American seems to be making quite a few, albeit small, changes to the inflight flow of announcements recently. A few weeks ago they removed the pre-landing anouncement for connecting departure gates.
Now, we’ve got the next change, effective October 1:
“Oct. 1, flight attendants will no longer deliver the crew and flight information PA that includes the crew names, flying time, altitude and weather conditions.”
Why the Change?
Actually, there’s a bit of history behind this I didn’t realize. Legacy AA flight attendants made the announcement while Legacy US Airways pilots made the announcement on LUS flights. Now, with the merger of the pilot contracts on October 1, American is standardizing the anouncement to only be done from the flight deck.
My Take
I actually really appreciate the announcement by the flight attendants. It set the tone for the flight and it was nice to know the flying time prior to departure, since it gave a good idea of setting arrival plans prior to getting in the air.
It’s funny that they still seem to not be getting rid of the inflight credit card pitch… I wonder if that will next? 😛
The inflight credit card announcement is the single most annoying announcement of any carrier I fly. “I have an exciting offer for you…” Let me help you out – no you don’t.
My time on the plane is the only time I get a few minutes of peace and quiet. To have it interrupted by this mundane peddling turns any excellent flight into a Spirit Wanna-be flight.