DaveReidUK, just in case you didn't have your tongue firmly in cheek, let me assure you that she thought it was there to provide get-you-home propulsion if all else failed.
Here's another one;
Passenger; "Why are the wingtips turned up like that?"
FA (definitely not taking the p**s); "I'm not sure, but I think it's to make it easier to park."
Another consequence of 9/11?
No, I don't think so. It's the inevitable consequence of the industry's race to the bottom as carriers strive to offer a cheaper and cheaper product by ruthlessly cutting costs, with the focus on staff costs when other operating costs are to quite an extent out of the operators' control. And as staff costs are driven lower, so do the standards of training and customer service go down and down. We shouldn't grumble, really; we are getting what the spreadsheet wonders think we want to pay for.