Op-ed: Airlines Must Take the Seatbelt Sign More Seriously

[Mattg]

I had an interesting flight today, CBR-BNE on QantasLink but operated by Alliance Airlines. The seatbelt sign was kept on for a while due to turbulence and eventually switched off, but came back on again while the crew were halfway through their breakfast service. The pilot announced that it would probably remain on for the rest of the flight due to expected turbulence, and indeed it was a bit bumpy.

Most passengers stayed in their seats that whole time but I was surprised that the cabin crew continued (and finished) their meal service while the seatbelt sign was on because I don’t normally see this on Qantas flights. Maybe Alliance Airlines has different protocols.

Selfishly, I was pleased that I didn’t miss out on getting a meal as I was quite hungry. But I was a bit surprised that the seatbelt sign only seemed to apply to passengers in this case.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I had an interesting flight today, CBR-BNE operated by Alliance Airlines. The seatbelt sign was kept on for a while due to turbulence and eventually switched off, but came back on again while the crew were halfway through their breakfast service. The pilot announced that it would probably remain on for the rest of the flight due to expected turbulence, and indeed it was a bit bumpy.

Most passengers stayed in their seats that whole time but I was surprised that the cabin crew continued (and finished) their meal service while the seatbelt sign was on.

Selfishly, I was pleased that I didn’t miss out on getting a meal as I was quite hungry. But I was a bit surprised that the seatbelt sign only seemed to apply to passengers in this case.

One would think there’s a company directive. Possibly the pilots estimated that the turbulence would be minimal from previous experience?

 

[jb747]

Selfishly, I was pleased that I didn’t miss out on getting a meal as I was quite hungry. But I was a bit surprised that the seatbelt sign only seemed to apply to passengers in this case.

Which is a pretty good example of how the various QF pseudo airlines don't actually follow the same procedures.

 

[aaa99]

On today's China Eastern flight from Shanghai to Singapore, the seat belt sign was on the whole flight. No one including the crew seemed to be bothered by it. It was a bumpy flight.