As predictable as night following day, here I am with a few more questions/comments about airline operations, having recently returned from a trip to Italy.
Here are a few
technical questions about flying that I'd be grateful if a professional pilot could help answer:
1) The route down to Lamezia took us down the east coast of Italy (Venice, Pescara) before crossing over to Naples. I know for certain that we landed on runway 28. And I know for certain that made a
left turn to join the final approach. Otherwise, it was dark and I became disorientated. Given we were travelling south down the coast, why were we turning left to align with the runway? Is it because the approach took us down past the airport over the sea before making three left turns to join the final approach? I guess this only makes sense if you know the airport/approach and there is only one airline that flies there from the UK at present (it's blue and yellow), so not sure how far I'll get with this question!
2) The route back to London was up the west coast of Italy. My question is: who decides a flight's routing? The airline or ATC? Does it vary because the air traffic and weather varies? My return flight was a week later, but might the immediate return flight follow a different route?
Passenger comments (probably more pertinent to the SLF forum, I know)
3) You cannot always hear the safety demonstration when a recording is played. It needs to be louder. I have sensitive hearing and I could barely make it out. This is annoying. I listen in any case, but this time I was sitting in the emergency exit. It is also totally inconsistent with the 'please listen to the safety demonstration' talk that commanders (rightly) often give, including on this flight immediately beforehand. 'Please listen very, very carefully to the safety demonstration that follows because it is inaudible.' might be more appropriate. I considered raising this with the SCCM, but she looked like she was having such a bad day I decided not to bother. It is, however, something I have noted on previous flights. Should it not be the responsibility of the SCCM to make sure it is audible? Do you check the PA volume before the flight? It just seems hypocritical to get shirty with passengers who don't listen when they can't even if they want to...
4) Lamezia airport has to be the least organised airport I've experienced for a long time. I thought the fact the check-in desk was outside the terminal building (nicely doubling the workload of the check-in agents and the passengers' queuing time as everyone queues again to drop off their bag) was good enough, but no, there was more. The airport decided to detain us in the departure lounge, with the bus and aircraft waiting outside and ready to go from 40 minutes prior to departure up to and beyond the departure time. The reasons given? Because the right level of jobsworth security official wasn't there to 'unlock the door'. Because it was a 'flight to London'. Because 'all that stuffed in America'. The far-reaching effects of 9/11!
We waited so long for absolutely no good reason that even the captain came down from the aircraft to the departure lounge door. There followed an amusing sign language 'I-can't-hear-you' conversation through the glass door. His introductory PA did little to hide his annoyance. This wasn't the airline's fault. It was categorically due to the incompetence of the airport. I share it really because I guess it may make some ppruners smile/laugh. Only in Italy!
5) The cabin crew uniform that the FR girls wear is so, so unflattering. It's really not fair. On anyone.
