Seconded!

There's a pilot on UA ("Captain Denny") who has become rather famous among UA frequent fliers. He will come out to the gate and use the boarding PA to introduce himself, tell us what plane we'll be flying on and what the expected weather in route will be. Then, during boarding, he stands outside the cockpit with the FAs and personally welcomes everyone on board (and he flies 757s). For the frequent fliers, he gives the FAs his signed business cards to pass out, as well as little "plane info" cards that UA has available that give interesting information about the different planes in the fleet. When we disembark, he's at the cockpit door again thanking everyone for flying with UA. I've been on his flights twice and have never seen a pilot so customer focused. He's a legend around here (he even came to an FT event sponsored by UA).

Things I don't like: using the seatbelt light as a passenger control device. If you're going to turn it on, it should be because we're landing or expect turbulence, not because it's time for the FAs to do a beverage service. I always fly with my seatbelt buckled and, though I'm a frequent flier, I still get uncomfortable in moderate to severe turbulence. If I see that light come on, with no explanation from the cockpit, I sit there stewing about what might be ahead.

If there's going to be heavy weather ahead, I like to know two things: what the ride will be like (if it's going to be real bad, I'll order a couple of extra vodkas), and how long it is expected to last. Don't say "a few bumps" if it's sustained moderate turbulence or worse, though "a few bumps" is fine for moderate chop. The kind of announcement I like is: "Air traffic control has notified us that there is some weather up ahead due to the thunderstorms to the south of us. We're going to go around them but the unstable air means it might get pretty bumpy for about 10 minutes or so. If you have to use the bathroom or want to get a beverage, now would be a good time to do it because I'm going to put the seatbelt light on in a few minutes and also ask the cabin crew to stow the carts and take their seats." That gives me a good idea of (1) what's happening, (2) how bad it will be, and (3) how long it will last. The announcements I hate come 10 seconds after we hit moderate CAT that say, "Flight attendants take your seats," with no more information. I get mental images of the pilot and co-pilot valiantly fighting the controls in a desperate effort to keep the plane in the air, even though I know you're just checking with ATC to see if there's a better altitude.

If an "event" happens, please tell us as soon as you've ascertained that everything is okay. I once was on a flight that hit some kind of weird roller or mountain wave -- it sounded like an explosion and we jerked up and down over a matter of seconds. It was disconcerting, to say the least, but the pilot immediately came on with a calm-voiced explanation. I've had engine re-starts, aborted takeoffs, missed landings, none of which are particularly serious, but it's always nice to hear from a calm pilot with an explanation.

If you see something interesting, share it with us. I don't care how often I've flown, I get a kick out of seeing Mr. Shasta or the Grand Canyon or the aurora borealis or a flight of military jets from the air.