Flight Deck Announcements - To Passengers
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walterthesofty - you are a funny one!
As the previous poster said, it is common practice to introduce oneself using one's name, whatever the social context.
On every flight I have taken this year (all from Luton, coincidentally, so it can't be a "Luton" thing
), the captain introduced himself by name. That really is the "normal" way of doing things.
Your second comment demonstrates you do not understand the unique nature of the relationship between the captain and passengers in comparison with other members of staff who are part of flight operations. And yes, the captain's name is more "relevant" than the baggage handler's, not least because one is legally in charge of several hundred people and the other is not.
As the previous poster said, it is common practice to introduce oneself using one's name, whatever the social context.
On every flight I have taken this year (all from Luton, coincidentally, so it can't be a "Luton" thing
), the captain introduced himself by name. That really is the "normal" way of doing things. Your second comment demonstrates you do not understand the unique nature of the relationship between the captain and passengers in comparison with other members of staff who are part of flight operations. And yes, the captain's name is more "relevant" than the baggage handler's, not least because one is legally in charge of several hundred people and the other is not.
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The fact of the matter is that most passengers do not listen, of those that do most will have forgotten what was said 5 minutes later. With that in mind, and that no matter what you say or how you say it someone will always prefer just the opposite, keep it short and keep it simple.
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Sure Wirbel, do whatever you want. You can even leave the stick firmly in place if you like.
As both a giver and receiver of PAs, and this being a thread in which the OP asked for thoughts on the matter, I obliged.
What did you do?
As both a giver and receiver of PAs, and this being a thread in which the OP asked for thoughts on the matter, I obliged.
What did you do?
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As both a giver and receiver of PAs, and this being a thread in which the OP asked for thoughts on the matter, I obliged.
What did you do?
What did you do?
I then decide what parts I wish to listen to. I always pay attention during the emergency brief however out of courtesy to the crew.
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Once again I want to sincerely thank you for commenting on this thread. Just to give everyone a quick update on how the training is going with the airline i'm working with, must say that the commanders are all very receptive and open to learning new ways on how they could probably further "enhance" and or "improve" the efficiency of their messages / PAs.
Am in no way telling them what to say, merely sharing ways on how they can say what they want to say-- better and again, have the message be received more effectively.
Any commander here willing to share with me how you would explain a "Touch & Go" though? Hehe
Thanks.
Johan.
Am in no way telling them what to say, merely sharing ways on how they can say what they want to say-- better and again, have the message be received more effectively.
Any commander here willing to share with me how you would explain a "Touch & Go" though? Hehe
Thanks.
Johan.
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Its part of the role-playing exercise we are doing during the course.
The participants are given scenarios and some of them include having the need to perform a touch & go just to ascertain the "wheels are down & locked".
This is not flight training but merely an announcement course.
Needs for this were raised by the airline when reports were submitted of commanders constantly using bombastic aviation words during their announcements "Ie. Ladies & Gentleman, bla bla bla, temp is xyz, dew point is abc, we are expected to hold over this vor at x thousand feet and bla bla bla".
We are sharing with them ways on how to "re-word the phrases" when transmitting to the passengers, and am merely now looking for what your thoughts would be when having the need to re-word "touch & go" in a sentence. Would be interesting to know what you would say!
Thanks.
JFK
The participants are given scenarios and some of them include having the need to perform a touch & go just to ascertain the "wheels are down & locked".
This is not flight training but merely an announcement course.
Needs for this were raised by the airline when reports were submitted of commanders constantly using bombastic aviation words during their announcements "Ie. Ladies & Gentleman, bla bla bla, temp is xyz, dew point is abc, we are expected to hold over this vor at x thousand feet and bla bla bla".
We are sharing with them ways on how to "re-word the phrases" when transmitting to the passengers, and am merely now looking for what your thoughts would be when having the need to re-word "touch & go" in a sentence. Would be interesting to know what you would say!
Thanks.
JFK
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We don't do "touch & go's" with customers on board. These are normally training manoeuvers.
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An American pilot might remark without irony, "Well Folks, I did say we'd be landing momentarily" and perhaps add, " We''ll try to make it a little more permanent next time".
Another might say " Apologies if we worried you all there, If I'd exercised the right amount of judgment at the right time that would never have happened".
or "Bugger! that was Brussels, not Hamburg".
"Oops, I'll get my coat!"
Another might say " Apologies if we worried you all there, If I'd exercised the right amount of judgment at the right time that would never have happened".
or "Bugger! that was Brussels, not Hamburg".
"Oops, I'll get my coat!"
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Touch & Go, Aborted Landing, Go Around, Missed Approach mouth full of sand
Any commander here willing to share with me how you would explain a "Touch & Go" though? Hehe
It really helps to have given some thought as to what to say to the passengers long before you have to speak over the PA. Often immediately following a “go around” the workload is high and the level of “stress” is higher as well.
First of all relax and breathe, speak without telegraphing tension in your voice regardless of the reason for the “go around”.
Speak in generalities emphasizing safety and include a resolution in your announcement.For example let’s say that I failed to properly plan my approach and I ended up too high and too fast and after touching down decided I was not sure I could stop the jet so I decided to go around (Your "Commanders" will never do such a thing of course). When appropriate I would say something along the lines of the following:
“Ladies and Gentlemen this is your captain speaking. During our approach and landing into Budapest today we constantly monitor many important things such as airspeed, distance between ourselves and other traffic, changing weather and runway conditions and many other items. Whenever any one of those items is not to our likening we will discontinue the approach and return when we are confident that all of the safety parameters are met to our satisfaction. Air traffic control is sequencing us in for landing at Budapest again; I anticipate a completely normal landing in 10 minutes. We will have you safely on the ground shortly.
Speak in generalities: “many important things such as airspeed distance between ourselves and other traffic, changing weather and runway conditions”. Forget specifics like “sink rate warning, windshear warning”, inadequate spacing, exceeding cross wind limit (or any “limitation”). They are not understood, will cause alarm, and do nothing but generate questions in people’s mind that you will not be able to answer given the conditions.
Emphasize safety: place the passenger back as the subject matter; “your well being, your comfort and in the interest of your safe travel experience”. Emphasize and focus the subject and the attention back on the passenger and away from the non-routine event they just experienced.
Include a resolution in your announcement: air traffic control is sequencing us in for landing at Budapest again, I anticipate a completely normal landing in 10 minutes, and we will have you safely on the ground shortly. The unknown can generate anxiety, so preempt their anxiety and give them a time frame (10 minutes) and a successful conclusion; their “safe arrival”.
Following such a pattern has systematically given your passengers an explanation without casting specific blame on any single item or individual or overwhelming your them with technical terms and details. Further you have assured them that their safety is your priority and you have given them a time frame (psychologically important). Finally you have told them what the end result will be; their safe arrival at their destination. In the process you have placed them back in the 'spotlight' rather than the non-routine "Touch & Go".
I have several “canned speeches” in my repertoire that I fall back on when I need to talk to the passengers following some non-routine event. I just pick out the relevant items and place them in my PA while I am reassuring the passengers that I am giving them the best customer service I am capable of, our actions taken were taken in the interest of their safety and that they can soon expect a safe conclusion to their flight.
These repertoires of mine exist because I have badly handled such things in the past and during the self critiquing phase thought of what I had wished I had said. Or, I heard a true professional colleague really do a splendid job and have sought to emulate their success. Rather than sitting around dreaming up speeches to listen to myself talk.
Sadly many pilots do not do a good job on PAs. Frankly they sound terrible and/or say inappropriate things that confuse, piss off and exasperate the negative experience for the passengers.
Remember you may not know who is on your flight. Your passengers could include a multi-thousand hour attorney/barrister pilot specializing in aviation litigation, an inspector for your local governmental aviation safety agency, company VIPs, other members of the airline community as well as nervous first time fliers.
Never admit guilt, error, or nonprofessional conduct.
Last edited by Northbeach; 7th Dec 2010 at 01:25. Reason: Deleted piss poor word choice (exasperate fear) noted by Agaricus bisporus.
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Having done a rejected landing from about 4 feet last winter doing the PA was about the worst part of it! Twas one of those windy as heck days, I'd already warned the pax it would be windy while en-route. About the first opportunity I had to talk to the pax was downwind on the Radar vectors back to do it all over again. All I had time to say on the go-around was that we had encountered rapidly changing wind conditions close to the ground, it was a far safer decision to throw that landing away. The shower that caused the wind was now moving away from the airfield and we would have another attempt.
Actually that's what I think I said but I was probably talking in such a high pitched tone that only dogs could hear me, hey ho.
I suspect the customer service damage was done long before I was speaking, as it had been a rough old approach and the cabin crew later told me about 4 or 5 pax had started vomiting as soon as the power came on.
Actually that's what I think I said but I was probably talking in such a high pitched tone that only dogs could hear me, hey ho.
I suspect the customer service damage was done long before I was speaking, as it had been a rough old approach and the cabin crew later told me about 4 or 5 pax had started vomiting as soon as the power came on.
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Do not exasperate fear.
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NB, this thread is about improving PAs isn't it? We've all agreed that jargon, slang and technical terms should be avoided yet you seem to feel it is not only OK to use words that are meaningless in the context, and worse, to poke ridicule at anyone who points this out. I trust you don't ridicule correct use of terminology in flying procedures too...
I merely pointed out the obvious that randomly substituted words make a nonsense of the sentence, just as if I'd written that incorrigable words make a nutbush of the sentence. How on earth is that being pedantic?
ps. The correction credits should be in the name of comprehensible language and that is nothing to do with me, I didn't invent the language so my name doesn't belong there; and secondly, if you're going to make such an unnecesssary spectacle of correcting yourself at least do it properly, not just one half of it! No, I'll not point it out, you'd probably take even more offence at me for your error.
(that's a hint)
I merely pointed out the obvious that randomly substituted words make a nonsense of the sentence, just as if I'd written that incorrigable words make a nutbush of the sentence. How on earth is that being pedantic?
ps. The correction credits should be in the name of comprehensible language and that is nothing to do with me, I didn't invent the language so my name doesn't belong there; and secondly, if you're going to make such an unnecesssary spectacle of correcting yourself at least do it properly, not just one half of it! No, I'll not point it out, you'd probably take even more offence at me for your error.
(that's a hint)
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 7th Dec 2010 at 13:46.
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Flight Deck Announcements
As SLF, i know where i am going and when we are going to land, unless i have boarded the wrong flight. So we do not need for the driver to introduce them selves. the Flight Attendants have to do the required safety brief of course. no further needed. On a flight to Manchester last year, we were spoken AT, by the Chief FA, the Deputy FA then the other language Chief FA then their Deputy FA then the driver. Took over an hour, then a blurb on how to use the In Flight Entertainment repeated in the alternate language. AHHHHH!!!!
this is why SLF are increasingly carrying their own movie/music players. i for one will carrying ear defenders in future. If you want to add value to the SLF experience, it is simple. SHUT UP!!!
this is why SLF are increasingly carrying their own movie/music players. i for one will carrying ear defenders in future. If you want to add value to the SLF experience, it is simple. SHUT UP!!!
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My favourite hate is a typical Australian low cost airline PA by the captain, or F/O and always the FA's which is "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls". Even though there are no children aboard.
One captain on our company B737 flying across the South Pacific and with nothing to be seen apart from the occasional desert island (atoll), often came up with:
"We are flying at 35,000 feet and apart from occasional slight turbulence the weather is fine for the flight. For those interested in geography, on our left wing tip far over the horizon is England 12,000 miles way. On the right at 2000 miles is Honolulu and if you love the snow, then the Antartic is 4000 miles directly behind us on our tail".
The "occasional light turbulence" was designed to cover the typical South Pacific thunderstorms, and an occasional typhoon in the area.
And variations of the same. The feed back from passengers was very encouraging
One captain on our company B737 flying across the South Pacific and with nothing to be seen apart from the occasional desert island (atoll), often came up with:
"We are flying at 35,000 feet and apart from occasional slight turbulence the weather is fine for the flight. For those interested in geography, on our left wing tip far over the horizon is England 12,000 miles way. On the right at 2000 miles is Honolulu and if you love the snow, then the Antartic is 4000 miles directly behind us on our tail".
The "occasional light turbulence" was designed to cover the typical South Pacific thunderstorms, and an occasional typhoon in the area.
And variations of the same. The feed back from passengers was very encouraging
