Cabin Announcements

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Christoo

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Sep 11, 2012
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Is anyone here a huge fan of QF cabin announcements?
I mean, does anyone strain forward to hear every word as it flows over the PA system?
If you are one of those people, I doff my non-existent hat in your general direction.

As you may have deducted through your excellent powers of reasoning, I am not one of those people.
I am not riveted to discover the cruising altitude, the availability of duty free or to be introduced to my wonderful cabin crew.

I love my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones and I love the fact I am no longer asked to switch them off during take-offs and landing.

But it has been doing my head in lately how you set the volume of your IFE system to a nice mellow level and relax only to have a PA announcement come through at volumes comparable to standing directly behind the engine at take off.
My biggest gripe is that you dive for the volume controls to turn them down, but when the FA finger slips off the button as it invariably does at least 6 times per announcement, the volume resets to feeding time at the zoo levels. :(

I had the greatest displeasure of flying Ryan Air once where I kid you not they spoke over the PA the entire flight selling everything from phone cards to eCigarettes.
This is an extreme case, but it is how it can feel on QF, especially a short hop international flight.

I would like to add that I am 37, so the claims of grumpy "old" man are not warranted. "Bitter and precious" and probably better put downs if you're looking for one.

Of course I understand the necessity of safety briefings to be made over the PA along with Customs announcements etc.
But to have the blaring in my ears every 10 minutes for the first and last hour of the flight seems a little much.
Surely technology exists to opt out of the more trivial announcements.
If not.. We MUST be able to set the PA so the volume is the same as my IFE when it comes over my headphones.

Is this a gripe of anyone else here or am I on my own?
 
I am happy to agree with you, Christoo. About the volume that is. My QCs have a switch on the plug at the headphone end for 'low/hi'. I set it to low when flying and the announcements are at the same volume as I have set the IFE to.

And I generally do listen to the announcements.
 
Mine are set to "Low" as well.
Good on you for being an attentive listener, unfortunately I am not.
 
As a QC15 owner, I have experienced the PA volume issues stated by the OP.

However, on my long list of gripes with QF, this issue would be pretty low in the list to be rectified.

Also, in my experience, QF are generally pretty restrained with in flight PA announcements. Some airlines 'force' you to watch/listen to a welcome video which can be a few minutes long and in different languages as well (EK for one?).
 
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I'm with you on this one.

The irony is generally without headphones on, you struggle to actually make out what is being said. I find the pilots tend to mumble through their spiel. I have a vague interest in the info coming from the pilots, the weather at the destination etc. I either cant make out what's being said with my noise cancelling headphones off or am deafened if they are on.

</grumpy old man who isn't really old> :)
 
Easy answer, don't get QCs. I don't have this problem with Sony NC headphones. I like to know the ETA, but then my flights are usually delayed.
 
I agree.

What I actually hate most about the announcements is the fact it pauses the IFE. When it resumes it invariably jumps a second or two and you miss some dialogue. And then there's the times when the FA start their spiel only to pause to, maybe welcome someone else on board or something, take their finger off whatever button it is, re-starting the IFE for three seconds, then he or she starts again. Then when the FA's done it's the captain and then the FA will say something else and then something else.

Worse off course when you're flying internationally to a non-English speaking country when all the announcements have to be repeated in different languages. Just when you think you're gonna get through the last couple of minutes of the comedy you've been watching, the IFE is paused for 10 minutes while the FA does the arrival spiel, then you have to hear over and over . . .
 
<snip>
Worse off course when you're flying internationally to a non-English speaking country when all the announcements have to be repeated in different languages. Just when you think you're gonna get through the last couple of minutes of the comedy you've been watching, the IFE is paused for 10 minutes while the FA does the arrival spiel, then you have to hear over and over . . .

Thats just the thing I was going to mention :) Its possibly the worst thing about flying Air Canada. Whenever there is a PA announcement, you know its going to happen all over again in French.
 
Gotta say, I used to kinda laugh at the fly private jibe. But having copped it recently, I've changed my mind.
 
Mine are set to "Low" as well.

As a QC15 owner, I have experienced the PA volume issues stated by the OP.

I find that really odd. With the QC15 set to "low" I have never experienced the huge increase in decibel between normal IFE and PA announcements. The "high" setting can result in bleeding from the ear canal during PA announcements...;)
 
Thats just the thing I was going to mention :) Its possibly the worst thing about flying Air Canada. Whenever there is a PA announcement, you know its going to happen all over again in French.

Try AC YYZ-HKG, all PA announcements done in English, French, Cantonese and Mandarin (before takeoff CSM mentions that some crew members can also speak Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and Malay in case someone has no idea what's going on...):D
 
What happened to the video that said "you are in very safe hands" ?
 
Both I and the young lady sitting next to me had the volume problem. We were both using out own headphones and they were different type - hers in ear and mine Audio Technica on ear.

It was on a new 737 BSI. WE complained to the CSM who said it was common on the new aircraft. Apparently, it doesn't happen with less sophisticated devices, such as those provided by QF.
 
Try AC YYZ-HKG, all PA announcements done in English, French, Cantonese and Mandarin (before takeoff CSM mentions that some crew members can also speak Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and Malay in case someone has no idea what's going on...):D

And on many intra Europe services, where neither the originating or destination country has English as a main language, an airline will simply throw its corporate hands up in the air and play an English safety video.
 
More so, is anyone glued watching to the FA as they do their Pre Departure "Dance" with them donning the PFD (Personal Floatation Device), and then do the point the light to the exit, "remember that the exit might be behind you" and to "count the number of seats to the exit", and that there is a light and a whistle...?
I have my head at the perplex of the window, looking out, but I do feel bad about not looking at the FA doing the "thing".
 
For Rooflyer, what about our newish quasi Aussie airline co, that has taken on a lot of flight business from QF, meaning EK. Remember when it used to be that QF had many more flights from SYD/MEL to SIN and on to the UK. Now EK flies from PER, but not to SIN, direct to DXB only.
Their Arabic FA ones, with English interspread, ie, the word telehphone... must mean mobile phone, mentioned in the Arabic side of the FA announcement.
 
More so, is anyone glued watching to the FA as they do their Pre Departure "Dance" with them donning the PFD (Personal Floatation Device), and then do the point the light to the exit, "remember that the exit might be behind you" and to "count the number of seats to the exit", and that there is a light and a whistle...?
I have my head at the perplex of the window, looking out, but I do feel bad about not looking at the FA doing the "thing".
I pay the FAs the respect of watching. It is disappointing to see some carriers just play a video, though. But if I had to watch a video it would be TK's. Especially the PFD part - trust me!
 
It's not a problem exclusive to QF.

The issue of variable volume in the cabin shouldn't be that difficult to fix.

as for this...
I find the pilots tend to mumble through their spiel.

if you're having trouble, spare a thought for the air traffic controllers.
 
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