Communication between pilots and air traffic control for international flights is almost always conducted in English. It makes sense to use the most common second language for communication. But it doesn't always work, especially when no one involved speaks English as their first language. A TAP Air Portugal flight from Lisbon to Nice crossed into France with a little problem on board- all the toilets were non-functional. Aware of the passengers' potential for distress, the pilots contacted air traffic control in Nice to request expedited landing. They didn't want to circle waiting for earlier planes to land if they could get permission to skip the line.
However, this divergence from protocol involved several messages among quite a few people. In a radio transmission, the word "toilet" got confused for the word "pilot." The pilot's not working? It must be a medical emergency. What, you have no pilots? Then when the plane's crew tried to clarify, the control tower crew got the idea that the auto-pilot was non-functional. They put Nice Airport in a state of alert for the jet landing. Read an edited transcript or listen to a video to hear what went down in Nice. We assume that the plane was able to land and let the passengers do their business.
(Image credit: Siyuan He)
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A'yuh!
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For those confused, gwdMaine's "above comment" is under the corn dog post, and he has been drinking scotch. I believe he is having a good time!
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As a corollary to my above comment, one might not want to watch the linked video if one's Blood Alcohol Content is above a certain level. One misses parts from LOLing and has to watch over again.
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