Bad move by an AA pilot

[Mr_Creepy]

It's a dilemma. More than half the people laugh when Southwest FAs do their routine. I remember some of the more classic routines with great pleasure.

On the other hand, when I am on jetBlue watching DirecTV I don't want to hear ANY PAs! They always chime in just when you are listening to something good, never during the commercials!

I know I had people laughing as they walked out of the plane because I would hear comments like, "What are you - a stand up comedian out of work?" "You missed your calling!" "You have too much time on your hands!" and always the comments from fellow entertainers such as "Don't quit your day job!"

My favorite day was when I told everyone that our flight attendant Suzanne was really a moonlighting American Gladiator and her stage name was Turbo. The comments were guys laughing and saying "Seeya later Turbo!" "Thanks for the coffee Turbo!" "Good flight Turbo! See you on TV next week!"

Suzannne: aka TURBO!

I tried to be creative. The flights would have been so boring otherwise.

But I always kept it short. Always leave them laughing, and if you can't leave them laughing, leave 'em wanting more.

 

[DaPaul]

Do the FAs really sing on SWA?

 

[BobDDuck]

Yeah... and not because they all have good voices either. I have only flown SWA once, from BDL to Dallas via BWI. Three of the four segments (including the first one which left at 5:55 in the morning) included rousing renditions of classic songs, some reworded to fit the environment. I can deal with their cheesy safety breifings, and I can even deal with the almost constant chatter (headphones are WONDERFUL) but when they start singing....

Ethan

 

[MQAAord]

[ QUOTE ]
"BTW, when the girls sing songs on the SWA flights, it's annoying as heck!"

SWA is definately one airline I would not ride if I was worrying about a head ache..

Imagine 3 hours of annoying F/A loudness with a pounding headache. Make it stop!

[/ QUOTE ]

And there, folks, is why I don't want to work for SWA!

(That and the fact that when I sing, dogs and small children run away scared......)

 

[sigmanu499]

Looks like I am in the minority. I like the PA, the more info I get the better. Although, the singing can get old. As for this AA pilot, if he liked his job it not the right place for religion.

 

[Bumblebee]

This pilot was fired up after a week of missionary work, but he needs to realize that pushy missionaries can keep people from hearing their message. If a passenger wanted to share his/her faith, beliefs, sexual preference or whatever with a willing listener, fine.
I do like it however, when the flight crew points out a cool landmark. I also like people who have fun at work. ( you go Southwest)

 

[derg]

I point out cool landmarks too.

But this is what I do. On the MD-90 (geez, it already feels like a different era), I'd usually give a quick 'welcome aboard, with some quick route/arrival time/weather' and then let the In-Flight Entertainment system babysit the pax.

On long -88 flights, I'll do the same, but then update the position about every hour or so. Unless there was a super cool landmark that you can clearly see.

One captain goes into this long speech about the "Trinity Site" in New Mexico only to have to flight attendant call up and say "Umm, we didn't hear a word that you said!"

 

[ready2fly]

Guess I missed out. I flew SWA back in November and there wasn't ONE amusing P.A., song, antidote, comment.... nadda.. made by the F.A.'s or the flight crew.

But, then again, it was only an hour flight between TPA and FLL.

I WAS impressed with how organized the cabin crew was. They had everybody's drink order taken before pushback and we were served immediately after t/o.

But, that was just my one and only experience with SWA.

 

[Mahesh]

I don't like anyone preaching to me, especially when I am stuck in an aluminium tube with no way out.

I think that religion should be kept FAR away from commercial aviation, especially after 9/11.

Lastly, I personally like to hear the pilots point to things outside evry now and then. I generally tend to follow landmarks anyway but sometimes if I am lost or asleep, it helps to have them point things out!

Mahesh

 

[Kristie]

[ QUOTE ]
The other issue is the fact that the pilot encourages people to talk to the people around them.

When I fly, I want the guy next to me to shut up so I can get some rest.

[/ QUOTE ]Ditto!! you never know how freaky your neighbor is until they start talking to you! and then they usually don't want to stop

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, and that goes for the pilot as well. After we take off, I don't want to hear the pilot again unless 1) there's something wrong or 2) we're getting ready to land.

[/ QUOTE ]I actually like it when the pilot comes back on and says were at oh so many feet, we're over so and so area.. to your left we'll be coming up on blah blah blah.. to your right, you might see blah blah blah... keeps my mind active if i know there's something up ahead to get my camera out for!

yup, i'm the "some people feel claustrophobic and would like to occasionally know where they area" type... haha

[ QUOTE ]
And if you are a pilot, the passengers are not a captive audience for your sermon, your stand-up comedy act, or your audition for American Idol...

[/ QUOTE ]Ditto!!!!

 

[Kristie]

[ QUOTE ]
Guess I missed out. I flew SWA back in November and there wasn't ONE amusing P.A., song, antidote, comment.... nadda.. made by the F.A.'s or the flight crew.

But, then again, it was only an hour flight between TPA and FLL.

I WAS impressed with how organized the cabin crew was. They had everybody's drink order taken before pushback and we were served immediately after t/o.

But, that was just my one and only experience with SWA.

[/ QUOTE ]Everytime I fly SWA from phx to las, the whole plane is so happy that the F/A's can't help but run with it and belt out a song or two... doesn't bother me when i'm on my way to LAS (for vacation) - just gimme another beer and i'm good.. but when i'm on my way home, it sucks so having other people happy makes me every more unhappy.... NAH.. just kidding.. I'm ALWAYS happy.. hehe

 

[Joe]

Interesting update to the story: Apparently, after telling Christians to raise they're hands, he said "If you're not, you're crazy." That's just insulting. Full story here: Yahoo! News - American Airlines pilot calls on Christian passengers.

 

[ready2fly]

[ QUOTE ]
NAH.. just kidding.. I'm ALWAYS happy.. hehe

[/ QUOTE ]
Zoloft'll do that.

 

[P38]

--Austin said no passengers raised their hands.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

--Complaints were relayed by flight attendants to the cockpit, and 45 minutes into the flight the pilot issued an apology, but one that was directed at his crew for having had to deflect the passenger criticism.

He doesn't even have the sack to apologize to his captive audience.

Pathetic.

 

[tonyw]

If the story is true -- and remember, we don't have his side of the story yet -- he should be fired.

Promoting your religion on your own time is okay. Promoting it during work while you're in a position of power is highly questionable at the very least.

And slamming other people's religions at work when you are in a position of power is completely unacceptable.

 

[ready2fly]

Agreed, Tony. I would add that - even as a Christian, this would have put some very legitimate concern in my head as well (from the article):

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="blue">Passengers said the remarks had made them deeply uneasy and that many on board had reached for their mobile phones, fearing the pilot might take some sort of drastic action.


"Just given the history of what's happened on planes in this country, anything can happen at this point," Austin said. "There was definitely implication there that we felt that something was going to happen."

</font>

[/ QUOTE ]

There's WAY too many wacko's out there that perpetrate crimes in the name of religion!! Christianity is surely not immune (read: Abortion Clinic shootings/bombings, Jim Jones, David Koresh (sp?)....Tammy Faye's makeup).

I'd have probably gotten off the plane forthwith.

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Definitely agree that "Missionary PAs" are over the top, unless a crash is imminent