Captain Travolta's video angers flight crew
LAURA SPERANZA From: The Sunday Telegraph March 20, 2011 12:00AM
A NEW Qantas safety video introduced by Hollywood actor John Travolta has been labelled "cringeworthy" by the airline's flight attendants and pilots, who are annoyed he calls them a "team" instead of a crew.
The three-minute demonstration video, played before take-off on every domestic and long-haul Qantas flight, has angered cabin crew who say a "real pilot" - like Captain Richard de Crespigny, credited with saving 466 lives on the failed QF32 flight from Singapore - should front the message.
The video opens with Travolta, named the airline's ambassador in 2010, dressed in a pilot's uniform and hat, announcing: "This is your captain speaking - well, maybe not today.
"But I can guarantee that the guys on the flight deck and the greater team care just as much about aircraft safety as I do.
"I've been flying over 40 years as a pilot and I can tell you, there's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot."
Staff have taken to anonymous posts on online chat forums to discuss their dislike of the Travolta video.
They called on Qantas to use Captain de Crespigny.
"Who better than the genuine aviation professionals who saved QF32?," said one Qantas staff member.
One Qantas flight attendant, who did not wish to be named, described the video as "corny" and "tacky".
Flight attendants say they also have a problem with being repeatedly referred to as "the team " - not flight attendants or cabin crew members - in the video.
"We feel it's demeaning to be called "the team", one said. "It makes us feel like we work at McDonald's."
Another staff member said he had expected more from the video in the wake of recent safety disasters.
"The whole thing seems to make the safety message seem trite," he said.
*
A Qantas spokeswoman said they had received only positive feedback from staff and customers.
"We're really happy with the video and we think it's really engaging," she said.
Aside from the fact that Richard would have had a more positive impact, after all this guy was thrust into the media after QF32 and is now a face associated with safe flying, a mini brand if you like. Travolta is known mainly for his role as a killer in Pulp Fiction! The association with Travolta is out of date.
My belief why his uniform did not, on his recent 90th anniversary trip display any qantas insignia: so that the jetconnect guys could not claim the same wage he was being paid in the FWA case! You know not supposed to be a qantas pilot but wears the uniform and gets paid directly from qantas!!
Back on topic: the film was obviously made on a budget. I find the film causes more confusion than anything as you try to juggle between watching the film and the FA in the aisle. The film does not cover every detail of the legally required pax brief (eg donning of lifejacket) and you are too focussed on the film to watch the FA demonstrating how to do it. By the time the film finishes the FA has rolled their life jacket up and the detail is missed. By the pax. Next time you are on a flight consciously have a look for yourself and see what I mean.
Also at the end Travolta gets his line wrong (or badly scripted)but either nobody has spotted it or Travolta told them he was not doing another take. The strap line 'enjoy your journey'. Travolta replaces right at he end with Enjoy your flight'!