Leading steward making PA

[lee_apromise]

2 days ago, it was the first time I have ever seen a leading steward making a welcome announcement before departing BNE and "good-bye" annoucement upon arrival in SIN instead of a leading stewardess making the usual announcements.

The most weird thing was when this steward made his "good-bye" announcement whith ends as "Thank you for flying Singapore Airlines, a member of Star Alliance". Usually most of leading stewardess speak just like a normal person would speak but this steward spoke like as if he was recording for a TV commercial. You know, "A member of Star -break-, alliance~~~". It almost gave me goose bumps and even other pax and stewardess' laughed too.

Is this usual that male leading steward making announcements?

[StarG]

I'll have to say this has never happened on my flights.

[jhm]

From my few SQ flights, I can remember a LS making the announcements in German (JFK-FRA) but I can't remember a LS doing so in English.

[Danny Bhoy]

Maybe it's for that reason the female cabin crew do it rather than the blokes!

[singaporeairlinesboi]

2 days ago, it was the first time I have ever seen a leading steward making a welcome announcement before departing BNE and "good-bye" annoucement upon arrival in SIN instead of a leading stewardess making the usual announcements.

The most weird thing was when this steward made his "good-bye" announcement whith ends as "Thank you for flying Singapore Airlines, a member of Star Alliance". Usually most of leading stewardess speak just like a normal person would speak but this steward spoke like as if he was recording for a TV commercial. You know, "A member of Star -break-, alliance~~~". It almost gave me goose bumps and even other pax and stewardess' laughed too.

Is this usual that male leading steward making announcements?

You mean like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIMY2-iaENY

He sounds robotic

[lee_apromise]

You mean like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIMY2-iaENY

He sounds robotic

Wow, that's the same guy !!!

[singaporeairlinesboi]

Wow, that's the same guy !!!

are you serious?

[lee_apromise]

are you serious?

yes~! 100% sure.

[kapitan]

The pilot sounded robotic too.....

If English is not your first language and you have to read off a book loudly, that's the result....

Ok ok, English is not my first language...

[Airline Orgasm]

English is Singapore's first and official language. Bad English from leading steward/stewardess or otherwise is unacceptable.

Cabin crew should really polish up on PA skills. Its quite shameful....it really is.

Same goes for the tech crew...like seriously...you're pilots for God's sake. If you're Singaporean, as most of you are (foreign pilots are harder to manipulate when the going gets tough...remember that Malaysian pilot who was stripped of his PR?), you'de have gone through the Singapore education system and being pilots you'de have gone to university, which means a good bunch of you would have done GP in JC. Seriously....improve your spoken English.

[kapitan]

English is Singapore's first and official language. Bad English from leading steward/stewardess or otherwise is unacceptable.

Cabin crew should really polish up on PA skills. Its quite shameful....it really is.

Same goes for the tech crew...like seriously...you're pilots for God's sake. If you're Singaporean, as most of you are (foreign pilots are harder to manipulate when the going gets tough...remember that Malaysian pilot who was stripped of his PR?), you'de have gone through the Singapore education system and being pilots you'de have gone to university, which means a good bunch of you would have done GP in JC. Seriously....improve your spoken English.

English is not mother tongue...period... it is official language, but never mother tongue.

[Danny Bhoy]

English is Singapore's first and official language. Bad English from leading steward/stewardess or otherwise is unacceptable.

Cabin crew should really polish up on PA skills. Its quite shameful....it really is.

Same goes for the tech crew...like seriously...you're pilots for God's sake. If you're Singaporean, as most of you are (foreign pilots are harder to manipulate when the going gets tough...remember that Malaysian pilot who was stripped of his PR?), you'de have gone through the Singapore education system and being pilots you'de have gone to university, which means a good bunch of you would have done GP in JC. Seriously....improve your spoken English.

I know/knew quite a few airdales who only had A-Levels and didn't go to yoonie. They were ex-RSAF types tho.

[Greatfox]

English is Singapore's first and official language. Bad English from leading steward/stewardess or otherwise is unacceptable.

Cabin crew should really polish up on PA skills. Its quite shameful....it really is.

Same goes for the tech crew...like seriously...you're pilots for God's sake. If you're Singaporean, as most of you are (foreign pilots are harder to manipulate when the going gets tough...remember that Malaysian pilot who was stripped of his PR?), you'de have gone through the Singapore education system and being pilots you'de have gone to university, which means a good bunch of you would have done GP in JC. Seriously....improve your spoken English.

Ladies and Gentlemen of SQTalk I think we've got our token PAP member now!

[oxymoron1984]

I apologise but unfortunately, I didn't see any difference between the announcement the leading steward made and announcements made on other flights male/female. It isn't meant as a criticism but the manner in which the announcements are made are all like the one in the video. I just assumed that's how the airline trains them to make announcements.

Having said that, I guess a lot of you might potentially be disappointed with my comment seeing that you all sound pretty annoyed by the announcer in the video. I myself wish that the announcers could brush up on being a little more naturally expressive vs. robotic. Maybe not as informal as US airlines but we could take a cue as to the natural manner in which it is made.

[Egoiste]

English is Singapore's first and official language. Bad English from leading steward/stewardess or otherwise is unacceptable.

Cabin crew should really polish up on PA skills. Its quite shameful....it really is.

Same goes for the tech crew...like seriously...you're pilots for God's sake. If you're Singaporean, as most of you are (foreign pilots are harder to manipulate when the going gets tough...remember that Malaysian pilot who was stripped of his PR?), you'de have gone through the Singapore education system and being pilots you'de have gone to university, which means a good bunch of you would have done GP in JC. Seriously....improve your spoken English.

Hmm... two things I feel compelled to comment on:

1. To be absolutely precise, English is one of Singapore's four official languages as stated in our constitution (see Article 153(A), in Part XIII, under 'General Provisions'). In fact, English is listed as the fourth, after Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, and not the 'first'.

2. I listened to the leading steward's announcement, and found that there was nothing grammatically wrong in his sentences. Perhaps his manner of speech and pronunciations may seem a bit accented in his articulations when regurgitating from, what I'd gather to be, a standard text. But personally, I find that his in-born Singapore-accent (and most of other SIA stewardesses') rather pleasing and comforting -- it gives me a sense of belonging, on board my favourite carrier, and that I am returning home. Let me explain what I mean.

You know how they always say just moments after the plane lands: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Singapore. And to all Singaporeans, welcome home." This never fails to touch my heart, for I have been spending too much time abroad lately. It completes the whole package I get; from being greeted at the door when boarding from whichever country I am about to leave, getting my coat and luggage taken care of while a hot cup of tea awaits me before take-off, etc. And just with the added touch of the local Singapore-accent, it simply seals the deal for me -- sort of prepares me again to mingle with the Singaporean society. And if the truth be told, then the people who had served me in all of my SQ flights spoke excellent English. I even had several engaging and thoughtful conversations with the cabin crew -- on a few of the longhaul flights where I just cant sleep, and the movies on KrisWorld are not that great. It's a shame, though, that I have almost lost my own Singapore-accent, but I am working hard to restore it, lah...


Anyway, what I meant to say was: Yes, everyone should speak English properly and correctly; but they should also be allowed to do it in whichever way they find comfortable, and not, I dare say, in an overly presumptuous and an exaggeratedly pretentious manner. SIA is, afterall, an asian carrier. Let it keep its identity that way