Flight Announcements Defended

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31576, 13 January 1968, Page 18

Flight Announcements Defended

“N.A.C. has refrained from including destinations in aircraft departure announcements for over three years,” said the branch manager of the National Airways Corporation in Christchurch (Mr J. E. Davies) yesterday.

He was replying to a letter to “The Press” which said it was not in the interests of waiting passengers to leave the destination out of flight announcements. The correspondent, T.R.P., wrote:— “Until some time last year it has been the custom at New Zealand airports, as elsewhere in the world, to announce departures as follows: Flight 572 for Wellington and Auckland, now departing channel 3. “For some months, departure announcements have been changed to Flight 572 now departing channel 3. No mention is now made in the announcement of the destination of any N.A.C. aircraft “This procedure is not in the interests of waiting passengers. Both destination and

flight number should be announced. Among the noise and the poor acoustics of the average airport building it is your destination that catches the ear.

“I have been told by an announcer that they have received instructions not to announce destinations but they can announce where the aircraft has come from.

“An enquiry to the Wellingtong City Council, which controls the airport there, bought the following reply: With the heavy air traffic at Wellington Airport there is not time to include in the announcment, the aircraft destination! “An enquiry to N.A.C. brought the reply that many people had requested that the destination be omitted from announcements.

“It is difficult to find the logic in these answers. “It is contrary to practice overseas. I have checked recently at London, Geneva, Zurich, Athens, Singapore and Sydney. They make a full announcement.

“N.A.C. has already taken one step in disservice to air passengers in Christchurch (the present luggage service). “Is this to be another?”

Mr Davies said departures had not been announced “until some time last year.

“N.A.C. has refrained from including destinations in aircraft departure announcements for over three years. “This step was taken with the object of reducing the length of public address broadcasts at airports, about which numerous complaints had been received," he said. "Only two complaints have been received about the absence of destination ports in this time.

“Your correspondent is correct It is contrary to international practice—but not contrary to internal practice in other countries. International operators give the destination but this does not always apply to internal operators overseas.”

One consequence of the change was that passengers have become much more familiar with flight numbers, and increasingly, when inquiring about flight services, did so by the flight number, said Mr Davies.