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Dance of the Flight Attendant
I don't really know what to say about this little web comic by Jen Wang titled "dance of the flight attendant," other than the fact that it puts a smile on my face. Having flown 14 times in the past 30 days, I came to understand – with uncomfortable precision – the safety demonstration given before every flight. Never again would I wonder where exactly my floatation device was located in the unlikely event of a water landing – not that such a landing is anticipated, of course. I can rest at ease now that I know the exact order in which the dangling oxygen mask should be placed over the mouths – mine first, of course, then the mouth of the child sitting next to me. The exits (as noted by the direction my two fingers are pointing) are located throughout the plane: two at the front, two at the wings, and two in the rear.
"My favorite part about flying," the comic goes, "is the in-flight safety demo given right before takeoff. A ritual performed multiple times a day by multiple people, its everyday habituality gives the performance a detached, overlyrehearsed sort of quality."
Does anyone (besides me, naturally) pay attention to these demonstrations any more? Anyway, check out the comic, and if anyone can translate the text in the last frame, do so in the comments!
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Geoff Jan 16th 2007 1:25PM
She's saying "Thank you" in Chinese.
Justin Jan 16th 2007 1:26PM
Ah, easy enough. Thanks, Geoff!
Mary Jo Jan 16th 2007 4:03PM
As someone who must perform that daily dance, I say thank you.
It's not that we like doing it any more than you like listening (or not not listening) to it. It's just the rules.
maggie Jan 19th 2007 4:56PM
Funny- we call the making the P.A. the "singing" and the demonstration, "the dance". So we ask one another at the beginning of each leg, "do you want to sing or dance?" And it would behoove all of you to pay attention to the demo-- each aircraft is different. And unless you are intimately aquainted with each piece of equiptment (aircraft) it's a good idea to listen.