I just flew SYD-SFO on Saturday, and since I boarded the plane rather late, I asked the FA if the captain had made channel 9 available for the flight. He not only told me "No", but then said that the captain was "very emphatic" about it too.

Apparently, in the briefing the crew had before the flight, the captian told all the FA's that he does not ever turn on channel 9 because there are things on there that passengers simply do not need to know. When I pressed the FA for more information (is it speed, heading, etc. that the captain doesn't want us to know?), he just said, "Yeah, something like that."

Being the pest that I can sometimes be, I asked the FA if this made any sense. After all, on the 747, there are maps showing exactly where the plane is, how high and fast it is flying, and how much time there is left in the flight. How much more can be gleaned from listening to channel 9 -- especially over the Pacific? He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

While I respect the captain's decision, I disagree with his logic on this one.