PA Announcements
 

Would anyone be kind enough to post some templates for the various PA announcements we pilots make on a normal flight? New FO here and would like to see some different ideas of what to include during; initial welcome aboard, cruise/ seatbelts, and initial descent.

My Capts thank you...

Less is more.

Pax only care about one thing....on time or not.

No one cares about direction of the wind!!!!


I’ll mention gate for those that have connecting flights...subject to change

Probably the biggest thing is to let them know what’s going on. At LGA? Warn them to use the lav prior to push. It may be a 10 minute taxi, it may be a 2 hour taxi. Weather delay? Let them know. MX? Give them some information, but not too much.
Tell them where they are going. If you are going to a place like Portland, ME, emphasize that you are not going to Portland, OR. (Panama City, FL, versus Panama City, Panama; Albany, GA versus Albany, NY). Yeah, it happens.
Don’t lie.
Don’t throw the company or someone else under the bus, but again. Don’t lie.
Don’t be like the crew from my DH last month. We get pushed. Sit for 20 minutes. Then the airplane moves.... back to the gate. Jet bridge gets attached. Gate agent comes down and tells us there is a MX issue. We deplane and the entire time not a peep from the cockpit and the door stays closed forcing the FA and gate agent to deal with it.

Unless you are in cruise, keep it to bare minimum to avoid breaking sterile cockpit rules.

This.....although as a new FO you probably won’t be making the tough announcements.

I find it really annoying when we’re sitting there for 20+mins and the crew doesn’t mention anything that’s going on.

FOs don’t need to be making announcements besides prepare for takeoff, seatbelt sign and initial decent. Those should be brief in nature and to the point.

As a FO you shouldn't be making those announcements. But if you notice the captain isn't making them there is not a problem with asking "Do you want me to make an announcement that we are returning to the gate?" I did this a few times as a FO with socially awkward captains. I had one case with a loaded airplane at the gate when the captain disappeared. Push time came, no captain. I called ops to see where the captain was and they informed me the flight was canceled. The last turn of a 4 day, so he bolted. Didn't tell me or the FA's. So I was left to tell the pax and deal with the mess. He went on my "no-fly" list.
The captain is at DAL now.

Whatever you do, make sure you know what you're going to say before you key the mic. (also, people down care how high/low the clouds are or the exact direction the winds are coming from..ie light winds out of the west should suffice.)

At my shop the PM is supposed to make all announcements, IE, seat belt in cruise, top of descent goodbye, etc. If the CA is flying, that means the FO is up. I've flown with captains to don't trust anyone to do anything, so I don't bother, I also fly with senior guys who just don't care, so after a leg or two, I ask if they want me to do it...more often than not they see it as one less thing to do.

Don’t read the ATIS to your passengers like some of the mainline guys still do.

Unless your company has a specific script, refer to your FA’s as “Cabin crew” over the PA. It makes them feel better.

I plan to get a bootleg copy of British Airways’ current pushback video with Michael Cane and all those other comedians and play that through my mike...

A British accent will smooth over feathers when there’s a delay or other setback.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to united express flt #1234, service to a warm place where the beer flows like wine, and the beautiful people instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano, Im talking about a place called aspen"

Fixed it for you.

Filler.
More filler.

Captain George
 

Watch this video, great template to follow: https://youtu.be/kQFeZRNNL6U

Why do people mention what direction the wind is coming from? How on earth is that relevant to pax?

Unless you are a Delta business passenger filling out a survey.

“Did the Captain come out of the flight deck, apologize and give you a personal brief on the delay situation? Yes or No?”

Yes, but because you were out of Woodford Reserve I’m gonna mark “No.”

Love some of these responses. It’s true, though - keep it short and sweet, less is more. Most people are listening to music, watching something, or having a conversation, and aside from flight time/on-time, don’t care that much.

That said, it doesn’t hurt to say, “Welcome aboard XX flight 1234 operated by ____ Airlines” just to plant that seed that they’re not actually flying Delta/United/American.

At majors it's usually the PM who does all that, except the CA usually does the welcome aboard at the gate. More common for the CA to do all the PA heavy lifting at regionals, but most major pilots were either regional CA's or military officers, and have some experience.

Most airlines have scripts in the manual, these are rigidly enforced for FA's but not enforced at all for pilots. Look at the script in your FOM, use that to inform you to develop your own personal script. Short and to the point, provide key info including likely delays.

Keep in mind that whole *most* pax would just prefer that you STHU, a few nervous travelers are comforted by hearing from a pilot who sounds like he knows what he's doing. I throw in a little more meat than I would otherwise just for them.

Yep. At my regional all announcements are made by the PM except the “welcome aboard” and captain’s discretion if they want to talk for some reason.

Don't try to be a comedian. You're not as funny as you think you are.

x2. Please.

Only SWA FA's can pull that off, because people know it's coming.

Of course he is.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Well, if your PFD's go out don't tell the pax your flying blind. :rolleyes:

These ExpressJet guys will show ya how to do it! Keeping it professional!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/wireStory/united-express-lands-cockpit-screens-start-blank-62199822

Oldie, but definitely the best “airline PA” sketch I’ve ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb7pvaJ2aVg

As most have said know what your going to say before you say it, especially with how your going to end it. I’ve seen a lot of new people make a great PA then realize they don’t know how to end it and either start babbling or the best one I’ve heard is he paused then said “ok” at the end.

PAs made from the blackhole that is the cockpit are more or less ignored by the passengers. And then there are those (worthless) PAs made while inflight and too often the speakers on the RJ don't project the message adequately to the pax. Almost always the FAs call up "what did you say?? we couldn't hear a thing!"

As a CA at my regional, prior to departure I enjoyed leaving the flight deck, facing the customers and giving them the quick 'n' dirty 60 second spiel about our flight. First I welcome them aboard the aircraft and the city pairing service on which they're about to embark. I give the Time en-route, forecasted turbulence, known delays leaving current city or for arrival city, a general idea of the weather upon arrival, and probably the most important point to get across, make the personal connection by recognizing their being here and thanking them for their business.

You'd be amazed how many eyeballs are looking back at you when you make the welcome aboard PA from the cabin. When flying passenger airliners, remember, you are there for the passengers. They pay your paycheck. Treat them like the valued people they really are. We work in a service industry after all.

You’re one of those.

They were just wondering when you were going to finish yapping.

The other thread about the United diverting. DON’T BE THAT GUY!

Hahaha "we have lost some of our screens, and we're about to lose the rest of them, so we need to land before I end up having to fly blind"... Great thing to tell passengers!

"As a CA at my regional, prior to departure I enjoyed leaving the flight deck, facing the customers and giving them the quick 'n' dirty 60 second spiel about our flight."

You're being sarcastic, right?

Uh oh, here comes everybody who's too cool to give a damn! XD

I preferred to stay at the control panel while making PAs. :D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ivRKfwmgrHY

Tom, what about the guys who do PAs from the loo?

Always fond of this one

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IqkOi2AdjLw

I just announce my hotel and room number on the last flight of the day :D