Get some B@@ls and turn off the seatbelt sign!

[JohnQ]

Backseat drivers...

If it was off, you'd want it on.

No. He was making a legitimate point about a bunch of lazy-ass pilots and cabin crew. There are some paranoid types out there convinced that "they" will hang them if the seat belt light comes off and we experience a ripple--give me a break!

Then there are the cat-herders just aching for an excuse not to serve pax so they can sit their lazy-but-large derriers in the js for an hour and a half, reading Vogue, Cats Today, or something else.

Bottom line: if the plane is at cruise altitude, and the flight is smooth, turn off the seat belt sign and let folks stretch their legs and hit the head. Would you as a passenger want anything else?

 

[DTW320]

You guys must not commute or ride in the back much. I have never seen anything as universally IGNORED by the average passenger as the seat belt sign, with the possible exception of the airline name on the outside of the jet.

 

[piav8r]

You guys must not commute or ride in the back much. I have never seen anything as universally IGNORED by the average passenger as the seat belt sign, with the possible exception of the airline name on the outside of the jet.

I concur.

Commuted and deadheaded a lot, and no passenger seems to give a d@%n about the seat belt sign. Once time in moderate turbulence the woman across the aisle from me took her belt off and put her child that was buckled in next to her on her lap. When we hit a really big bump the child almost flew across the aisle. I politely asked her for her childs safety and the rest of us that she put BOTH of their belts back on in seperate seats!

 

[linepilot]

So this is a thread for clueless knobs?

See ya.

 

[knightflyer]

Obviously you're one that listens when told.
So what happens if you get up and the seatbelt sign is on?
Get over it.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

It's a courtesy when youre jumpseating or nonrevving to at least try to follow the rules....

And in flight crewmembers should as a courtesy at least try to do their jobs. Maybe if there were less numbnuts cruising around for 2 hours in smooth air people might actually look at the sign more...

 

[aa73]

Believe it or not, there is a strategy behind this. On ocean crossings at night (guaranteed hit or miss turbulence), most guys I fly with just leave it on because : 1) it's hard to predict a smooth ride and 2) every time you turn the sign back on, the automatic announcement comes on, and it's quite loud which wakes everyone up. Nothing worse than a seatbelt-sign-happy CA that keeps flicking it off then on 2 minutes later. Just leave the sumbitch on, nobody pays attention anyway.

 

[slapstick]

Were you riding on Freedom?

 

[bubbers44]

I was non reving in an Airbus 300 one day getting bounced around a bit in some clouds over Texas. After 30 minutes we broke out into clear skies. The captain turned the seatbelt sign off and about 15 seconds later we hit a big jolt that almost took the carts off the aisle and everything on top was airborne and falling everywhere. Sometimes it is better to err on the seatbelt on side. Especially with the A300 with that stiff wing.

 

[AvroGuy]

If we're going to save this industry from turning into Greyhound we are going to have to make it more pleasant for the customers. As pilots we can't do a whole lot, but when i see people just being lazy to cover their own backsides it ticks me off.

You know, the only ones who don't think this is Greyhound are the crews. The pax dress like scumbags, look for the absolute lowest possible ticket price then complain because there is no service. Pack 'em in, sit 'em down, and go. I so go because there is no shutting them up. Now I know the pay our wadges, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy with them.