Another observation from a mere SLF. On a recent business trip we had no choice but to travel Jetstar due to the scheduling and availability of flights ex Darwin. I believe the aircraft operating this domestic sector was continuing thru from Ho Chi Minh. Both myself and my 3 colleagues were shocked and concerned by the safety briefing given to the exit row passengers in front of us. The crew member was asked to repeat himself at least twice as none of the passengers could understand him. The cabin supervisor was then called and I was shocked to find apparently did not speak English as a first language either!
I am all for equal opportunity in the workplace, and I don't care about a person's ethnicity as long as they are able to do their job safely and effectively. However, I am quite convinced that in the event of an emergency where the pre recorded announcements are not able to be played, the cabin crew would not have been able to clearly direct an evacuation due to this language barrier.
Aside from the safety implications, its just poor service! I would expect that as a customer on an Australian domestic flight, in a country where English is the official language, at least one cabin crew member would be able to speak it clearly! But sadly is this world of PC gone mad, who does one report this to without being labelled a racist?!
I for one vote with my feet and refuse to pay to be treated with such contempt, but when the company pays, I have to fly on whoever they book, and the options out of darwin are extremely limited, whether I feel it is safe or not!