【明報專訊】Hong Kong airlines are impeccable in many ways - Cathay Pacific has of course always remained one of the safest airlines, but even budget airlines are often cost-efficient in terms of comfort. However, despite their collective excellence, these airlines also suffer a united front of failure - in-flight announcements. Very often, a flight starts with an amusing welcome note from the captains, followed by completely incomprehensible Cantonese translation. The translator would speak so quickly that he or she stutters and stumbles at points, but nevertheless persist in speed. It leaves the impression of a drowning person desperately trying to finish his last words. Not a pleasant welcoming I have to say. In fact, all subsequent in-flight announcements are often mumbled in this manner, making it a miracle for passengers to actually catch the messages. In times of turbulence or emergencies, this stresses the passengers out as they have to guess their ways through the situation.