I have spent some time in the Antipodes. The humor is dry as the Outback and served up with a smile like schooners in a Sydney pub. Here are some real examples of 'Down Under' airline in-flight announcements that have been heard or reported. Enjoy! - S.L.
On an Air NZ Flight with a very 'senior' flight attendant crew, the Pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.”
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On landing the hostess said, “Please be sure to take all your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we’d like to have”
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“There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways to leave the aircraft.”
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As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Auckland, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, Big Fella . . . WHOA!”
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After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Adelaide, a flight attendant on a Qantas flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as sh*t everything has shifted.”
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From a Qantas employee: “Welcome aboard Qantas Flight X to Y to operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public un-supervised.”
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“Weather at our destination is 32 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Qantas Airlines.”
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“Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.”
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Heard on Qantas Airlines just after a very hard landing in Hobart: the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “That was quite a bump and I know what you are all thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault . . . it was the asphalt!”
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Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.”
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An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a ”Thanks for flying Qantas.” He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had got off except for an old lady walking with a cane. She said, ”Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?”
“Why no Ma'am,” said the pilot. “What is it?”
The little old lady said, “Did we land or were we shot down?”
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After a real crusher of a landing in Sydney, the Flight Attendant came on with, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. Once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.”
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Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: “We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Qantas.”
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A plane was taking off from Mascot Airport. After reaching a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number XYZ, non-stop from Sydney to Auckland. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax . . . ARGHHH ! ! ! OH, MY GOD ! ! !” Silence followed. After a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier, but, while I was talking, the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and spilled the hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!”
A passenger in Economy said, 'That's nothing. He should see the back of mine!'
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New Zealand and Australian soldiers landing at Anzac Cove, 25 April 1915.
ANZAC Certificate
A New Zealander displays the flag of her country at ANZAC Cove for ANZAC Day Sunrise Memorial Service, Gallipoli.
Anzac, the landing 1915 by George Lambert, 1922 shows the landing at Anzac Cove, 25 April 1915
Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed in obscure, far-off places with strange sounding names: Suvla, Anzac Cove, Lone Pine. The Gallipoli Campaign made a profound impact on Australians; 25 April has become the day on which Australians remember the sacrifice of their honored war dead.
The Dardanelles / Gallipoli campaign of 1915 set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies, via the straits of the Dardanelles. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany.
A trench at Lone Pine after the battle, showing Australian and Turkish dead on the parapet
The memorial at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli.
