Safety briefings

Status
Not open for further replies.

StuartSherwin

Newbie
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Posts
1
Calling any Queensland frequent flyers...

I'm a news reporter at the Courier-Mail newspaper in Brisbane working on a story about cabin crew safety announcements.
Apparently, most frequent flyers ignore these completely, potentially putting themselves at risk.
Frequent travellers are blase and feel they might look stupid if they actually pay attention to cards and announcements.

If any Queenslanders have a view on this pelase post your comments along with your name, age and occupation.

Do you think there's any point paying attention or are you always riveted by what cabin crew have to say?

Many thanks.
 
Welcome to AFF StuartSherwin :)


I'm not a Queensland based frequent flyer, although I do fly to and through Queensland from time to time.

StuartSherwin said:
Apparently, most frequent flyers ignore these completely, potentially putting themselves at risk.
Frequent travellers are blase and feel they might look stupid if they actually pay attention to cards and announcements.

I agree many regular travellers do not pay full attention to the briefing. If you're flying the same aircraft type on the same airline often (as in multiple times in the same day or every week), then the briefing becomes very familiar. I think you are making an assumption that the reason a frequent traveller may not pay full attention is they don't want to look stupid. Have you considered the purpose of a safety briefing is to inform pax what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency. Some passengers may consider themselves fully briefed on their previous flight(s) earlier that day or week.

That said, I do generally pay some attention despite more than 100 flights a year.
 
Nort being a Queenslander either, I still fly enough (>80pa) to feel a reply is useful.

I have heard the demos many times and know them by rote. I still pay attention; if for no other reason than it gives some respect and encouragement to the FA's performing them.
 
I'm not a Queenslander either (phew;) ) but I'll think you'll find that whatever applies in the sunshine state also applies for us Mexicans.

I too know (at least the Qantas) demo more or less by rote (from ~100 flights pa for last 4 years). Qantas themselves recognise that most people won't pay attention to the whole demo (yes I'm guilty of this) and have a quick checklist introduction that goes over the key points to refresh regular fliers , which I do pay attention to. I also tend to pay attention to demos when flying on a different airline.

I think you'd find if you did a quick straw poll of most frequent flyers who DO ignore the demonstration, most would know where the life jacket is stored, how it works (& where to find the whistle/light), where the nearest exit is and how to find it in darkness, the brace position with and without a seat in front of you, what to do if an oxygen mask appears, not to use high heels on an escape chute, etc and most would above all know to follow crew instructions in case of emergency.
 
Hi StuartSherwin. Welcome to AFF.

I doubt that frequent flyers ignore the safety briefings because they feel they may look stupid. This assumes that frequent flyers are expecting other passengers to be watching them closely during the safety briefing, in which case why are these other passengers not paying attention either? And how do these other passengers know that the person they are watching is a frequent flyer anyway? :confused:

Speaking for myself, the reason I rarely pay close attention to the briefing is that I have heard it so many times I could almost repeat it verbatim. I know about the oxygen mask, the brace position, the lights on the floor and where the exits are, although I admit to often looking up from my newspaper when the CSM says "the FA's will now show you the location of the exits" because the arm movements can be amusing.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, today you are travelling on a Qantas Boeing 737. Subtly, every

I have to confess that I have heard the video that many times, like others, I could probably repeat most of it back. Having said that, I do try to pay some attention to the demonstration.

I always like the 'Almost certainly be sitting in a different seat', when I am in the same seat for my third or fourth flight in a row :)
 
Now where is our Queensland based media expert for the quotable quotes and media fame? :D

I am Queensland based, but am not interested in being quoted using the age/occupation/name type attribution. I'm not worried about my comments here being used though.

As a frequent flyer, I pretty much know the Qantas (and Virgin Blue) safety briefing off by heart. Even though I know the briefing, I still look at the monitors and/or cabin crew while it happens. I think giving your attention to them is polite and also helps encourage others to do the same.

My personal annoyance is Exit Row seat occupants who are not paying attention during the briefing. In an emergency, they are required to assist with evacuations, and I want them to be very sure of what they need to do if we were to experience trouble.

I think the worst flights for passengers not paying attention are the early morning/evening shuttles to/from other capital cities. They tend to be full of "frequent flyers" trying to read their work notes or the paper or prepare for their meetings. These activities are often thought of as being more important than watching the same familiar briefing.

Thankfully Australia hasn't really had to deal with major commercial airline incidents involving Qantas/Virgin Blue/Jetstar. I think this breeds contempt and familiarity amongst the general public and especially those who fly frequently.

Good luck with the article. Make sure you drop back here and let us know the planned publishing date.
 
Mal said:
Now where is our Queensland based media expert for the quotable quotes and media fame? :D
My personal annoyance is Exit Row seat occupants who are not paying attention during the briefing. In an emergency, they are required to assist with evacuations, and I want them to be very sure of what they need to do if we were to experience trouble.

Mal, are you talking about the general safety briefing or specific briefing given to exit row occupants? I don't have any experience with DJ exit rows, but on QF, flight attendants do give specific explanations about what to do in case of emergency and seek acknowledgement that those seated there are willing to help. I don't know which part of the general briefing adds to their assistance during evacuations, as the most important things that exit row occupants need to know is how to open the doors and when NOT to open them.
 
dajop said:
Mal, are you talking about the general safety briefing or specific briefing given to exit row occupants? I don't have any experience with DJ exit rows, but on QF, flight attendants do give specific explanations about what to do in case of emergency and seek acknowledgement that those seated there are willing to help. I don't know which part of the general briefing adds to their assistance during evacuations, as the most important things that exit row occupants need to know is how to open the doors and when NOT to open them.

Exit row pax should pay attention to both the briefings and safety card. I've seen some exhibit the same "Been there, seen that before" attitude as some other flyers do. If they aren't paying attention in the safety demonstration, it doesn't inspire my confidence that they even had more than a cursory glance/understanding of their other duties. This is even if they've nodded "yes" to the Flight attendant as understanding their duties.
 
Mal said:
Exit row pax should pay attention to both the briefings and safety card. I've seen some exhibit the same "Been there, seen that before" attitude as some other flyers do. If they aren't paying attention in the safety demonstration, it doesn't inspire my confidence that they even had more than a cursory glance/understanding of their other duties. This is even if they've nodded "yes" to the Flight attendant as understanding their duties.

Easy fixed. Move them out of the exit row. Do that on a few flights and watch the incidence of attitude drop off.
 
When you know the safety briefing word-for-word, I think it's ok to read the newspaper instead! :D
 
interesting that none of the above posts have mentioned the making a mental note of the number of rows between you and your 2 exist choices. I hope it's something you really do everytime because it's too late when the cabin has smoke in it.
 
bfmi said:
interesting that none of the above posts have mentioned the making a mental note of the number of rows between you and your 2 exist choices. I hope it's something you really do everytime because it's too late when the cabin has smoke in it.

That's pretty easy when you have the seatmap memorised. Even easier when sitting in row 1 (most of the time).
 
Re: Ladies and Gentlemen, today you are travelling on a Qantas Boeing 737. Subtly, every

oz_mark said:
I always like the 'Almost certainly be sitting in a different seat', when I am in the same seat for my third or fourth flight in a row :)

It's even better when you have the same crew on consecutive flights and you're in the same seats. It is interesting to see how many FAs put 2 and 2 together at that point, with or without a ;) or :D
 
bfmi said:
interesting that none of the above posts have mentioned the making a mental note of the number of rows between you and your 2 exist choices. I hope it's something you really do everytime because it's too late when the cabin has smoke in it.
Just follow the flashing lights on the floor... ;)
 
Kiwi Flyer said:
That's pretty easy when you have the seatmap memorised.

Yep a lot of us our hanging out for a seat in the elusive exit row, and when travelling a familiar airline would therefore know what row number it is, and its pretty easy to do the math from row 4 to the front or from row 4 to row 14.
 
dajop said:
Yep a lot of us our hanging out for a seat in the elusive exit row, and when travelling a familiar airline would therefore know what row number it is, and its pretty easy to do the math from row 4 to the front or from row 4 to row 14.

Precisely. I am often in either row 4 or one of the exit seats anyway, so the nearest exit question doesn't usually need to be asked in my mind.

I usually do pay attention to safety demonstrations, just out of courtesy to the FAs.
 
dajop said:
Yep a lot of us our hanging out for a seat in the elusive exit row, and when travelling a familiar airline would therefore know what row number it is, and its pretty easy to do the math from row 4 to the front or from row 4 to row 14.

I just wish I had a more reliable way of getting into row 4. The Q seems to like putting me in row 5.
 
Oz_mark, Checking in stupidly early (that is, 10+ hours before departure) helps, but not very convenient for most people, I mut admit.

If you are making a day trip somewhere, check in when you arrive.
 
oz_mark said:
I just wish I had a more reliable way of getting into row 4. The Q seems to like putting me in row 5.
Generally, row 4 on 73H's is not automatically preallocatad unless the flight is very full.
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top