Terminology - What Gets Your Back Up?

[bealine]

Leading on from the topic of "How to Annoy SLF", there are certain terms used in the aviation industry (or any "customer service" industry come to that) almost guaranteed to irritate.

I think almost 100% of you would experience raised hackles if you overheard yourself being referred to as a "PUNTER", wouldn't you? (Yet in organisations around the country, this is often how we're referred to as soon as they think we're out of earshot!)

Personally, I hate the word "Passenger" with a vengeance. This comes of working years ago for Post Office Telephones (now BT) as a "Buscon (business connections) salesman". We had an obese, obnoxious and arrogant individual as our Sales Manager who used to go into a fit of apopleptic fury in sales meetings and one of his favourite rants used to be:

"THERE'S NO ROOM FOR PASSENGERS IN THIS BUSINESS!"

(Meaning salesmen who weren't pulling their weight and achieving targets.)

So, when I do my PA calls at Gatwick, I usually ask for "customers". However, I overheard a remark the other day that "everyone says "customers" these days. It sounds so patronising!"

So, what terms really hack you off???

[radeng]

Misuse of 'industry' - as in 'football industry' or 'entertainment industry'. Industry produces something - football and entertainment can hardly be said to do that. 'Transport industry 'is, I feel, just about acceptable.

Similarly 'product'. I figure it really is stretching the meaning of the term to apply it to such things as airlines - 'We have a different product' - as a reply to a question about why a set of flight schedules aren't arranged to be as convenient as a competitors, for example.

The final one is the misuse of apostrophes and commas.

[bealine]

Sorry, radeng, I've noticed that I have become guilty of misusing "industry" and "product" - it's funny how it just happens (and I did learn all these things at school!)

Similarly, how we misuse the terms "profession" and "professional" - when I went to school, there were only three professions:

Medicine, Law and Teaching (the Priesthood fell into the "profession" category due to their teaching role).

So maybe PPRUNE needs to rename itself, because piloting an aircraft is a techncal ability, not a professional one!

[Alkion]

If I stay at an hotel, I pay and I am therefore a 'customer'. Why am I a 'guest' - if I have dinner guests, I don't charge them. :D

[Globaliser]

Not aviation, but there's a mantra chanted (to themselves) by staff on many cruise ships (probably all the American lines). "Not cabins, staterooms. Not passengers, guests.

I once had the pleasure of taking some "refreshment" with the captain and a couple of passenger-facing staff on board one such ship. The respect accorded for this mantra was amply demonstrated by its immediate repetition whenever someone said "cabin" or "passenger", followed by a minute or so of hysterical alcoholic giggling.

[IB4138]

The one word most misused thesedays is RAFT............a raft of measures is being introduced...............a whole raft of proposals.........

A "raft" as defined in my dictionary is...a floating structure of logs, planks etc.

The word is mainly misued by management and politicians...I love to imagine their wonderful grand ideas floating away down stream and out to sea on bunch of logs!

[OFBSLF]

What gets my goat are business euphemisms. At my previous company our first round of job losses were not lay offs. Oh no, it was "reshaping." How long did it take some MBA genius (who makes $200,000 per year) to think that up? And what was the point of that little euphemism anyways?

Personally, I was not "reshaped," but six months later, I was "strategically restructured."

Here's a hint to any management type reading this: be a man. Have some b*lls and call a spade a spade. You can't sugarcoat something like that and if you try, you won't pull the wool over our eyes -- you'll just p*ss us off.

[bealine]

I'm surprised no one's notice the Airline Marketing buzz-word for cutting back on services customers receive - "enhancement"!;)

[uffington sb]

Not strictly aviation, but ROADMAP, as in 'Roadmap for peace' etc etc. What's that all about???
I thought a roadmap was something you kept in your car to find your way about.
And I get really p*ssed when I here that americanism by annoucers at/on trains, staions airports etc say 'Skedule' It's schedule with a silent 'C'.

[ChrisVJ]

If ever there was a euphemism I don't like it is "I'll put you through to customer service." Everybody knows customer service is a telephone answering department somewhere far away whose job is to smooth everything over and get you off the phone without actually doing anything, actually they don't have the power to do anything.

In the last two or three years my kidsa have become adept at getting past "customer service" to someone who can actually do something. One of them, the most and persistant 16 year old I ever heard of, actually got past customer service at Microsoft, now there's a boy who'll go a long way in life.

Personally I also hate the new acceptance of split infinitives so loved these days by announcers and television anchor idiots. It is an inelegant, even ugly, mode of expression so much used by American pagans that it is spreading to more civilised peoples. When will we draw the line?

[bealine]

Hah! Chrisvj - I've just noticed that little "BC Canada" loacator at the bottom of the screen.

I'm surprised you find the time to get irritated what with the fishing, kayaking and wilderness trails on your doorstep!

Well done! You've reminded me of my favourite holiday (vacation) - a lovely log cabin on the shores of Qualicum Bay, Vancouver Island - long summer evenings spent on the beach by a fire, sparks crackling from prime cedar that would cost a fortune in Timber Mills here in the UK, just lazily watching the Inside Passage Cruise ships working their way towards Alaska!

I want to go there again!

Thanks for reminding me.:ok:

[WHBM]

"Fares slashed" = random little-used fares down 5%

"Fares revised" = all fares up 25%.

----------------------------------------------

"Major route improvements" = one extra round trip on Tuesdays.

(no announcements at all) = route withdrawn.

----------------------------------------------

"Revised departure time" = late.

[BRUpax]

What used to grate me was the excessive use by American F/As of "at this time" (e.g., "at this time the captain has switched on the fasten seat belts sign; at this time we have begun our descent", etc., etc.).

Like yours WHBM, right on the button!

[Gonzo]

Bealine, yeah I know exactly where you mean! Went there this time last year. Fantastic place!

The thing that gets me is when I check in for a flight, or on the intial PA on the plane, and we're told that we've been delayed 'due to ATC'. Of course the solution is press the call button and ask one of the cabin crew to pass on my business card to the captain and ask what the precise reason is and if there's anything I can do to help. More than once the PA has changed to another reason within minutes!

[radeng]

Gonzo -

Superb!!!!!

[Avman]

Ah yes, the ever convenient "ATC" delays. I caused a few red faces in the past too. Have to say though that I seldom hear it used now - even when it is an ATC delay! The most common excuse churned out is "the late arrival of the incoming aircraft". Yes OK, but why is the incoming flight late?

[answer=42]

Avperson

Because the previous outgoing flight was late, of course.

The Wright brothers were half an hour late ...

[Earthmover]

As a bloke in the front who often sits in the back, the one thing that I am so tired of hearing is "Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight"

For some unknown reason I immediately think "patronising git!"

[ChrisVJ]

Bealine ad Gonzo

Stuck inside for snow, live in Whistler!

[Jerricho]

Gonzo beat me to it! Nothing makes my p*ss boil more than hearing that, especially when I know it simply isn't true.

I guess calling some inflight catering food can be a loose interpretation of the word.

[angels]

When I lived in Singapore, the Natwest Bank downgraded my branch and issued an 0845 number to me to call with any banking business -- which of course I couldn't dial from Singapore.

When I moaned about this I got a letter which in essence said 'No problem, just nip into your branch.'

So to get some simple banking done I would have to jump onto a plane for a round trip of some 16,000 miles.

All this was 'for your convenience'.

Grrr.

[Ace Rimmer]

The old blame ATC excuse it reminds me of a story (which I hope is true) A few years back the then FAA head honcho Jane Garvey was on a flight out of DCA the flight was delayed with some tech glitch and the PA is made "Folks we're sorry about the delay but its all the fault of ATC it seems tha the FAA is trying new software and that's causing traffic to back up". Since the aircraft is still at the gate la Garvey whips out her phone and makes a few calls to ...er... determine the veracity of the statement... Having concluded that the PA was in fact bollix she took out a business card and wrote a word on the back (to do with what comes out the back end of a male bovine) and sent it up to the flight deck.

To get back on track On the airline that I'm currently a mileage whore on they have a phrasing on their PA's that really pisses me off (dunno why... it just does) what it is "we have started our intital approach to XYZ and the Captain has turned on the seat belt sign which will remain illuminated for the duration of the flight" When ever I hear that I want to shout it's "REMAINDER you dozy xxxdwew. Remainder implying that which remains rather than duration which surely is to say that which began at pushback and will conclude when we are on blocks at XYZ"
Geeze I need to get out more...

:ok:

[Bus429]

Another misused word is "oversight", often used in the USA to describe a responsibility to regulate or monitor (as in FAA). Actually, viewing the link below, you'll see it has a dual meaning. I think using it in the context of omission is better.

Definition of oversight (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/oversight)

[Avman]

Not aviation related but topic related, my wife can't stand the "in case of fire do not use elevator" notices. According to that you should in fact NEVER use an elevator!

[Amelia_Flashtart]

IB4318

"Raft" is quite acceptable to use in the way you mention. There is more than the one definition of raft defined in most major dictionaries.

This from Websters

raft2 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rft)
n. Informal
A great number, amount, or collection: “As the prairie dog goes, conservation biologists say, so may go a raft of other creatures” (William K. Stevens).

[IB4138]

Amelia,

You've given your true ID away!
Creatures in rafts.........

It's Noah ain't it?
You've got an Arc and not a raft like the rest of us.

If it carries on raining like yesterday, is it available for lease (wet), towards the middle of the week?

Raft, even in the contect you mention is still annoying and I see politicians and their papers plunging over falls whenever it's used......correction over used. Best place for most politicians these days.

Another one..
"The pilot has now switched on the seat belt sign. The toilets are no longer in use."
What about the poor sod who's in there at the time. Do they have to stop mid...........?
You can see the glint in the F/As eyes, as they send the queue back to spend the next 30 mins with legs crossed , red faced and in great discomfort.

[slim_slag]

Use of the term "direct flight" which means same flight number but with inconvenient stops en-route.

Not being able to book airline ticket originating in UK with non UK credit card, and being told by airline it is for "my protection".

Those recent loyalty program changes which significantly devalued miles accrued and future benefits was a good one, an "enhancement" according to the airline, lol.

Comparing European no-frill airlines to Southwest always makes me laugh.

[Stickies]

One of my pet (linguistic) peeves is the ever increasing use of the phrase *going forward*, as in * we will be enhancing our interest rate in light of the recent interest rate rise going forward*.What the heck does that mean? On the subject of finance speak, why is it necessary to say, for example, one quarter of one percent? It would not be one quarter of 3.6% (or any other number) would it.
I think the acid test for these redundant phrases is, would the meaning of the sentence change were the phrase to be removed?