I get around and about regularly and to all manner of remote locations. Frequently this involves flights on airlines I’ve never heard of. Let me thus emphasise this.
The anachronistic practise of yesteryear of airlines ear‑bashing their imprisoned customers is now virtually gone, with three notable exceptions; Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand.
Now Virgin’s boss has announced they’re going to end it and shut up, or, in other words, grow up.
Safety drills, welcomes, weather babble, introductions to the bloody crew and tea girls and all the rest of the palaver, are now out, and about time.
Qantas is still bad by world standards but I use them for trans‑Tasman as they’re deaf mutes compared with Air New Zealand, particularly its mind‑blowingly infantile safety video.
The Economist used to rant on about this practise but no longer as it’s no longer necessary.
Safety drills are specially ludicrous. For example no‑one in aviation history, in the many incidents of crashing into the sea, has ever made it into a life‑boat. In the New York river incident a decade or so back the passengers were rescued by boats from the shore. Air New Zealand’s childish incessant intercom babble belongs to the 1970s. Flying is no longer special. Pilots should be neither seen nor heard.
The preposterous practise of Air New Zealand’s waitresses harassing passengers 20 minutes before landing to bring their seat forward 2 inches is unique to Air New Zealand. Most airlines flash up a sign a minute or two before landing and leave it at that. Thank God, now with my own jet, I no longer have to endure this abominable crap in New Zealand.