Originally Posted by
st530
Was on UA 979 last night (GRU-IAH). The PA system was down the entire flight. For the safety demo, the flight crew used megaphones. After that, it was radio silence all night until the final descent, when the crew came through row by row and gave the usual instructions about seat belts, upright, luggage stowed, etc. I must say it was a rather peaceful night! But it reminded me of an incident last year on an ExpressJet IAH-RSW when we returned to the gate and swapped aircraft due to a malfunctioning PA. The explanation the FA gave was that it was "against safety regulations" (or something like that) to fly without PA. So what's the real story here re no PA, to the extent there's any official protocol?
I'd guess that the rules vary between carriers, aircraft types and of course, the mood of the Captain. It's also possible that the ExpressJet wasn't equipped with a megaphone as an alternate method of communication with passengers.
I've learned that cabin crew often claim safety or FAA rules that may not be exactly true, but again, the Captain makes the final call. If he says it's a safety issue, then it is....and of course, they can then claim that it's a FAA rule, because his decision becomes the rule. It's basically circular logic that always points back to you as being in the wrong, if you object.
There are been a number of night flights I had wished the PA system was broken..... you were fortunate to experience one of them!
DEN