Gate announcements during descent?

[Seat 0A]

Just curious, do various carriers require FA's to give these inflight gate announcements?

On maybe 50% of my airline flights I get to listen to several minutes of gate announcements prior to arrival coming out of the loudspeaker over my head (annoying even with my earplugs in). "Austin - D as in dog 1, Buffalo - A as in apple 3" (goes on forever).... Only to be followed up by...no kidding...."Please check the monitors inside the terminal as gates often change".

WTFO?? If I am reminded to check the monitors then why waste another 5 minutes of my life reading them all off during descent? You just indicated that the info may not be any good so everyone now needs to double check. You might as well just save your breath and my sanity. (I may have just answered my own question and it's an inside way to screw with the pax).

No offense intended, would just love to know if this is a company mandated thing.

Rant over, time to start enjoying my 3 weeks off now.

 

[CA1900]

Irritates the piss out of me, particularly if I'm watching the A/V system, since the PA kills it. Plus, many of those gates will have changed inbetween when that printout was made before departure and the plane's arrival.

Was this a US Airways flight? I seem to hear it a lot on them.

 

[Seat 0A]

Was this a US Airways flight? I seem to hear it a lot on them.

I do not fly on US Airways due to my HBA, but experience it on most carriers. It is just one of the 1000 or so reasons (many preventable/fixable if they wanted) that I hate to airline. At least we are on duty while being subjected to it.

The one heartwarming thing about it though: It reminds me every single time why the Fracs will be here for a long time .

 

[FlaZoomie]

I agree, it is anoying. I'd rather see the FA's say something like:

For thoes making connections after we arrive, we'll be walking thru the cabin with the list....ba ba ba....

Basically, an ask and tell. Think it would be better customer service too. Chances are you wond't miss the info too,

Then, it is quiet and far less anoying then the overhead and/or into your headset '"5 min. list."

 

[Seat 0A]

But what GOOD is the info? Only a fool would go to that gate without checking the monitors as recommended.
It is like getting only the first-quarter score for a ballgame that ended yesterday.

 

[Booker]

They do it a lot on CAL mainline, too. I've never paid much attention to them, even before I started flying for a living. Like you said, RTFM (m = monitors).

 

[MQAAord]

At AA it is 'company procedure' to make those gate announcements. Most regular pax get really pissy if we don't make those annoucements, but, I have to agree with you all that the information is hours old by the time we read it, unless the pilots have printed us a new one off the ACARS. Even then, the info is STILL relativly old. Personally, I think a blanket statement of "if you're connecting, be sure to check the moniters in the terminal for the latest connecting gate information" would be far better. But, what do I know....

If we are getting 'ghost-ridden', or have company personnel onboard 'observing' us, we'll get a notation on the report for not doing the connecting gate info.

Walking through the cabin with it is a bad idea, in my opinion, because then you've got everyone within earshot yelling at you for THEIR info, then they're all yelling so I can hear them, but no one can hear ME cause they're all trying to ask. Not to mention the time involved, it would take well over 1/2 hour to try to do that in person, because along with giving out gate info comes the inevitable "will they hold my plane?", "what about my luggage?" questions. It's far better, though still annoying, to just say it once on the PA.

 

[Booker]

Good info, MQ. Thanks!