This is your Captain speaking...
Apr 20, 2012 | 10:26 am
#1
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-PP, HL-DM, MR-LTP, HY-LTG
Posts: 26,017
This is your Captain speaking...
On my last flight on CX from MNL on Sunday, when I heard the click, tap tap on the intercom, I was expecting the usual deep voice of "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking and my name is ... " ..BUT I was totally surprised to hear, instead the voice of a woman !! An Australian woman at that..
I didn't know CX has a 747 Captain who is a woman ! She was pleasant , professional and well, made me pay attention to what she was saying .. including the "Cabin crew, be seated for takeoff" command. I didn't catch her name though..
The flight also had minimal turbulence.. and wow, even the landing was smooth..
I am totally flabbergasted !
I didn't know CX has a 747 Captain who is a woman ! She was pleasant , professional and well, made me pay attention to what she was saying .. including the "Cabin crew, be seated for takeoff" command. I didn't catch her name though..
The flight also had minimal turbulence.. and wow, even the landing was smooth..
I am totally flabbergasted !
Apr 20, 2012 | 11:16 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Some hole
Posts: 2,783
She didn't necessarily have to be captain. She could've been doing her command traing where the F/O acts as captain. So he/she makes all the PA's, fills out the paperwork, etc. As a passenger you would have no idea that she wasn't the real captain until you see she only has three stripes. (If indeed she was an F/O at the time.) Thats the way we do command training at CX! 
Apr 20, 2012 | 11:20 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
Apr 20, 2012 | 4:14 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,641
She didn't necessarily have to be captain. She could've been doing her command traing where the F/O acts as captain. So he/she makes all the PA's, fills out the paperwork, etc. As a passenger you would have no idea that she wasn't the real captain until you see she only has three stripes. (If indeed she was an F/O at the time.) Thats the way we do command training at CX!
Apr 20, 2012 | 5:01 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: UA*S/Club, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 485
FWIW, CX did not hire its first female pilot until 1996:
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaw...913/feat7.html
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaw...913/feat7.html
Apr 20, 2012 | 8:21 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: CX GO by flying, ex-QF PS, AMEX Platinum, CA & KrisFlyer Nobody
Posts: 525
Apr 20, 2012 | 10:01 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Gold/owe, CX AsiaMiles (not even GR anymore!) missing my GO days
Posts: 1,583
Had a female captain with a Japanese-sounding name on a recent HKG-ORD flight. No offense to the male pilots, but I actually felt slightly safer. With affirmative action or preferences nowhere near as common in Asia as in the U.S., I suspected she probably had to work twice as hard--meaning, prove she's twice as good--as her male colleagues to reach that level.
Apr 22, 2012 | 7:14 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 81
I had Captain Candy Wu on one of my flights a couple of weeks ago SIN-HKG. Like the OP I was a little surprised when I heard a nice female voice on the PA but certain it was a pleasant surprise! Not sure who was the pilot flying but the flight was smooth and no issues at all! ^
Apr 22, 2012 | 7:20 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fairport, NY
Posts: 195
Every Captain, Second Officer, Engineer and Flight Attendant I have ever flown with wanted to achieve a safe landing as much as I ever did.
ralph