Talking to the passengers on the PA
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Talking to the passengers on the PA
hello,
I have just started working for an airline in Europe. This is my first job flying passengers and I am trying to get some advice on how to do a good passenger PA call.
If some of you would like to write down exactly what you say on the PA for two scenarios it would be very much appreciated.
The two scenarios:
1. Welcoming the passengers on board
2. In cruise - talking about the route, landing time and Wx at destination
Thank you very much,
EightsOnPylons
I have just started working for an airline in Europe. This is my first job flying passengers and I am trying to get some advice on how to do a good passenger PA call.
If some of you would like to write down exactly what you say on the PA for two scenarios it would be very much appreciated.
The two scenarios:
1. Welcoming the passengers on board
2. In cruise - talking about the route, landing time and Wx at destination
Thank you very much,
EightsOnPylons
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First think what do they want to know and what do you have to say.
The format I follow is
Pre Take-off
Good M/A/E L & G
Welcome aboard this A-PLUS Airways Boeing 737 (don't overdo- most don't know what a 737 is anyway).
Introduce the Copilot or Captain and the senior Cabin Crew member
Loading is nearly complete with all passengers on board, we'll be closing the door shortly and starting engines.
We'll be taking off from XXX airport to the south over Botany Bay.
Our route to Manderlay will take us over the Alps at our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Flight time will be 2 hours and 35 minutes.
The weather at Manderlay is forecast to be (be very brief).
Then the legal bit:
We are about to give you a safety demonstration about the safety features of this aircraft. It is important and contains information you must know (don't overdo the drama), so please do pay it close attention.
Seatbelts
Now please ensure your seatbelt is fastened for take-off. We advise you to fasten it even if the seatbelt sign is not illuminated in case we run into any unforecast turbulence.
Getting to the end now
Now please sit back and relax and I shall speak to you during the flight with full details of our arrival.
Cruise
Easy this one- just think 'what would I want to know if I was sitting there?'
Where we are
How high we are (for the tech heads)
How long to go
What you must do to your watch
The time in Manderlay now
The weather forecast
L & G, we are now flying at 35,000 feet over Geneva with lovely views of the Alps out of the left hand side (no more than that). We shall be landing in Manderlay in 12 hours. The local time in Burma is now 11.30 pm and you should advance/wind back your watches 7 hours to the local time of 11.30 pm.
We shall arrive on schedule at 7.45 am (get your sums right! Write down all these figures) when the weather is forcast to be snowy with a temperature of 20 degrees Celcius, 68 degrees Fahrenheit. (give them both- Celcius means nothing to Americans and lots of Brits- learn the conversion).
End- your tone of voice lets them know when you're finishing, so no weak exits- just leave it at that.
Always write down brief notes of what you are going to say and numbers- it's amazing how your brain goes empty suddenly when you need it! I find names have to be writen down in front of me or I just can't remember them. Never try and do it from memory- you will miss bits.
Never add 'thankyou' at the end- it is a very weak exit leaving people wondering why 'you' are thanking 'them'. One Captain told me 'they' should be thanking 'you' for giving them all that information!
Leave out any attempt at humour until you are an expert- you will offend somebody. Don't be too overbearing or whatever the opposite of overbearing is. Don't harp on about views- most people can't see them unless they are by a window. Don't wish they 'enjoy the flight'- how can anybody 'enjoy' being strapped into their seat hardly able to see anything?Be honest about delays- keep them informed with hopefully a glimmer of hope of getting away- don't allow deadlines to pass without saying anything. Remember some people are very nervous. Everybody has had a thought that they might not get off alive (aeroplanes do that to people), so no bad humour, no jokes about safety at all. Never use expressions like 'thunder' or 'storm'. it's just a bit 'windy' or 'rainy' or 'bumpy'- they really freak nervy people. Never lie- Sod's Law says somebody on board will know the truth! Blame ATC and there will be an Air Traffic Controller sitting down the back who will find the truth! Always point out when you are 'on time', try and leave out how late you are if you can get away with it.
Never over- apologise- one apology only otherwise people will think more and more how bad you are with people apologising all the time. Never apologise if the fault is someone else's- if you apologise, you get the blame in peoples' minds. This is Aviation Rule 1- never apologise if it's not your fault otherwise people will blame you.
Classic error just heard on GB Airways from Valencia last week- co-pilot giving interminable, mumbling PA, nobody listening anymore, me included, when I hear him mumble bored "well there's not really any more to say"........hello? Well shutup then for God's sake! Why are you wittering on? Because he couldn't think of an exit- he didn't need an exit, just shut up! Don't give those stupid platitudes like 'I hope you are enjoying your flight' (they're not). 'Thank you for flying with Snot Airways' (they'll fly with anybody if the fare is low enough). 'I wish you a pleasant flight' (you can wish to win the lottery but you won't). They all mean absolutely nothing, so don't say them.
The format I follow is
Pre Take-off
Good M/A/E L & G
Welcome aboard this A-PLUS Airways Boeing 737 (don't overdo- most don't know what a 737 is anyway).
Introduce the Copilot or Captain and the senior Cabin Crew member
Loading is nearly complete with all passengers on board, we'll be closing the door shortly and starting engines.
We'll be taking off from XXX airport to the south over Botany Bay.
Our route to Manderlay will take us over the Alps at our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Flight time will be 2 hours and 35 minutes.
The weather at Manderlay is forecast to be (be very brief).
Then the legal bit:
We are about to give you a safety demonstration about the safety features of this aircraft. It is important and contains information you must know (don't overdo the drama), so please do pay it close attention.
Seatbelts
Now please ensure your seatbelt is fastened for take-off. We advise you to fasten it even if the seatbelt sign is not illuminated in case we run into any unforecast turbulence.
Getting to the end now
Now please sit back and relax and I shall speak to you during the flight with full details of our arrival.
Cruise
Easy this one- just think 'what would I want to know if I was sitting there?'
Where we are
How high we are (for the tech heads)
How long to go
What you must do to your watch
The time in Manderlay now
The weather forecast
L & G, we are now flying at 35,000 feet over Geneva with lovely views of the Alps out of the left hand side (no more than that). We shall be landing in Manderlay in 12 hours. The local time in Burma is now 11.30 pm and you should advance/wind back your watches 7 hours to the local time of 11.30 pm.
We shall arrive on schedule at 7.45 am (get your sums right! Write down all these figures) when the weather is forcast to be snowy with a temperature of 20 degrees Celcius, 68 degrees Fahrenheit. (give them both- Celcius means nothing to Americans and lots of Brits- learn the conversion).
End- your tone of voice lets them know when you're finishing, so no weak exits- just leave it at that.
Always write down brief notes of what you are going to say and numbers- it's amazing how your brain goes empty suddenly when you need it! I find names have to be writen down in front of me or I just can't remember them. Never try and do it from memory- you will miss bits.
Never add 'thankyou' at the end- it is a very weak exit leaving people wondering why 'you' are thanking 'them'. One Captain told me 'they' should be thanking 'you' for giving them all that information!
Leave out any attempt at humour until you are an expert- you will offend somebody. Don't be too overbearing or whatever the opposite of overbearing is. Don't harp on about views- most people can't see them unless they are by a window. Don't wish they 'enjoy the flight'- how can anybody 'enjoy' being strapped into their seat hardly able to see anything?Be honest about delays- keep them informed with hopefully a glimmer of hope of getting away- don't allow deadlines to pass without saying anything. Remember some people are very nervous. Everybody has had a thought that they might not get off alive (aeroplanes do that to people), so no bad humour, no jokes about safety at all. Never use expressions like 'thunder' or 'storm'. it's just a bit 'windy' or 'rainy' or 'bumpy'- they really freak nervy people. Never lie- Sod's Law says somebody on board will know the truth! Blame ATC and there will be an Air Traffic Controller sitting down the back who will find the truth! Always point out when you are 'on time', try and leave out how late you are if you can get away with it.
Never over- apologise- one apology only otherwise people will think more and more how bad you are with people apologising all the time. Never apologise if the fault is someone else's- if you apologise, you get the blame in peoples' minds. This is Aviation Rule 1- never apologise if it's not your fault otherwise people will blame you.
Classic error just heard on GB Airways from Valencia last week- co-pilot giving interminable, mumbling PA, nobody listening anymore, me included, when I hear him mumble bored "well there's not really any more to say"........hello? Well shutup then for God's sake! Why are you wittering on? Because he couldn't think of an exit- he didn't need an exit, just shut up! Don't give those stupid platitudes like 'I hope you are enjoying your flight' (they're not). 'Thank you for flying with Snot Airways' (they'll fly with anybody if the fare is low enough). 'I wish you a pleasant flight' (you can wish to win the lottery but you won't). They all mean absolutely nothing, so don't say them.
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Notsofantastic, so we don't want to be thanked?
I bet five pounds you work for BA.
Eightsonpylons, ALWAYS thank us for paying you to fly, and if you stand at the door when I get off I will always thank you for your troubles too.
And thanks to all the UA pilots who leave channel 9 on especially over parts of the world where it's all procedural on HF. We don't get to hear that sort of thing much flying around where it's all radar coverage.
I bet five pounds you work for BA.
Eightsonpylons, ALWAYS thank us for paying you to fly, and if you stand at the door when I get off I will always thank you for your troubles too.
And thanks to all the UA pilots who leave channel 9 on especially over parts of the world where it's all procedural on HF. We don't get to hear that sort of thing much flying around where it's all radar coverage.
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Well what does the 'thankyou' at the end of a PA mean? Thank you for listening to me giving you the information you want? (you don't actually have a choice- you're under the speaker!). The pilot is doing all the work getting this information assembled and imparted- the pax should thank him for going to the effort. What the 'thankyou' at the end of most PAs means is 'I don't really know any way to exit, so I shall just mumble thankyou and cut off.'
Slag, you are up 5 pounds. The PA standards amongst the other airlines I fly with are atrocious. BA went to a lot of trouble giving us courses on what people want to hear, and I slipped a lot of them in there for free. I do hear the most awful PAs outside of BA. In BA, there is a gigantic problem with desperately overblown Cabin Crew PAs, to the extent most pilots minimise what they say out of sympathy for the passengers undergoing non-stop PAs about everything under the sun from the Cabin Crew (then in German and French and Italian and Spanish), and finally when all you want to do is get the hell out of there, they touch you for charity with another PA.
Slag, you are up 5 pounds. The PA standards amongst the other airlines I fly with are atrocious. BA went to a lot of trouble giving us courses on what people want to hear, and I slipped a lot of them in there for free. I do hear the most awful PAs outside of BA. In BA, there is a gigantic problem with desperately overblown Cabin Crew PAs, to the extent most pilots minimise what they say out of sympathy for the passengers undergoing non-stop PAs about everything under the sun from the Cabin Crew (then in German and French and Italian and Spanish), and finally when all you want to do is get the hell out of there, they touch you for charity with another PA.
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You read Notso Fantastics post, he says it all.
Here are some other thoughts:
Blend in "WE" and "US" in your pax address. This gives pax the feeling that you (cockpit/cabin) are a crew.
Think about what you would like to hear/not hear from the PA. Speak slowly, use short sentences and speak clearly.
When describing the landscape and you happen to turn your head to look outside, move the mike/handset/boomset with you.
Be truthful, open, credible, interested, motivated and effective.
Speak as if you are a winner.
Don't express opinions.
Be carefull with humour directed at any group. Use humour only if it does not affect anybody (i.e. if a situation/constellation of events is funny).
What is really nice for passengers, but also for the cabin crew, is to round off the flight after landing (while taxiing in when all CL work is done and only a few meters to roll) by bidding the pax farewell and telling them to travel safely by road (being sincere, afterall you want to see them again and the whole point of your job is transporting pax) and to then express your gratitude towards the cabin crew for there fantastic work "in front" of the pax. They love it... provided you mean it.
Don't use long sentences like these
When you speak on the PA, always put a smile on your face. This will be "heard" in the cabin... try it, it works.
Less is more
If the weather is not so fantastic (excuse the pun Notso Fantastic) and there is FOG, rather use "low clouds" or "reduced visibility" than the word FOG, as pax associate delays and other nasties with FOG.
Here are some other thoughts:
Blend in "WE" and "US" in your pax address. This gives pax the feeling that you (cockpit/cabin) are a crew.
Think about what you would like to hear/not hear from the PA. Speak slowly, use short sentences and speak clearly.
When describing the landscape and you happen to turn your head to look outside, move the mike/handset/boomset with you.
Be truthful, open, credible, interested, motivated and effective.
Speak as if you are a winner.
Don't express opinions.
Be carefull with humour directed at any group. Use humour only if it does not affect anybody (i.e. if a situation/constellation of events is funny).
What is really nice for passengers, but also for the cabin crew, is to round off the flight after landing (while taxiing in when all CL work is done and only a few meters to roll) by bidding the pax farewell and telling them to travel safely by road (being sincere, afterall you want to see them again and the whole point of your job is transporting pax) and to then express your gratitude towards the cabin crew for there fantastic work "in front" of the pax. They love it... provided you mean it.
Don't use long sentences like these
When you speak on the PA, always put a smile on your face. This will be "heard" in the cabin... try it, it works.
Less is more
If the weather is not so fantastic (excuse the pun Notso Fantastic) and there is FOG, rather use "low clouds" or "reduced visibility" than the word FOG, as pax associate delays and other nasties with FOG.
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Here's what I always use:
WELCOME
========
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking. My name is xxx and assisting me on the flight deck is first officer xxx. You have a great crew looking after you in the cabin led by cabin supevisor xxx and her team of xxx, xxx and xxx who will take good care of you this morning/afternoon/evening.
We are almost ready to go, just waiting for the last bits of paperwork to be completed, expecting to close the doors and start the engines in the next 5 minutes. The expected flight time today is approximately x hours and x minutes, our routing today will take us away from xxx towards xxx, then passing xxx, xxx and xxx, before beginning our descent over xxx. We will be cruising at xxx thousand feet and weather en route should be good.
The cabin crew will be performing a safety demonstration while we taxi the aircraft to the runway so I would ask you to please pay them your full attention as it is not only for your own safety but also for those passengers seated around you.
I will be speaking to you later on with more information about the flight, the latest weather for xxx and the approximate arrival time. In the meantime please relax and enjoy the service, thank you for your attention.
MID CRUISE
=========
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning/afternoon/evening, this is captain ___ from the flight deck again. We are currently cruising at ___ feet at a speed of ___ which is ___ miles per hour and the outside temperature is -40°C.
At present we are overhead ___, our routing will then take us overhead ___ and ___ before we will begin our initial descent into ___ over ___.
The weather in ___ is ___ with a temperature of ___°C and ___. We should be landing ___ minutes ahead of schedule/on time/___ minutes late and be on stand in approximately ___
minutes from now.
Once again Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for flying ___ today and please enjoy the rest of your flight with us.
AFTER LANDING
===========
Ladies and Gentlemen, once again your captain. I am delighted to be able to welcome you to ___ on time/___ minutes ahead of schedule where the local time is ___. We will be on stand in a few minutes so please stay in your seats until the aircraft has come to a complete stop, the engines have been shut down and the seat belt sign has been switched off.
Once again, from all of us here on board, captain ___, first officer ___, cabin supervisor ___ and his/her team, ___, ___ and ___ thank you for flying with us and enjoy your stay in the ___ area. Good morning/afternoon/evening
Hope this helps, if you're interested, a French, Spanish, Italian and Swedish version is also available, just do a search.
WELCOME
========
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking. My name is xxx and assisting me on the flight deck is first officer xxx. You have a great crew looking after you in the cabin led by cabin supevisor xxx and her team of xxx, xxx and xxx who will take good care of you this morning/afternoon/evening.
We are almost ready to go, just waiting for the last bits of paperwork to be completed, expecting to close the doors and start the engines in the next 5 minutes. The expected flight time today is approximately x hours and x minutes, our routing today will take us away from xxx towards xxx, then passing xxx, xxx and xxx, before beginning our descent over xxx. We will be cruising at xxx thousand feet and weather en route should be good.
The cabin crew will be performing a safety demonstration while we taxi the aircraft to the runway so I would ask you to please pay them your full attention as it is not only for your own safety but also for those passengers seated around you.
I will be speaking to you later on with more information about the flight, the latest weather for xxx and the approximate arrival time. In the meantime please relax and enjoy the service, thank you for your attention.
MID CRUISE
=========
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning/afternoon/evening, this is captain ___ from the flight deck again. We are currently cruising at ___ feet at a speed of ___ which is ___ miles per hour and the outside temperature is -40°C.
At present we are overhead ___, our routing will then take us overhead ___ and ___ before we will begin our initial descent into ___ over ___.
The weather in ___ is ___ with a temperature of ___°C and ___. We should be landing ___ minutes ahead of schedule/on time/___ minutes late and be on stand in approximately ___
minutes from now.
Once again Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for flying ___ today and please enjoy the rest of your flight with us.
AFTER LANDING
===========
Ladies and Gentlemen, once again your captain. I am delighted to be able to welcome you to ___ on time/___ minutes ahead of schedule where the local time is ___. We will be on stand in a few minutes so please stay in your seats until the aircraft has come to a complete stop, the engines have been shut down and the seat belt sign has been switched off.
Once again, from all of us here on board, captain ___, first officer ___, cabin supervisor ___ and his/her team, ___, ___ and ___ thank you for flying with us and enjoy your stay in the ___ area. Good morning/afternoon/evening
Hope this helps, if you're interested, a French, Spanish, Italian and Swedish version is also available, just do a search.
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Very interesting topic... But fellows, do you usually start your annoucements using a very formal "Ladies and Gentlemen" or you prefer an American way ..."Hi folks"?
just a curiosity...
just a curiosity...
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Umm. "High Folks"...... Umm...... Ergh! I'm afraid Europeans shrink from such jocular familiarity- unless you know the people you are talking to, I think many of the passengers would be screwing their faces up in distaste (or fainting). Not to say it is offensive when the Americans do it- it is one of the things about being American everyone accepts (and quite likes), but not for Europeans. We are far more formal. The most formal of all are the Germans with 2 ways of addressing- intimate for children and close friends, and formal for everyone else. If you seduce a workmate, next day she will still be calling you 'Herr Fantastic"- even then christian names are not in order. Just been reading "Eagle's Wings" by Hajo Herrmann (excellent book), a Luftwaffe officer in the war. Right at the time of defeat, one of his superiors, right at the end says the equivalent of "Well that's torn it Hajo, we're ****ed", and he, instead of replying "Yeah- we're well and truly stuffed, aren't we?", he says "I do not wish to use the intimate form with the Herr General!". Formal to the end. So "Hi Folks"?- not over here!
Irish- it always grates with me when people 'welcome' you everywhere. You can welcome people to your home or your home country, but can you welcome people to somewhere else? Welcome implies coming into 'my space'. I can welcome people to London, but not to Delhi or Cairo-it sounds wrong to me.
Irish- it always grates with me when people 'welcome' you everywhere. You can welcome people to your home or your home country, but can you welcome people to somewhere else? Welcome implies coming into 'my space'. I can welcome people to London, but not to Delhi or Cairo-it sounds wrong to me.
Last edited by Notso Fantastic; 11th May 2004 at 00:00.
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E O P
Nice samples here. Take those who suit you and talk to the passenger when you have the time to talk and only if you enjoy it. I remember "the good old days" where passenger where able to visit the flight deck. They often asked about the PA and they became closer to the crews. It depends where you fly then you can use the british form of Ladies and Gentleman, the Irish Folks, Boys and Girls and so on.... If You enjoy what you do, put that into your PA, that reflects thru to the passengers, smile and the pax will feel it truly. Fly allways safe and land happy!.
NG
and the pax will feel it truly. Fly allways safe and land happy!.NG
Forewarned is Forearmed
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Not a pilot myself but I have enjoyed many PA's, not only on the the aircraft but on the Tower Frequency at work, 1 which blocked the tower frequency for nearly 2 mins that stands out clearly, when the Capt told the pax in his closing line after a nice cosy chat " We may be under way a bit earlier than expected as soon as we bribe ATC to let us start early ".
Nothing was on finals at but 5 others waiting to go ,the Tower controller was not a happy chappie, Shame, as everyone else enjoyed it
Keep up the good work
Nothing was on finals at but 5 others waiting to go ,the Tower controller was not a happy chappie, Shame, as everyone else enjoyed it
Keep up the good work
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Thanks for the info guys. I never got any training in how to deliver a good PA.
If your aircraft is equipped with IFE (moving map) do you still inform your passengers re: intended routing?
Thanks
If your aircraft is equipped with IFE (moving map) do you still inform your passengers re: intended routing?
Thanks
The best ending I've heard was taxying into the stand:
"Thank you for flying with us, and have a safe onward journer. Just remember that the safest part of your journey is just comming to an end"
S
"Thank you for flying with us, and have a safe onward journer. Just remember that the safest part of your journey is just comming to an end"
S
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Just a thought.... Flying for a regional airline, we carry lots of passengers who do fly regularly. And 99% of passengers, if not flying regularly, will have flown before. As a passenger, it must get really irritating to hear the Capt or FO give a welcome speach, and then harp on about the Cabin Crew giving a very important demonstration on the safety aspects, and if you could just listen to them, after all it is for your benefit. Capt signs off, then Cabin Crew get on the PA, and say "We're here for your comfort, but primarily your safety, and we're now going to give you a demonstration of the safety aspects of this aircraft, and your attention would be appreciated".
Cabin Crew don't harp on about what we're doing in any of their PA's...."LAdies and Gentlemen, Capt XXX and his/her crew would like to welcome you on board this flight to XXX. The Flight Deck are currently going through the before start checks, and getting the weather, and then we'll be on our way. In the meantime, we'd like to give you a safety demonstration..."
For those that do fly regularly, they've heard it all before, and being told twice every flight that they must listen to the safety demonstration etc must get right on their nerves. And for those that don't fly all too often, they'll probably be so excited about going in a metal tube in the sky that they'll hang on every word anyway and give cabin crew their upmost attention.....
Cabin Crew don't harp on about what we're doing in any of their PA's...."LAdies and Gentlemen, Capt XXX and his/her crew would like to welcome you on board this flight to XXX. The Flight Deck are currently going through the before start checks, and getting the weather, and then we'll be on our way. In the meantime, we'd like to give you a safety demonstration..."
For those that do fly regularly, they've heard it all before, and being told twice every flight that they must listen to the safety demonstration etc must get right on their nerves. And for those that don't fly all too often, they'll probably be so excited about going in a metal tube in the sky that they'll hang on every word anyway and give cabin crew their upmost attention.....
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Just pick the bits of the PA you want. Don't talk about where you are with a moving map because if you don't tally with what it says (and some of them show bizarre place names), you will cause instant panic "oh my God, the pilot's lost! He says we're at Geneva and the map says Aosta!". Only ever briefly point out views because most people can't see them.
er82- try flying BA! Even first time travellers will be looking up at the ceiling wondering why buying an airline ticket is an excuse for 30 people to talk at them on the PA non-stop and spoil their flight and stop them sleeping! It\'s becoming the joke of the industry. As Cabin Crew pay has risen and overtaken copilot pay, it seems to be thought that they must make their presence \'obvious\'.
er82- try flying BA! Even first time travellers will be looking up at the ceiling wondering why buying an airline ticket is an excuse for 30 people to talk at them on the PA non-stop and spoil their flight and stop them sleeping! It\'s becoming the joke of the industry. As Cabin Crew pay has risen and overtaken copilot pay, it seems to be thought that they must make their presence \'obvious\'.
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Haven't flown BA for some time, but I reckon Virgin could rival you for the length, frequency and irrelevence of Cabin Crew PA's! Jeez, they do go on and on and on and on......
Keep flight deck PA's brief (please...!). Always sound like you know what you're doing, and you know what's going on outside the aircraft, especially when you're delayed. Never refer to anything safety-related by any kind of emotional or loaded terminology that you understand, but the average pax doesn't. Don't do a cruise PA if there's a moving map display in the IFE; you only reduce your passengers' confidence in you if there's the slightest discrepency between what you say and what the IFE says; for instance, have you checked where the IFE's 'time to destination' was based on - destination or diversion? Often it's the latter ('cos it's based on your FMS/FMGS flight plan), and therefore it may be very different from what you say on the PA. In any case, why tell me what I know already - interrupting my movie/meal/sleep while you do so?
Do tell me in the descent what time we're going to arrive, and be honest about any delays. Update me if the delays get extended or cancelled. Don't go into too much detail about the weather; I know you've got a detailed TAF and actual, you don't have to prove it.
Don't welcome me to XXX on the ground unless it's your home base, but do tell those selfish barstewards to sit down and stay strapped in until the lights are off - and mean it!
Keep flight deck PA's brief (please...!). Always sound like you know what you're doing, and you know what's going on outside the aircraft, especially when you're delayed. Never refer to anything safety-related by any kind of emotional or loaded terminology that you understand, but the average pax doesn't. Don't do a cruise PA if there's a moving map display in the IFE; you only reduce your passengers' confidence in you if there's the slightest discrepency between what you say and what the IFE says; for instance, have you checked where the IFE's 'time to destination' was based on - destination or diversion? Often it's the latter ('cos it's based on your FMS/FMGS flight plan), and therefore it may be very different from what you say on the PA. In any case, why tell me what I know already - interrupting my movie/meal/sleep while you do so?
Do tell me in the descent what time we're going to arrive, and be honest about any delays. Update me if the delays get extended or cancelled. Don't go into too much detail about the weather; I know you've got a detailed TAF and actual, you don't have to prove it.
Don't welcome me to XXX on the ground unless it's your home base, but do tell those selfish barstewards to sit down and stay strapped in until the lights are off - and mean it!