Originally Posted by
LRMErnst
"The Box" is
the penalty box
`Place where planes--generally after ground stop, GDP, or just running late get to wait while their gate opens; may also be used on departures for metering or flow delays. ORD actually has a space officially called the "Penalty Box" [on airport diagrams and a "Scenic Pad"] but used generically as a place somewhere out of ATC's way to bide time.`
Right, most airports have a literal box painted on the ground (or multiple), although it's usually referred to as "the block" by ground (i.e. "your new wheels up time is 44 past the hour, I'm going to need to you to pull into the [runway] 30 block" - what basically no pax wants to hear during taxi). Sometimes aircraft are just pulled out into a little-used taxiway (like Taxiway L at SFO) and colloquially we refer to any situation where a plane is stopped and not in line for something (the runway or de-ice pad) as being "boxed".