I was given a bulkhead seat, which is near the exit and the cabin crew's take-off seats. I noticed that during take-off and landing, the cabin crew were busy chit-chatting with each other.

I am a former flight attendant (not with SQ) and it was drilled into us by our safety trainers to always go through the emergency procedures in our minds during take-offs and landings (as these are crucial moments of a flight) so that we can react immediately if there is indeed an unplanned emergency.

What upset me more was that it was the Inflight Supervisor (IFS) who was chatting away with the steward. Shouldn't the IFS, who probably has had more than 15 years of flying experience, set a good example to the other cabin crew who are junior to him? During pre-flight briefings, the IFS' prime duty is to emphasise safety first and then other aspects of cabin matters and I'm sure the IFS concerned must have done that but acted out differently instead.

As a flight attendant, I was often told that safety is the primary duty of a cabin crew. One has to be mentally prepared to be able to deal with emergencies and no matter how much training is given, one is never prepared.

I hope that the chief of cabin crew of Singapore Airlines will emphasise the importance of safety to all cabin crew. And as for me, the next time I fly with Singapore Airlines, I will go through the safety emergency procedures in my mind, just in case.

Malar K. Pillai (Mrs)