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Listen to United Captain’s Needlessly Terrifying Announcement

Jet in a dark stormy sky

When the pilot of a Chicago to Newark-bound flight announced the trip would pass through “horrific storms including tornadoes,” a flight attendant quickly offered a much less frightening translation.

Flying in severe weather can be more than a little nerve-racking, even for experienced passengers. Air travelers on a Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) flight say that the pilot didn’t help matters when he made an over-the-top announcement shortly before the scheduled departure.

According to the Star-Ledger, passengers on the plane say that the captain unnecessarily upset those onboard by making a cabin announcement that warned the journey would be hampered by “horrific storms including tornadoes.” If passenger weren’t freaked out enough by the dire weather report from the cockpit, the pilot then reportedly advised passengers to “get to know your neighbors,” adding that the flight would be “very turbulent” for emphasis.

“He seemed angry,” passenger Pamela Kent told the newspaper. ”It was a general feeling of being rattled. You want a pilot to have confidence. There was not that feeling.”

One flyer even recorded audio, purportedly of a cabin crew member trying to do a little damage control after the pilot’s stark cabin announcement. Eyewitnesses say that the flight attendant’s reassuring words were too late and that by this time several passengers had demanded to be let off the plane.

“The captain was just trying to say that [we] are going to be taking on extra fuel,” the harried flight attendant can be heard telling passengers in one portion the recording.

There was some good news for passengers who may have understandably lost confidence in the captain. It seems that due to the hours-long weather delay on Wednesday, the crew had exceeded their allowable hours under FAA regulations and when the flight eventually departed – a decidedly less dramatic captain was at the controls.

“We are working to better understand what occurred here,” a United Airlines spokesperson told Inc. “Customers boarded a new aircraft and continued on their journey. Customers are receiving compensation and we apologize for this inconvenience.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]

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9 Comments
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Guy Betsy September 16, 2017

At least he didn't ask the passengers to pray.... like the pilot of the Air Asia X flight did !

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arcticflier September 1, 2017

I am glad to see the shared sentiments on the responses so far. The headline is typical sensationalism, there was nothing "terrifying" in what he said. Once again an emotional over-reaction by a bunch of ninnies now all lining up for a big payoff for a weather system that never materialized.

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Ronlap August 31, 2017

If an announcement that there would be "horrific storms including tornadoes," will get people to keep their seat belts buckled through the flight, I am all for it. I cannot believe the number of idiots who not only don't keep their belts buckled, but are sprawled all over.

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alexmyboy42 August 31, 2017

you belittle people because they are getting compensation from the airlines. grow up, your not in high school anymore

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weero August 31, 2017

Kudos to the captain for not making things up and embellishing what's out there. Delaying the flight seems to have been the right choice to being with. I trust a pilot that calls a spade a spade more than someone who tries to infantilize the customers.