The weirdest message you've ever heard on a plane
Jul 18, 2015, 7:23 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Terra Australis Cognita
Posts: 5,350
I once flew from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Jeddah. About 30 minutes before landing, there was a prerecorded announcement speaking beautifully crisp British English, yet with content that would be completely incomprehensible to any non-Muslim:
"We have now entered miqat. Umrah pilgrims should don ihram and recite talbiyah."
I later on found out that the flight path passes within the 6-mi sacred boundary around Mecca (miqat), so this was telling any visitors doing the "lesser pilgrimage" (umrah) that they need to put on their pilgrimage garments (ihram) and reciting the prayers that officially start the pilgrimage (talbiyah). (As an aside, non-Muslims are not allowed within the boundary, so flying overhead is the closest a kafir like me will ever get.)
"We have now entered miqat. Umrah pilgrims should don ihram and recite talbiyah."
I later on found out that the flight path passes within the 6-mi sacred boundary around Mecca (miqat), so this was telling any visitors doing the "lesser pilgrimage" (umrah) that they need to put on their pilgrimage garments (ihram) and reciting the prayers that officially start the pilgrimage (talbiyah). (As an aside, non-Muslims are not allowed within the boundary, so flying overhead is the closest a kafir like me will ever get.)
Last edited by jpatokal; Jul 18, 2015 at 7:34 am
Jul 18, 2015, 7:59 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: OZ Diamond, Jiffypark Manhattan Gold
Posts: 4,485
The other day I had a YYZ-YVR flight, the first 5 rows on the #1 side were asked not to eat nuts, I just found it odd that no one on the #2 was told the same.
Jul 18, 2015, 8:18 am
#18
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: UA, Hertz Gold, AA Gold, DL Silver
Posts: 825
AA had commuter flights to the Worcester, Mass., airport from New York (JFK? Don't recall, doesn't matter) for a while several years back. On one of the early ones, the FA started the preflight announcement with "Welcome to American Eagle flight [whatever] from JFK to ..." At that point she stopped and began to mumble "Wor-sess-ter?" Finally she looked at us and asked us how to pronounce it, assuming that anyone who wanted to be there probably had some idea of where they were going. We replied, in chorus, "WISS-tah!" (more or less). From that point on, every time she needed to use the destination city in an announcement, she just pointed at us with both hands (like the way they point out emergency exits at the rear) and waited for us to chime in. It worked.
Jul 18, 2015, 9:07 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Posts: 255
STL > DEN, once at cruising altitude from the cockpit: "For those of you on the left side of the airplane you can look out and see...Kansas. For those of you on the right side of the airplane you can look out and see...Kansas."
Jul 18, 2015, 9:42 am
#21
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 34
Jul 18, 2015, 10:51 am
#22
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 56,448
"Due to a failure in the primary cabin pressurization value we can't risk continuing for another 9 hours to Hong Kong on the back-up valve so will have to divert back to Anchorage." Or words to that effect from a Capt. on a recent DL flight SEA-HKG flight that was planned to be nonstop.
Jul 18, 2015, 3:47 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAS
Programs: United Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Wyndham Diamond, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 601
When I was an FA I was no doubt responsible for some of those crazy messages - I would routinely sing my announcements as well (and no, I wasn't on Southwest ).
One that always got quite the chuckle was, while taxiing to the gate:
"We love you, you love us,
we are faster than the bus -
If you liked our brand of hospitality
Marry one of us and fly for free!"
One that always got quite the chuckle was, while taxiing to the gate:
"We love you, you love us,
we are faster than the bus -
If you liked our brand of hospitality
Marry one of us and fly for free!"
Jul 18, 2015, 6:58 pm
#25
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Programs: Uh, I think I got an extra packet of peanuts once.
Posts: 178
You obviously haven't flown into or out of MCO in the past few years. With the million children who vacation at Disney World and the rapidly-burgeoning peanut allergy, it's a common announcement.
Jul 19, 2015, 4:52 am
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
Programs: UA, LY, BA, AA
Posts: 13,167
Jul 19, 2015, 2:03 pm
#30
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: Double OWE (AA EXP, QF Plat), FI Gold
Posts: 1,887
Strangely, as someone with a more-severe-than-averge peanut allergy, I have never heard the announcement (nor asked for one to be made).
Last edited by JY1024; Jul 19, 2015 at 2:11 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts