http://www.planebuzz.com/2007/11/we_kne ... _happ.html
We Knew This Was Going To Happen: iPhone Equipped Passenger Takes On Flight Crew Over Weather
Apple-Iphone-In-Hand
One of our subscribers sent me this story today. We all knew this one was inevitable when the latest iPhone commercial rolled out -- now didnt we?
"Oh joy! I can't wait for the next ground delay or long taxi due to weather somewhere to get a smart ass with a freakin I-phone shoving it in my face saying "It's NOT raining there... SEE !" Too late ... already happened to me. We push back, get advised of a ground stop in MEM due to storms in the area. Go to the penalty box and wait. My Captain does the lecture over the PA... not one minute later, we get dinged from the F/A "Some guy with an IPhone says the weather is good, and wants to know what the real reason is for the delay. Is something wrong with the plane?"
I want to tell this clown what he can do with his IdiotPhone - but the Captain does it even better. He gets on the PA and makes the following announcement :
"If the passenger with the IPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave."
Needless to say, the pax was pretty embarrassed. The F/A later told us the rest of the plane was outright laughing at this dude. What a clown."
Pax with iPhone questions weather delay
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fingersmac
- Rank 7
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Why do people think that because they have a cell phone, it is acceptable to be rude. Or are they just naturally rude and a cell phone just makes it easier and more visible. One of these days I am going to reach up and grab one of those damn things and . it in the closest garbage can.
I live in Calgary, which has become the city of rude people and bad bad service so I have already walked out on sales people who interupt me to answer their phone. That is my chance to be rude.
I live in Calgary, which has become the city of rude people and bad bad service so I have already walked out on sales people who interupt me to answer their phone. That is my chance to be rude.
The average pilot, despite the somewhat swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
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fingersmac
- Rank 7
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Here's some more about the iPhone commercial in question and the story in the blog.
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/200 ... index.html
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/200 ... index.html
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shimmydampner
- Rank (9)
- Posts: 1764
- Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2004 3:59 pm
It would be much more stupid for a passenger to question a commercial pilot like that.CID wrote:It would be stupid of a commercial pilot to belittle a passener like that.
For the record, I've seen a couple passengers made to look like complete fools by their pilots. Not on an airline mind you, but I loved every second of it.
This isn't the origional iphone ad, but I'd say it is more realistic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EAQb2Fo ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EAQb2Fo ... re=related
I got one for ya.
Years ago, flying for Bearksin, I had a passenger being an ass in general and interrupting the F/Os safety briefing in the back amongst other things.
The classic part was when the F/O was briefing them that on our route from Sudbury to Sault Ste Marie, we would likely be deviating well north of track due to a heavy line of TStorms and might even find ourselves as north as Wawa before being able to swing back south to the Sault. Too much detail? Perhaps.
But this guy started laughing and trying to make a fool of my partner by telling everyone that anyone who knows anything and has driven the route knows that Wawa takes us West of the Sault not north. He had surmised that since Wawa comes after the Sault in his drive "westward" it must be west of the Sault. He started to make jokes about our navigation skills and that perhaps they should all get off if we have no sense of direction.
I intervened and explained to him that Wawa was due North (like 359 degrees) of the Sault and that if they had moved it west of the Sault since I had last seen it, it would be lying in the middle of Lake Superior. I went on to tell him that if he was disruptive to the F/Os safety briefing again or continued to be an ass, I was going to remove him from the flight.
Of course, I wrote him up when I got back to base...
Years ago, flying for Bearksin, I had a passenger being an ass in general and interrupting the F/Os safety briefing in the back amongst other things.
The classic part was when the F/O was briefing them that on our route from Sudbury to Sault Ste Marie, we would likely be deviating well north of track due to a heavy line of TStorms and might even find ourselves as north as Wawa before being able to swing back south to the Sault. Too much detail? Perhaps.
But this guy started laughing and trying to make a fool of my partner by telling everyone that anyone who knows anything and has driven the route knows that Wawa takes us West of the Sault not north. He had surmised that since Wawa comes after the Sault in his drive "westward" it must be west of the Sault. He started to make jokes about our navigation skills and that perhaps they should all get off if we have no sense of direction.
I intervened and explained to him that Wawa was due North (like 359 degrees) of the Sault and that if they had moved it west of the Sault since I had last seen it, it would be lying in the middle of Lake Superior. I went on to tell him that if he was disruptive to the F/Os safety briefing again or continued to be an ass, I was going to remove him from the flight.
Of course, I wrote him up when I got back to base...
Yes, but I would expect the pilot to conduct him/herself in a professional manner. The issue could have been resolved by explaining the issue calmly. You would have come away with a better informed passenger. Instead, you just have an extremely embarassed person who may travel on a different airline next time.It would be much more stupid for a passenger to question a commercial pilot like that.
True professionals don't need bask in the glory of belittling people who make honest mistakes based on misinformation of lack of experience. They don't have such a lack of confidence that they need to build themselves up by tearing others down.
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snaproll20
- Rank 7
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[quote="CID"]Yes, but I would expect the pilot to conduct him/herself in a professional manner. The issue could have been resolved by explaining the issue calmly. [quote]
Sounds to me that the captain was very calm and his response was appropriate. He didn’t say “Sit down and shut the f@ck up.” If a passenger is so certain that his I-Phone knows better than the flight crew whether it is safe to depart and said passenger is confident enough to pipe up then clearly he is confident enough to handle a little comical throw back.
Further, and more importantly the captain needs to show leadership. Most pilots forget that flying for no pilots can be scary. This I-phone toting idiot just eroded the confidence of the pax in captain/flight crew and thus had the potential to make the flight very unnerving for the passengers as they wondered “what the real reason was for the delay.” By responding firmly, and comically the captain restored that confidence and got rid of a lot of tension amongst the pax. In my opinion a truly classic example of how to respond to aggressive pax. Someday when your time comes and you’re being heckled by a pax I challenge you to find a better more appropriate response.
Sounds to me that the captain was very calm and his response was appropriate. He didn’t say “Sit down and shut the f@ck up.” If a passenger is so certain that his I-Phone knows better than the flight crew whether it is safe to depart and said passenger is confident enough to pipe up then clearly he is confident enough to handle a little comical throw back.
Further, and more importantly the captain needs to show leadership. Most pilots forget that flying for no pilots can be scary. This I-phone toting idiot just eroded the confidence of the pax in captain/flight crew and thus had the potential to make the flight very unnerving for the passengers as they wondered “what the real reason was for the delay.” By responding firmly, and comically the captain restored that confidence and got rid of a lot of tension amongst the pax. In my opinion a truly classic example of how to respond to aggressive pax. Someday when your time comes and you’re being heckled by a pax I challenge you to find a better more appropriate response.
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bob sacamano
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I lost count of the number of times that passengers have had some sort of a stupid remark. These folks just need to be the class clown and get the attention of others.
Sure when I was younger I'd probably put them in their place by saying a remark back, and that got tired pretty quickly, so I just used to nod my head and just walk away. Usually they get the point that I've got a job to do, and don't really care to hear any of their jokes.
On the flip side, I've had the opposite happen a few times, such as a passenger would come up to me during a stop and tell me that they just talked with someone at destination, and that the roads are an ice rink, etc.
Sure when I was younger I'd probably put them in their place by saying a remark back, and that got tired pretty quickly, so I just used to nod my head and just walk away. Usually they get the point that I've got a job to do, and don't really care to hear any of their jokes.
On the flip side, I've had the opposite happen a few times, such as a passenger would come up to me during a stop and tell me that they just talked with someone at destination, and that the roads are an ice rink, etc.
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shimmydampner
- Rank (9)
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I disagree, dickheads need to be put in their place, not babied. There was nothing unprofessional about the pilot's response.CID wrote: Yes, but I would expect the pilot to conduct him/herself in a professional manner. The issue could have been resolved by explaining the issue calmly. You would have come away with a better informed passenger. Instead, you just have an extremely embarassed person who may travel on a different airline next time.
True professionals don't need bask in the glory of belittling people who make honest mistakes based on misinformation of lack of experience. They don't have such a lack of confidence that they need to build themselves up by tearing others down.
