Air traffic controllers in Houston first alerted Federal Aviation Administration supervisors on March 25, 2011, around 1:30 p.m. and those supervisors forwarded a tape of the episode to Southwest Airlines to take action against the pilot.

The Southwest Airlines pilot, who was not identified by the FAA or the airline, could be heard talking to his co-pilot in the cockpit, expressing frustration over the airline hiring so many flight attendants that he found to be unsuitable for dating.

"A continuous stream of gays and grannies and grandes," the pilot said over the Houston Center air traffic control frequency, which covers hundreds of miles over Texas.

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Southwest Airlines responded by saying the pilot was suspended without pay, but the airline would not say how long that suspension lasted.

Airline spokesperson Brandy King declined to answer questions about the punishment, saying the airline considers it a "family matter."