iPhone Can Fly the Plane, too!
Got this e-mail today about the latest iPhone commercial:
"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 iPhone 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."
While I empathize with the story--not even sure if it's true--I would never put a passenger in a situation that would purposely cause embarrassment. I might talk smack about him with my crew later at the bar--but, would never knowingly call him out like this Captain did. We have more than our share of jerks in that cockpit, believe me!
"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 iPhone 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."
While I empathize with the story--not even sure if it's true--I would never put a passenger in a situation that would purposely cause embarrassment. I might talk smack about him with my crew later at the bar--but, would never knowingly call him out like this Captain did. We have more than our share of jerks in that cockpit, believe me!
Blondie
