Pilots forgetting to announce landing
Apr 10, 2019, 4:09 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2008
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Happened to me once on approach to DCA. We were landing northbound and had already crossed over the Woodrow Wilson bridge, which is just under 90 seconds from touchdown. The flight attendant passed by as she was still casually collecting service items, and I pointed out where we were. She flew to her seat and we landed just as she clicked her seat belt.
Apr 10, 2019, 4:38 am
#18
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 6,433
I don’t know how this can be possible not to be aware of landing even without announcement.
Personally I always feel the change in sound and speed the moment we leave the cruising altitude. Few minutes later the top of decent is announced and landing in 20-30 minutes. As the minutes pass, the flight usually gets bumpier, there are more turns than before, and when the landing gear is out, everybody can hear it and feel it.
So if I notice all that how can a flight attendant who flies much, mudech more than me be so unfamiliar with normal flight procedures and just wait for the big announcment from the flight deck?
I know they might be busy, but don’t they plan carefully all the work according to flight time and service requirements specific to airline and class? So I guess they must be aware of time and landing can not be such an unexpect event even without announcement
Personally I always feel the change in sound and speed the moment we leave the cruising altitude. Few minutes later the top of decent is announced and landing in 20-30 minutes. As the minutes pass, the flight usually gets bumpier, there are more turns than before, and when the landing gear is out, everybody can hear it and feel it.
So if I notice all that how can a flight attendant who flies much, mudech more than me be so unfamiliar with normal flight procedures and just wait for the big announcment from the flight deck?
I know they might be busy, but don’t they plan carefully all the work according to flight time and service requirements specific to airline and class? So I guess they must be aware of time and landing can not be such an unexpect event even without announcement
Apr 10, 2019, 5:33 am
#19
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Years ago it happened on a UA flight into LGA. About 90 seconds before landing the Captain simply said "prepare for immediate landing." Number of times pilots have not told FAs to prepare for takeoff.
Apr 10, 2019, 6:31 am
#20
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Trinidad & Tobago
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Sigh...guess it ties in with the behaviour of the flight attendant on my recent flight from YYZ-PHL. She did all the safety 'readings' as mandated by authorities, walked up the aisle and back to 'check' on passenger compliance, and then sat down and buckled up.
Several passengers were still wearing headphones, at least two around me still had seat trays down, with tablets upright on them playing movies.
Bags were not pushed under seats.
Clearly she didn't care, the passengers aren't bothered, and the pilots are locked in their box.
Several passengers were still wearing headphones, at least two around me still had seat trays down, with tablets upright on them playing movies.
Bags were not pushed under seats.
Clearly she didn't care, the passengers aren't bothered, and the pilots are locked in their box.
Apr 10, 2019, 7:14 am
#21
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After I told her we're landing she got on the PA horn right after calling the Fa in the back and said "ladies and gentleman, please put back trays and seats up now, we are LANDING". You'd think by her reaction we were the space shuttle endeavor landing at Edwards.
Apr 10, 2019, 7:37 am
#22
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I know a few airlines pilots. One is a Republic pilot who flies E175's for several of the carriers. The other is a mainline UA pilot. Both told me that the landing announcement is part of the checklist. Had the OP not told the FA they were on final, I wonder when they might have realized it? If they were still standing when the plane touched down....that could have had some major ramifications.
Apr 10, 2019, 7:54 am
#23
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...the pilots made no prepare-for-landing announcement, there was no double-ding on final, no cabin announcement live or recorded, in fact the FA was in the aisle picking up trash and gabbing with passengers until I waved at her and said, hey, judging from the view out the window, we're about fifteen seconds from the piano keys. She made a run for the rearward jumpseat and was not quite buckled in when we touched down. On that flight nobody, flight deck or FA, was communicating properly at all.
And lest someone chime in with that aviate-navigate-communicate set of priorities... we were doing ORD-CLE on a sunny calm day, no huge aviation challenges relating to traffic or weather... sometimes the crew just forgets everything or ain't feeling it.
Apr 10, 2019, 8:02 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 209
Exactly. In an emergency, that's the order of operations. In a non-emergency, all three are required.
Apr 10, 2019, 8:13 am
#25
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I know a few airlines pilots. One is a Republic pilot who flies E175's for several of the carriers. The other is a mainline UA pilot. Both told me that the landing announcement is part of the checklist. Had the OP not told the FA they were on final, I wonder when they might have realized it? If they were still standing when the plane touched down....that could have had some major ramifications.
His preference is to always ask the cabin crew to prepare for landing early if they expected a more challenging approach, which many of us have likely seen due to rough weather near the destination.
Hopefully the FAs dealt with the root cause of the issue.
Apr 10, 2019, 8:19 am
#26
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This was an Envoy operated 170. The pilot and FO both looked not a day older than 22 not that it matters but expected on regionals. We were late pushing back at DFW. The pilot came on the horn and said there is a paperwork problem and we "need a hardcopy". 10 minutes later I hear the pilot again on the horn "no, if you could please bring me the paperwork to my captain's window rather than the jetway". FA gets on the phone "captain that announcement went to the cabin".
Apr 10, 2019, 8:38 am
#28
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Had it happen on takeoff once. Safety briefing was done, but the taxi to runway was very short and no lineup and wait...just spool up and go. Cockpit crew had not made any announcements to cabin at all so FA's were still up as we began down the runway. They scrambled to their seats.
Apr 10, 2019, 12:39 pm
#29
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