The Art of Cabin Announcements

One of the many responsibilities of the captain is to communicate with the passengers.  A good cabin announcement should be polite and professional and easy for the passengers to understand.  The captain usually makes the first cabin announcement at the gate before the airplane has pushed back.  In this announcement the captain introduces himself and briefs the passengers about the flight.  However, it is almost standard for pilots to use common phrases while making cabin announcements.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen from the flight deck, this is your captain speaking.”

-Most cabin announcements by the captain begin with at least “Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking”.

-The word “flight deck” is a more formal way of saying cockpit.

-Instead of saying “I am your captain” it is more professional to say “this is your captain speaking”.

“On behalf of the flight crew, we would like to welcome you aboard Easy Airlines flight number 123.”

-The term “welcome aboard” is often said by the flight crew to greet passengers when they first board the aircraft.  The captain may also say this at the end of the announcement such as “once again, welcome aboard.”

 “We apologize for the inconvenience.”

-It’s always good to apologize to the passengers for anything that may negatively impact the flight or the ability for passengers to catch their connecting flight.  This may include any weather or airport factors that may delay the flight.

 

“Please sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.”

-A good way to end the initial greeting to the passengers is to let them feel at ease during the flight.

 

Useful words

Of course cabin announcements should be more informative to the passengers.  Other topics to include are the weather conditions, cruising altitude and duration of the flight.  Periodically the captain should update the passengers of any changes in flight such as unexpected turbulence as well as the overall progress of the flight.

Experience 

“We may experience light turbulence once we get to our cruising altitude.”

“We will experience light rain as we approach our destination.”

Perform

“We will perform an emergency landing.”

“The flight attendants will perform a safety check prior to landing.”

Expect

 “We expect an on time departure.”

“We should expect a smooth flight.”

 

What other phrases or common words do you use when you speak to your passengers?  How do you reassure passengers who may be anxious or nervous?

 

Photo by Derin Allard