Flight deck announcement to pax

[Rwy in Sight]

I had a discussion last nigh with a lady friend who is afraid of aircraft. After a few aviation jokes, she pointed out the flight deck crew should never mention the existence of technical problem leading to a precautionary landing as not to worry even more the pax. She said the announcement should only explain that there is a change of plans and the aircraft will land at a different airport. I told her I would ask here.

So for those of us here with airline experience what were the companies guidelines for a diversion following a technical issue?

[Pontius Navigator]

Say nowt.

As pax into Dalman there was moderate turbulence vabd the went round again. I don't think the screams reached the flight deck.

KLM flight from Copenhagen to Amsterdam I saw a crack in the wing. By the time the crew could have seen the crack and done anything the quickest landing would be at AMS.

I told the FA after landing. We remained behind until the captain had a look. The rest of the pax were unaware.

[Ex-Ascot]

Two engines on fire two fallen off: 'Good morning ladies and gentlemen this is the Captain, we have a slight technical problem which is of no great concern but I would like to have it looked at on the ground before we continue to our destination. To this end we are going to pop into xxxx. Sorry for the inconvenience and the delay in getting you to yyyy but we will try to make up the time on the second sector.'

Never lie they will find out it was serious when you crash and it brings the airline into disrepute. Just be reassuring and imply that you will continue after the 'small' problem is resolved.

Alternative is to run up and down the cabin in full uniform shouting 'we are all going to die' whilst playing the funeral march on the PA.

[Rwy in Sight]

Thanks Ex-A a quality response much appreciated. Any other answers?

[Boac]

Bob Newhart?? "L&G, this is your Captain - I'm sorry if you cannot hear me over the noise of the engines - ah! That's better, they've stopped now"

[Ex-Ascot]

In 1982 (Falklands War) the C130s couldn't drop the Falcons Parachute team due to tasking so we did it with the Andover Mk!. They had buggered us about with their practical jokes all season. Last flight we chopped an engine and shouted over the PA that we had a serious problem and probably had to crash land. They all went for their parachutes so we stuck it into a negative G arched dive so that everything was floating and they couldn't do anything. Well, we thought that it was funny.

[TheGreenGoblin]

Sometimes a bit of information from the passengers via the chain of command to the flight crew might have affected the outcome in the case of known disasters... Take the Kegworth disaster in 1989...

Many on board, including three members of cabin crew, had witnessed flames from the left-hand engine. But no-one told the pilots, even after the captain made a cabin announcement explaining the fault lay with the right-hand engine. The report called this “extremely unfortunate”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 17161.html

On the subject of famous announcements to the PAX the following one cannot be bettered for sang froid...

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/capt ... led-2013-2

Here’s what Moody said:”Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.”

[Boac]

Re Kegworth, it was established that there was small 'brick wall' between c/crew and f/deck which made them reluctant to 'intervene'. This was definitely not the case in DanAir

[Pontius Navigator]

TGG, it is easy to assume that cabin crew are aircrew. They can do their jobs but in the case I mentioned above the cabin member accepted what I said but was not willing to accept the report and had me remain behind to point out to the captain.

[Undried Plum]

An ROV chum of mine at a then British petroleum company was on a BA flight to Nya Zillun when the lights had been dimmed for the movie to be shown.

The way he tells it, dinner scrapings had been taken away by the trolley dollys and the cabin lights had been dimmed for the movie.

He, a non-smoker, was so pissed off about what he could see what he thought was cigarette smoke in the light beams of the reading lamps in front of him and was about to push the dingdingthing to summon a cart tart to remonstrate his indignance, when the skipper made his famous cabin address:

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again.

[Rwy in Sight]

(...)we had a serious problem and probably had to crash land. They all went for their parachutes so we stuck it into a negative G arched dive so that everything was floating and they couldn't do anything. Well, we thought that it was funny.

I think it is funny good knowledge of physics.

What is the story about the Dan-Air crews?

[Boac]

What is the story about the Dan-Air crews?

A reference to the findings of the Kegworth crash. DA had a much more relaxed pilot-c/crew relationship (don't tell.................... )

[Ex-Ascot]

Due to Kegworth our cabin crew on Monarch were encouraged to take an active interest in the operation of the aircraft. One of my stewardesses from 10 Sqn was a trolly tart on that aircraft. She stepped out of the broken off tail with a broken arm.

Interesting one which I was impressed with. Monarch; Capt was a ret'd Lt Cdr I was the F/O. At Banjul we had to abort twice at just before V1 as all the screens went blank. The 400 pax were getting a bit twitchy. He wanted to give it a 3rd and final bash. I was running around like a headless chicken checking outside. He got out of his seat put his jacket on and stood and addressed the pax on the PA from the front of the cabin where everyone could see him. Explained exactly what was happening and chucked in his and my backgrounds. Thought that was neat. Anyway failed on the third attempt and went to sit by a swimming pool with a G&T. Everyone in uniform as it was a day trip except me because I always had a pair of swimming trunks in my nav bag. Been caught out before.

[llondel]

I think it's hard to beat the "engines stopped" announcement. I don't know how much he thought about what he was going to say before he keyed the mic, but to be able to say that calmly despite knowing it was a serious problem likely to end up with a night time swim must come out top.