Surprisingly unclear: Why onboard announcements on an island airline are often hard to understand

When you only understand 'station': onboard announcements that nobody really understands

Last week at Gate B2 I sat next to two pensioners who wondered why the announcement wasn't as clear as usual. It may sound trivial, but it's a hassle for many travelers: On the regional airline operating from Luxembourg, onboard announcements are still made in Luxembourgish — but often very unclear.

There's a simple reason: Job advertisements now say that applicants don't need to speak perfect Luxembourgish. A few basic terms are often enough, they say. For everyday situations that may pass. In emergencies or when older passengers want to ask something, that can quickly become problematic.

What does that mean exactly?

In the summer, planes flew almost daily between Palma and Luxembourg. From mid-November, according to the winter schedule, operations are reduced to four connections per week — Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The frequency falls, the language stays. But the expectation of understandability is higher for many passengers.

Some travelers praise the friendliness of the crew, the short check-in times and the clean cabins. Others report flights being canceled, long queues at baggage handling, or staff who seem annoyed. The complaints are hardly about delays alone: often it is the lack of communication that creates anger and uncertainty.

Parliamentary inquiries from the neighboring country show that politicians view it similarly: they worry about older Luxembourgish people who in a stressful situation rely on clear native language. Understanding is no small matter when it comes to safety.

On-site, in conversations at the airport cafe at Marítim, I keep hearing the same phrases: "Why don't we hear that more clearly in Spanish or English?" or "The woman next to me understood nothing."

What could help?

Simple advice: clear, slow announcements in two languages — that's neither expensive nor complicated. Also, job advertisements should transparently state which language skills are really required. A mix of digital information boards, clearly understandable announcements and attentive crew members would ease a lot.

For Mallorca the route connects not only vacationers but also family visits and business travelers. Small changes in communication would give many people more confidence — regardless of which language is preferred on board.

Whether the airline changes its hiring approach remains to be seen. Until then, there is only one thing that helps: in case of doubt, ask loudly, inform a relative and, if possible, ask for a repetition in English or Spanish on board. Sometimes a friendly "Could you please repeat that?" is enough.