storyman
16th Nov 2000, 03:17
Service vs Safety – Another Story from the Anals of Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines made a valiant effort to train their cabin staff in the art of safety, but realising how hopeless this was they decided to cover it up by excelling in service; and when it comes to service they are good, with the awards to prove it. But cabin crew exist by the act of law. They exist to protect the passenger’s safety. When not being used for this purpose they may also be utilised for passenger comfort. Anyway, a little story………
The Singapore Airlines Training Centre was designed to be the most advanced in Asia, and it was. Unfortunately the cabin crew were not up to the high standards set.
In an attempt to make the ditching pool as real as possible, they lined it with black tiles, put heavy black curtains on the windows and added a wave maker for effect. It was only after turning the wave maker on for the first time that they noticed that the waves continued over the side of the pool and washed their way on through the rest of the building. It was also discovered that the drawing of the curtains combined with the ink black water scared the living “be-jesus” out of the cabin crew to such an extent that they wouldn’t jump into the pool from the mock-up aircraft.
This was pretty well much what also happened with the Fire-Trainer too. The trainer was a multi mock-up of a cabin aircraft and a freighter. A control room in the middle was able to simulate darkness, flames, smoke and life-like noises (but no searing heat), and all monitored by closed circuit video. 10 out of 10 for effort, but there just wasn’t anyway they could use the full compliment of bells and whistles without terrifying the living daylights out of the cabin crew.
I remember a trip where smoke was noticed coming out of a toilet waste paper bin. These bins are equipped with an automatic extinguisher system to cater for the secretive smokers who insisted on throwing their butts in with the used paper towels. But in the ensuing panic the cabin crew carried out a full drill. The door was immediately closed while the crash axe was fetched. A hole was then smashed through the door and SIX firing extinguishers were emptied into the toilet compartment! Now I can’t remember how many extinguishers that left on the aircraft but it wasn’t many. Thankfully the rest of the flight was uneventful.
Reprinted from Aug00
Singapore Airlines made a valiant effort to train their cabin staff in the art of safety, but realising how hopeless this was they decided to cover it up by excelling in service; and when it comes to service they are good, with the awards to prove it. But cabin crew exist by the act of law. They exist to protect the passenger’s safety. When not being used for this purpose they may also be utilised for passenger comfort. Anyway, a little story………
The Singapore Airlines Training Centre was designed to be the most advanced in Asia, and it was. Unfortunately the cabin crew were not up to the high standards set.
In an attempt to make the ditching pool as real as possible, they lined it with black tiles, put heavy black curtains on the windows and added a wave maker for effect. It was only after turning the wave maker on for the first time that they noticed that the waves continued over the side of the pool and washed their way on through the rest of the building. It was also discovered that the drawing of the curtains combined with the ink black water scared the living “be-jesus” out of the cabin crew to such an extent that they wouldn’t jump into the pool from the mock-up aircraft.
This was pretty well much what also happened with the Fire-Trainer too. The trainer was a multi mock-up of a cabin aircraft and a freighter. A control room in the middle was able to simulate darkness, flames, smoke and life-like noises (but no searing heat), and all monitored by closed circuit video. 10 out of 10 for effort, but there just wasn’t anyway they could use the full compliment of bells and whistles without terrifying the living daylights out of the cabin crew.
I remember a trip where smoke was noticed coming out of a toilet waste paper bin. These bins are equipped with an automatic extinguisher system to cater for the secretive smokers who insisted on throwing their butts in with the used paper towels. But in the ensuing panic the cabin crew carried out a full drill. The door was immediately closed while the crash axe was fetched. A hole was then smashed through the door and SIX firing extinguishers were emptied into the toilet compartment! Now I can’t remember how many extinguishers that left on the aircraft but it wasn’t many. Thankfully the rest of the flight was uneventful.
Reprinted from Aug00