Originally Posted by
AS Flyer
Probably equally as hard to believe, but not all Captains making announcements are "Captain Narcissus". Most of them are just trying to be kind and offering something extra to those 90%+ of the other people on the plane that might not fly all the time. Using good judgement as to the time is probably a very wise idea but in their defense, Pilots are stuck up in the pointy end with limited contact with the people who are behind them. They aren't always as in tune with what the people want in the cabin behind them. It's easy to imagine that most everyone else is awake too when you are and you can't see or hear the people behind you. In any case, you're being a little hard on the Pilots in your comments. I rarely fly with "tour guide" Pilots any more but when I do I often get compliments from many folks that enjoyed the commentary.
While I personally enjoy the more talkative captains who talk about the route, where the crew is based, and the score of the Mariners game, it seems to me that more people would prefer a 60 second message from the pilot rather than a 60 second credit card advertisement.
It's cool seeing Crater Lake, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, etc. from the air. One of my favorite flights was a QX-operated BLI-SEA on a clear August afternoon when the pilots filed a flight plan for 11,000 feet and it turned into a 35 minute aerial sightseeing tour of Puget Sound.