Originally Posted by
Alsacienne
As an aside, I am always disappointed when I ask a cabin crew member 'If it isn't a bad time for the pilots, could you ask where we've just crossed the French coast?" (thinking I'll have to Google map it later on my return). The reply (if there is one) is always ... "we've just crossed the French coast." (Or similar for the coast of the UK, or Ireland ... never a place just the country.) Could it be for security reasons?
No, this is most likely because the Flight Management System on the flight deck, or the maps used by the flight crew, do not show any towns. At most some major towns are listed. Unless the crew knows the area they may not be able to tell you, simply because they don't know themselves.
(Have a look at this chart to get an idea:
https://skyvector.com/?ll=48.5875090...art=302&zoom=6
It shows a bit of Brittany and the Channel Islands if I got the link correct. You can switch between High level, Low level and VFR charts with the buttons at top right but VFR charts are not used in commercial airliners, these are more for private piloting.)