Flying earlier in the week and heard over the PA in an airport:”American Airlines paging pilots Captain Susie Queue and John Doe. Please report to Gate 7 regarding your flight.“Now, my fantasy is to be in an airport or airline where the pilots don’t show up and they let me fly the plane, but somehow, hearing over the loudspeaker in all of the airport that the pilots are late or haven’t shown up (perhaps they were in the loo?) isn’t exactly comforting news. If I’m waiting at Gate 7, I’m asking if they are offering anything if I give my seat up. More than likely it’s no big deal and there are a thousand and one reasons for this call. None of those thousand and one reasons is on the minds of the passengers when they hear such an announcement.The PA either needed to give less information or more. Page the pilots and quit. Or page the pilots and assure the world that there are no problems with the plane, the schedule, and the pilots are not sloppy drunk in the bar.
Public announcements should explain it all or give no reason to doubt there is anything wrong.
