Cabin Crew Announcements : an SLF opinion

[OntimeexceptACARS]

Stuck between posting on this thread or the TCX forum on Airports Airlines and Routes. Flew with TCX a couple of weeks ago GLA-PMI, locally based CC. Both flights were on time, well aware of the seat pitch limitations but no deal breaker for a 2.5hr flight. As a long time GLA operator, I want them to do well, and despite recent retrenchment, they seem to be doing OK at Glasgow.

But one thing that seemed to be worse than someone scratching the cabin trim with a full set of forks was the cabin announcements. Like the UK shown Specsavers ad, the one with the Space Shuttle landing at Luton, only even more annoying.

A few weeks earlier I flew from MAN-EFL, and it was the same, though less intense, style of announcements.

Hopefully the forthcoming A321s will have a pre-recorded video for safety demos, but every single announcement on these flights was achingly crass in its tone. Nothing wrong with the content, but after the safety stuff, enroute info, duty free, meals info, charity collection info, were all delivered in the same tone that made my hands clench.

Please please TCX, train your crews to speak in a tone that doesn't give the impression that "you're all mindless idiots". You can be authoritative and clear without resorting to this.

If you need to, take a lesson from most European airlines or even BA, who come across as informative and pleasant. Not blaming the CC themselves, its your management that teach you to speak in this totally unnatural way, almost like Jeremy Clarkson impressions!!

Worse things happen in aviation, but to still have this relic from 70s CC training is wrong! I'll get my grumpy old man coat now.... :}

[Capetonian]

I agree that some cabin announcements are awful. Too loud, too harsh, moronic, or too soft, or gabbled and inaudible.

I flew out of MAN on Jet2 a couple of weeks ago and in all other respects it was a more than satisfactory flight, but the announcements were so loud as to be painful, and the one attendant in particular seemed to really like the sound of her own voice. I know they have to be certain volume to be audible and to command attention, but this was really over the top.

I stopped flying on Kulula as apart from their unreliability, I found their 'funny' announcements wearying and irritating, specially when delivered, as was mostly the case, by CC who couldn't carry it off.

BA and easyJet seem to have got it right.

[geeohgeegeeoh]

My favourite kinds are the ones who start the schpiel, and hit the moment where they need to know where they are "arriving at ..." or "the time is now..." and you get a SCHHHHH=TOCK [pause] SCHHHHH=TOCK and they come back with the info.

confidence boosting!

[Ramper1]

Not being funny, But from a cabin crews point of view, some crew fly upto 26 flights per week, so to keep up with where you are going can be quite tricky!!!! If you do 5 flights in one day, you do havevtovask yourself " where am I going??!!" Am I going to or from destination!!!!! They could have been changed duties when they checked in, and now going somewhere completely different. We all forget at times, and that particular job changes almost hourly, so have a bit of understanding and not Just shoot them down cause of a mind block from time to time.

[Allan Lupton]

A dozen years ago, as a former frequent international passenger in retirement, I was appalled when departing from Pisa in an aeroplane full of English and Italian pax that the safety announcements were only made in a regional English, so heavily-accented that we native English-speakers could hardly be sure we understood.
As I regard that as a safety issue, I subsequently wrote to the airline concerned, asking why there was no Italian announcement at all and why they didn't use studio-made clear recordings such as most other airlines had done for decades. Standard brush-off letter of response of course and no acknowledgement of the safety aspect.

[easyflyer83]

Much of what the airlines do/don't is regulated by the regulator. Simply put, if a foreign demo/audio was not made chances are it was not required as per the CAA or regulatory body.

At my airline we play both English and foreign language but we are permitted to omit the local language if there is no time. In practice however that is extremely rare as the local language is played as soon as the doors are closed and before the English.

[wingzakimbo]

Some years ago on arrival at LHR on a flight from LAX the captain made his 'welcome to London' announcement with the added vomit inducing remark:

"...and I just wanted to tell you from all of us, and especially the cabin crew, that you all boarded as passengers but are leaving as friends"

I have often wondered whether it actually was a dare.:eek: