a different destination due to the chip light. The answer to your question then has to be "not really", they were already scared <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
Seriously though, it is a personal and company policy to inform the pax of any problems that we may have. It's a better
PR ploy, to inform passengers 'prior', than it is to let them find out (in no uncertain terms) as they watch sparks fly from the skid tubes. I personaly would rather have the pilot tell me what was going on and what to expect at the end if the situation was reversed.
Could your question be better directed to companies that have a high public profile, or companies driven by competition?