On The Air: January 2014

was a passenger listening to ATC on the A-319s audio system. We had just landed at a very busy Newark Liberty International Airport. I heard this exchange between Tower and a regional jet:Tower: RJ One One Zero, line up and wait.RJ: (Groaning) Unable. We just had a passenger stand up and go to the lavatory. What do you want us to do?Tower: There are seven aircraft behind you. Try to hurry them up.(30 seconds later)RJ:…

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air traffic control interactions can be unexpectedly humorous, arising from situations like passenger lavatory breaks delaying departure or pilots making dry comments about minor ATC corrections.
Pilots sometimes find themselves in amusing or awkward situations, such as reporting unusually low ground speeds in slower aircraft, leading to humorous exchanges with ATC.
One pilot demonstrated remarkable courtesy by offering to hold for a commercial flight carrying his wife and infant daughter, inadvertently leading to his surprise arrival being spoiled by the airline captain.

See a mistake? Contact us.

was a passenger listening to ATC on the A-319’s audio system. We had just landed at a very busy Newark Liberty International Airport. I heard this exchange between Tower and a regional jet:
Tower: “RJ One One Zero, line up and wait.”
RJ: (Groaning) “Unable. We just had a passenger stand up and go to the lavatory. What do you want us to do?”
Tower: “There are seven aircraft behind you. Try to hurry them up.”
(30 seconds later)
RJ: “Tower, RJ One One Zero, passenger is back in their seat, ready for departure.”
Tower: “Must have been a number one. Cleared for takeoff.”

Fred Simonds
Juno Beach, Florida