"'Attention." "Attention, please." "'Continental Airlines announces the departure of flight three 'for Los Angeles and Honolulu at gate 28, the blue concourse.'" "Global 45, Lincoln Tower." "Clear to land." "Runway two-niner." "'Wind 1-5." "Gusting 2-5.'" "Roger." "Cleared to land." "Runway in sight." "Lincoln Tower." "We cut the taxiway a little and we're stuck in the snow." "Please notify company dispatch." "We need assistance." "We've got a condition four on two-niner at taxiway Echo." "Right." "Change traffic to runway 2-2." "Two-niner is closed." "Trans World 17, I have a change." "Now taxi to runway 2-2." "Two-niner is closed." "Over." "Air Canada ninety-niner, hold short of taxiway Bravo." "Emergency equipment on your left." "Runway two-niner closed - disabled aircraft." "Due to approach, runway two-niner closed." "We'll stay with 2-2 with everything." "Global 10, prepare for takeoff." "For this food, Your many blessings and Your bounteous goodness, we give thanks to Thee in the name of..." "Jesus Christ!" "Hello, Mel?" "I'm glad I caught you before you got away." "Yeah." "We just lost runway two-niner." "A tail sticking out into the runway about 20 yards." "I don't know." "It could be a long time." "All right." "I'll go right out there." "'Air Canada, 'flight 425 from Quebec will arrive at Gate 24... '" "Bakersfeld." "Mel, Tanya." "How about some coffee?" "I just found something." "I just lost something - runway two-niner." "Oh, no." "Snow?" "One of your jockeys missed a turn-off, buried the wheel." "No one told us." "It just happened." "Flight 45." "I'm on my way." " Any casualties?" " Just me." "There's bound to be a passenger with a $50 wrenched back." "I'd better get out there with some forms and plenty of understanding." " May I ride with you?" " See you downstairs." "Good." "'Mr." "Bakersfeld, white phone." "Urgent.'" " Bakersfeld." " Where the hell are you?" "I'm on my way to the field." "An emergency." "You said you would be home at 6:00." "You promised not to miss this dinner." "You promised that a week ago." "A week ago I didn't know we'd have the worst storm in six years." " You've always got some damn excuse." " I'll call you back." "Let me take that for you, ma'am." "You'll be much warmer in the bus." "I'm sorry this happened." "The captain wants to take off weight then hook onto the nose gear and tow it out with a tractor." "Buried like that, the nose gear would never stand the strain." "That's what I told him." "I think we should use bags to lift the wings." " Could take most of tomorrow." " I want that runway cleared tonight." "Tonight?" "I know you're doing all you can, but if I can con TWA into giving us Patroni, will you object?" "No." "Joe can have all the tries he wants." " Mr. Bakersfeld!" " Yes?" "Snow desk." "Yes, Danny?" "I'm calling Patroni." "Stand by on mobile phone." "Roger." " Hello, Joe?" " Hi, Mel." "Save your breath." "Danny gave me the poop." "Tonight I'm not available." "Joe, I need you." "I got 14 on the ground and 18 stacked upstairs." "And I've got our five kids stacked away at mother's so me and Marie could be alone." "Tell Marie I'm sorry to louse up her evening." "I need two-niner badly." "Can't the Global crew handle it?" "They're having a conference to decide what to do." "But I need somebody who knows, a genius, like Patroni." "Hold the whipped cream." "I've just had dessert." " All right." "I'll be there." " Good." "In the meantime, give everybody a shovel and dig a ten-degree incline in front of the wheels." " Right." " Out." "Ah, Joe." "Do you have to go to work on a night like this?" "They don't call them emergencies any more." "They call them "Patroniz"." "I suppose you'll be late, huh?" "I'll be back in time if I have to pull that plane out with my teeth." "What's this I should know about?" "Your brother-in-law was on the snow clearance committee today." "My boss got the report." "I can guess what it says." ""The airport" - me   "is inefficient in snow..." - "Grossly inefficient."" ""...causing flight delays, loss of revenue to airlines, etc."" ""Signed, Captain Demerest, chairman." How can he say this?" "Because he's a louse who can't pass up the opportunity to knife me." "'Mobile One, Snow Desk." "Where are you?" "'" "Coming up to the ramp." "Mel, Commissioner Ackerman wants you at the terminal." " Trouble." " 'I'm on my way.'" "Close down runway 22." "Close down runway 22." "Keep moving, please." "Keep moving, please." "'Mr." "Harold Brotten, please come to the information desk.'" "They'll break it up soon and go home after the TV cameras get a few shots." "TV?" "Their new lawyer arranged for news coverage." "That's all we need." "I'd better tell the other commissioners." "Afterwards we'll meet in the boardroom and see what we can do to calm those people down." "I'll call you." "Mel." "Hi, sis." "I thought Vernon was on flight two tonight." "He is." " Sure are here early." " What with the weather and traffic," "Vernon didn't want to chance being late, but we just sailed right along." "I thought they were pilots picketing you." "I was all set to join them." "I heard about your report." "Besides everything else, now you're an authority on snow clearance?" " I call them as I see them." " Then you're due for an eye check." "For your information, clearing those runways is the equivalent of 700 miles of two-lane highway." "Well, what do you know?" "I'll bet you measured every foot of it yourself." "We've had ten inches of snow in the last 24 hours." "Anchorage had twice that and they're clean." "They've got twice the equipment." " Then get some more." " This isn't Alaska." "You don't spend two million dollars for machinery you hardly use." "You buy for average snowfall." "In emergencies, you work round the clock." "Sitting behind that desk made you think like a bookkeeper." "I didn't always fly a desk." "All right, Daddy." "Now you tell me all about when you were a war hero." "You flew those pursuit jobs you could land in a parking lot." "When I'm setting down over 200,000 pounds of 707," "I want something under my wheels that's plenty long and mighty dry." "It'll be dry tonight, but not too long. 2-9 is closed." "The pilot from your flight 45 made a short cut across the field." " And he didn't make it." " But what are you doing about it?" "Well, when the snow melts in April, we'll get it out." "What the hell do you think I'm doing about it?" "Stop that, both of you!" "Yeah." "It's a waste of time arguing with a penguin." " Bye." " Have a good flight, dear." "What would you like from Rome?" "Just yourself." "Maybe if you have the time, I could use some white gloves." "Size six and a half, right?" "No." "I'm the one who wears a size seven and a half." "'American Airlines, flight 103 for St Louis 'is now in the final boarding... '" "Hey, that's a good idea, Mel - using little old ladies for skycaps." "You keep that up." "You're doing a good job." "Mel." "For my sake, be patient with him." "How you can live with that overage juvenile delinquent I'll never know." "There's just us." "If I left him, what would I have?" "Would you have any more if he decided to leave you?" "He won't." "When a girl gets serious, he waves his wedding ring like a flag." " I'm his disaster insurance." " More like group insurance." "Thanks for caring, Mel." "Don't worry." "Someday he'll come home for some other reason than to just change his clothes." "Well, I hope so." "That's for me." "Goodbye, dear." "Bakersfeld." "No, no." "No, I'll take care of it myself." "Vern!" "We just don't have time." "I have a cab waiting, we can make the airport in 15 minutes." "The driver will wait." "His meter's running and so is mine." " But I must pack." " If you get me up to full throttle then throw me into reverse, you could damage my engine." "Look, we'll be in Rome tomorrow." "We'll have three days." " Try a little patience." " Or a cold shower." "Think about something else." "That I like." "You can see right through it." " Who's in the right-hand seat?" " I am." " Demoted?" " No." "It's a pilot-check flight." " I'm checking Anson Harris." " He's been a captain for years." "So have I, but somebody's gotta check you out every six months to make sure you don't pick up bad habits." "Such as nuzzling stewardesses?" "Does he hold onto the control too firmly?" "Or can he sort of coax them along with just his fingers?" " But we still have to..." " Go and wash it." "When he can't get clearance to land, how does he take it?" "He controls his emotions and says, "Better luck next time."" ""Better luck next time."" "You and your roommate have enough china, glasses and booze for a round trip to Australia." "That's not all ours." "The girls in the building contributed." "Grace is getting married." "We're having a party." "If you could hijack a 707, you could start your own airline." "We thought of that." "But none of us has a pilot's license." "Well, with the kind of fringe benefits you girls have to offer," "I could get you a crew right now." "Mel?" "Joe." "I'm stuck in traffic on Carlton Road just east of Mannheim." "A tractor trailer jack-knifed and flipped over." "It's on its side like a drunken dinosaur." "Joe, I need two-niner awful bad." "If you're not out soon, I'll get highway patrol to bring you in." "What else can go wrong?" "I'll check the snow desk." "I'll be back for his call." "You're not going." "You've been rushing around for three days." " I've gotta get up there." " Why do it all yourself?" "You've got an assistant." "Let Mike do it." "Sit down and relax." "I'll fix you some coffee and a sandwich." "Oh." "One thing you should do." "You promised to call your wife back." "Bakersfeld residence, Libby speaking." " This is Mr. Bakersfeld talking." " Daddy!" "Isn't the snow super?" " Baby, it's cool, real cool." " Robbie, Daddy's on the phone." " Hello, Dad." " Hi, Robbie." "Are you coming home tonight?" "At the moment, honey, I'm not so sure..." "Say good night, girls." "Mommy wants to talk to Daddy." " Good night, Daddy." " Good night, Dad." "You hung up on me before." "Don't ever do that again." "I'm sorry, but I was rushing onto the field." "All right." "We don't have time to argue." "You have a dinner jacket there." "Meet me at the hotel." "I told you, we've got an emergency." "I have to stay here, probably all night." "You can't." " You can't keep doing this to me." " Listen to me, Cindy." "Last month you scheduled me for seven charity wingdings." "'I've made four - a good batting average.'" "'I'm not a ball game." "I'm your wife.'" "'Then try to remember it and think of my position.'" "'I'm only thinking about you." "'This isn't just any dinner." "Dad wants to talk to you.'" "'He's been talking for 15 years and I've been saying no for 15 years.'" " 'It's a wonderful opportunity.' - 'I thought you'd got the message." "'I'm not interested in his job." "I've been in aviation 20 years." "'It's what I'm trained for, I like it and it's my life.'" "'What kind of a life?" "This'd give you regular hours." "'We could be together and with our children." " 'And your income would triple.' - 'We can join the country club'" " 'What's wrong with that?" "' - 'Let's get something straight." "'I'll support my family my way on the income from my job.'" "'You don't give a damn about our future.'" "At the moment, I'm trying to survive the present." " Maybe you won't have to." " What the hell does that mean?" "You figure it out." "Why don't you have your coffee in here and lie down for a minute?" "Hey, guess what." "Miller says they just picked up a stowaway from LA." "That's four this month." "BOAC had one on Monday, a 16-year-old." "If you're wondering if we had another fight, no." "Just a continuation of the same one." "I'm just as much to blame as she is." "She's right." "I look for excuses not to go home." "Hello, Joe?" "Oh, Harry." "Yes, all right." "I'll be right there." " Two of you get on the nose wheel." " How deep should we go?" "If we're gonna do it this way, we need a lot more men." "All right." "I'll try to round up some for you." "Maybe there's an easier way." "Captain Demerest has a good idea." "Captain!" "Why don't you tell Mr. Bakersfeld?" "I've got an idea that will make you Aviation Man of the Year and Captain Benson agrees with me." "We put pneumatic jacks under the jacking plates and lift her." "When she's high enough just fill in, plank over and roll her on the flat." "If every jack isn't absolutely level, she'll slide off and you'll have a hole in the wing and the fuel tank." " I'll stick with Patroni." " OK, do it the hard way," " but I'm not taking off on 2-2." " You'll use what's available." "If it's 2-2, I'm not using noise abatement or cutting back on power over those houses." "So unless you want a bill for broken dishes, you better move this thing." "Keep digging." "If another pilot comes up with an idea like that, hand him a shovel." "Yes, Peter?" "Uh, Mrs. Livingston, I've got that stowaway Mr. Miller told you about." "Bring him in." "Hello." "I'm Mrs. Ada Quonsett." "I'm Mrs. Livingston, pleased to..." "I mean, won't you sit down." "Oh, thank you, my dear." "It was a long walk from that gate." "We've got some talking to do." "I think you better lock that door." " I see you've done this before." " Oh, yes, my dear." "But it's against the law." "Why do you do it?" "Well, I'm a widow and I have a married daughter in New York." "Sometimes I miss her and the grandchildren." "So I go down to the airport in Los Angeles and get on a plane that's going to New York." "And then when I'm ready to go home it's vice versa." " Just like that, without a ticket?" " I couldn't afford a ticket." "I just have my social security and the small pension that my late husband left me." "Have you done this on other airlines?" "Oh, yes." "But I like Trans Global the best." "Well, it's nice to meet a satisfied customer." " How about Patroni?" " Highway patrol's bringing him in." " When will he be here?" " About half an hour." "Good." "Now I'll have that sandwich." "I'm starving." "I haven't eaten since..." "Oh, I'm sorry." "No, don't go away." "I'd like you to meet Mrs. Quonsett, the stowaway I was talking about before." "This is Mr. Bakersfeld, general manager of the airport." "Well, how do you do?" "It's a pleasure to meet someone so important." " Pleased to meet you, ma'am." " Don't go." "Come sit with us." "Have a cup of coffee and a sandwich." "Perhaps Mr. Bakersfeld could impress upon Mrs. Quonsett that this isn't a very nice thing to do." "Mrs. Livingston hasn't been able to." "Yes, uh, Mrs. Quonsett." "Uh, what you've done is dishonest." "You've broken the law." "You've defrauded Trans Global." "Don't you realize they can prosecute you?" "But they wouldn't." "It wouldn't be good public relations to prosecute an old lady because she wanted to visit her daughter." " May I have one?" " Sure." "I didn't eat much on the plane." "The beef was a little too well-done." "And the salad dressing had garlic in it." "I think you should tell them, my dear, that very often elderly people can't tolerate garlic." "It gives them gas." "Well, I'll certainly mention it to our chef." "Thank you." "Oh, not at all." "Look, since you've had so much free travel from Trans Global, the least you could do is tell us how you get aboard." "Well, my dear, I use many methods." "But mostly, I'm in the airport early enough to get a boarding pass." "But they're ticket folders." "Yes, I know." "I go to a counter and I tell them I've lost mine and may I please have another one?" "I always pick a busy counter where people are waiting." "They always give me one." "But it's just a blank folder." "It isn't made out as a gate pass." "I do that myself in the ladies' room." "I know from experience what to write." "I carry a big black pencil like the airlines use in my purse." "See?" "Yes, I do." "I'll keep that, if you don't mind." "Well, it's really mine." "But I suppose I can get another one." "So now you have a boarding pass, Mrs. Quonsett." "What then?" "Then I go to the departure gate." " Coffee?" " No, thank you." "I wait till the man checking tickets is busy, then I walk onto the plane." "You hear that, Mr. Coakley?" "No one stops you, not even the stewardesses?" "If you get on late enough, they're hanging up coats and talking to the men." "I just show them my folder, quickly, you see." "I'll keep that, too." "But I'm sure you don't always use a boarding pass." "No." "Sometimes I tell them my son has gone aboard, but he dropped his wallet." "I carry a man's wallet in my hand." "That works best of all." "I must say, Mrs. Quonsett, you have everything figured out." "My late husband taught me to be thorough." "He was a teacher of geometry." "He always said, "You must consider every angle."" "My late husband was a lawyer, and he always said," ""Watch out for sweet-looking old ladies." Now I see what he meant." "So you're a widow, too." "I'm sorry, my dear." "But you're young and attractive, I'm sure..." "Let's confine the conversation to you, Mrs. Quonsett." "We're sending you back to LA on the next flight." "Yes, my dear, I was afraid of that." "Well, I would like a cup of tea first." "So I'll go, and you can tell me when you want me back." "Oh, no." "You're not going anywhere alone." "Mrs. Quonsett will be on flight 103, and stick with her every second until departure." " Don't let her out of your sight." " Yes." "She'll need a ticket." "Yes, that will be a change, won't it?" "I'll make out an order." " May I please have my tea now?" " Yes." "Where are you going?" "Can I have it in the Commander's Club?" " That's for members only." " But I have a card." "This card says "Mrs. Henry Jackson."" "Yes, Gertrude lets me use it when I'm traveling." "Well, we'll send it back to Gertrude with a very strong letter." "We'll go this way, Mrs. Quonsett." "Goodbye." "Goodbye, ma'am." "You've been very nice." "Thank you." "I don't believe it." "I just don't believe it." "And you were a big help, giving her that VIP treatment." "Courtesy, sandwiches." "I'm surprised you didn't break open the champagne." "If we had some, I would have." "She deserves it." "She's fabulous." " She sat there laughing at us." " Take it easy." "There've been stowaways since the Egyptians sailed the Red Sea." "When they caught 'em, they tossed 'em overboard." "Airlines won't do a thing and she knows it." " Crafty little old biddy." " Oh, come on." "Relax." "After all, she only stole a ride, not a plane." "I know, but..." "Mel, they've been pressuring me about that transfer to San Francisco." "I think I'll take it." "The pay is better and the change of climate will do me good." " No snow." " Yes." "It's a beautiful city." "I'll miss you." "Will you, enough not to let me go?" "I'm sorry." "I had no right to say that." "You've been honest with me all along." "No false hopes, no promises." "I'm not as honest as you think." "I said I invented excuses not to go home." "That's true." "But I didn't mention the real reason I needed to stay here." "I tell myself I've got to try to hold things together... for the sake of the children." "But I'm not sure that's true or even kind." "They know what's going on and it's hurting them, especially Roberta." "Then I think about my mother and father." "God knows they had their ups and downs." "But somehow they..." "somehow they worked it out." "I feel I ought to be able to do the same or else I've failed." "And I don't like to fail." "I don't know what to do about it." "Maybe you love your wife more than you realize." "No, no." "Not for a long time now." "The only thing we've got left in common is an address." "I'm not pressing you, Mel." "I wouldn't play that kind of game with you." "But I think I'd better take that job in San Francisco." " Mrs. Livingston." " Yes?" "Excuse me, but customs just called." "The chief would like you to come down." "He says it's important." "All right." "It seems that one of our passengers is demanding to speak to someone in authority from Trans Global." "Will you explain to this man that we're not living in the Dark Ages?" "That nowadays stores in this country import clothes from France?" "If you looked - Bergdorf-Goodman labels." "Oh, I did look, madam, rather closely." "I find the sewing of the labels isn't up to Bergdorf's usual standard." "They're always very professional, very neat." "As you can see, that's a pretty sloppy job." "But I suppose everybody's having trouble getting good help these days." "Especially the customs service." "'Will Mr. Henry Oliver come to the cashier's window?" "'" "Well, what's the matter, boy?" "Is there something the matter, huh?" "Oh, your collar's too tight." "Officer, about the dresses..." "Perhaps I did make a mistake." "I did buy them there." "And there are some other things that I..." "Sorry, madam." "Check everything else very carefully." "Inspect the linings of the bags and the cases." " Make a list." " Yes, sir." "Sorry, fella." "I'd like to change that declaration." "Please, I beg of you." " My husband will..." " Madam, why don't you sit down?" "This might take some time." "When will they learn?" "The duty would have been one-tenth of what the fine will be." "You are amazing." "I never would have suspected her." "Well, after 30 years, you kind of know." "First I look in their eyes and then the luggage." "Thanks for coming down." "Now, may I ask you another favor?" "If you want me to smuggle anything in, the answer is no." "No." "My sister's girl, Judy Barton, is gonna be on your number two flight to Rome tonight." " Can you get her a window seat?" " I'm sure of it." "Good." " Oh, Mrs. Livingston." " Yes?" "With this weather, will it get off on time?" "Flight two, the Golden Argosy, will depart for Rome on schedule." "Good." "Fine." "Thank you." "I thought you said you were leaving tomorrow." "No." "I said I start work tomorrow." "I gotta be in Milwaukee tonight." "Remember?" "It's not another of those "hello, goodbye" jobs?" "I talked to Mr. Williams himself - 175 a week." "Look, this is a 30-storey building." "The job will last eight months at least." "I hope so." "Do me one favor." "If your boss says two and two is six, agree with him." "Whatever way he wants to do anything," " that's my way." " Don't lose your temper." "And Williams said after Milwaukee, there's a building in Detroit and they may even subcontract the excavating to me." "Be satisfied you're working." "I am, but..." "You'll see." "Everything will be fine." "It's gonna be the way it used to be." "Nothing's the way it used to be." "But I'm not complaining." "You never do." "How you could stick with me..." ""For better or for worse." I meant what I said." "It's gonna be better again." "I promise." "I've got an idea." "The kids won't have to live with your sister any more, and you're gonna have money and a nice home and clothes..." "Stop." "Stop dreaming." "Just hold on to the job." "I'll do it right this time." "I won't mess it up." "How you gonna get to Milwaukee?" "The bus that leaves in just a few minutes." "I've got enough for that and then I can draw an advance on my salary tomorrow." "But I will need something for a hotel room tonight, if you could just..." "All I've got is enough to put something on the rent." " All right." " Dom." "The silverware is gone." "My watch is gone." "My mother's ring." "Don't pawn that." "Here." "I'll give the landlord a hard-luck story." "Goodbye, Dom." "Inez." "I haven't been a very good provider, but I will be." "I promise you that." "Goodbye, Inez." "I love you." "I want you to always remember that." "Bye." " Two dollars." " It's highway robbery." "Why the airlines don't provide free transportation, I'll never know." "I don't own the bus." "I just drive it." " You're holding up the line." " Here, here." "Hi, Anson." "What are you doing here so early?" "Trying to impress your check pilot?" "I thought I'd get an "A" for effort." "No, we're using 324 tonight." "On her last flight, number two engine had trouble, and I wanted to see what maintenance did." "I hope they gave us a new one." "They even replaced all the wiring, just to be safe." " That's the side I like to be on." " What's the matter?" "I was thinking about the last time you checked me out." "You marked me down for not wearing a regulation shirt." " I was hoping to get even." " Not a chance." "Knowing how tough you can be, tonight I even polished my wings." "Thanks, fellas." "Tried to get you more help but no luck." "I've only got 20 men." "I knew you'd blow it, so I phoned from my car." " I got 50." " Where'd you get them from?" "Braniff, Delta, Continental." "We're not like the stiffs in the office who wear ties and steal each other's passengers." "Maintenance is like a circus." "One of us is in trouble, he yells and they all come running." "Let's move." "I got a beautiful dame waiting for me at home." "We should be above this in about 20 minutes or so." "Let's hope." " Did you forget something?" " Just checking the Rome weather." "Not too cold and sunny." "As usual, I brought the wrong clothes." " I don't have a thing to wear." " Great!" "I'll have this mother out of here by midnight." "So stop worrying." "In that case, the party starts at 12:01." "I'll settle for a box of cigars." "See you later." "If you keep leaning on that shovel, you'll freeze solid like Lot's wife." "We wanna move this airplane before it becomes obsolete." "The way you guys keep heading for this bus looks like you got a broad stashed in there." "Out!" "Everybody, out!" "'Attention please, ladies and gentlemen." "'Trans Global Airlines regrets to announce that flight two to Rome will not depart until 11pm.'" "'We are sorry, but this is due to the condition of the highways, 'which is causing unavoidable delays to ground transportation.'" "So those of you on flight two to Rome, don't worry." "They're holding the plane." "Just relax." "I'll get you there in time." "They could've decided before we left." "Making us sit and worry." "It's inexcusable." "Go away." "Your nose is running." "Paolo, vieni qui." "Vieni qui, Paulo." "'Will all passengers holding tickets 'for Continental flight 221 to Denver 'please report to the ticket counter 'to arrange for a complimentary dinner.'" "Of course, if it's not crowded, I..." "Here's the ticket." "It's flight 103." " Oh, thank you." " Oh, no, you don't." "My, she has a suspicious nature." "Go on." "You were saying you preferred the flights that aren't direct, huh?" "Yes." "That's why your flight 86 is my favorite." "St Louis, Kansas City, Chicago." "But don't they check you at all the intermediate stops?" "!" "I pretend to be asleep." "Usually, they don't disturb me." " But this time they caught you." " It was that man sitting next to me." "I confided in him and he betrayed me to the stewardess." "He was a policeman from San Diego." "I think they should make them always wear their uniforms." "Otherwise, how's a person to know?" "Hi, Mel." "I was just gonna have you paged." " I was in the field." " We got trouble, Mel." "I talked to the lawyer for the Meadowood people." "Unless we stop planes taking off over their houses by midnight, he's starting a damage suit first thing in the morning for $10 million." "That's a nice round figure." "But he hasn't got a prayer." "He might not win, but he can sue." "Any legal action will make public relations worse than they are now." "And that's something we commissioners don't want to risk." " What do you propose to do about it?" " There's only one answer." "Shut it down and cut out the noise over Meadowood." " That means closing down completely." " Only until morning." "After all, you promised them you wouldn't disturb their sleep." "I promised them we wouldn't unless there was an emergency." "And I promised something else." "In the foreseeable future, the noise won't get any better." "Well, if you don't want to spend months in court, you better start conning them." "You think lying is the answer?" " Ah, Mel." " There's your answer." "A modern, expanded airport." "Big and efficient enough to take anything the designers throw at us." "That means buying up Meadowood for industrial use so the noise won't matter." "I didn't come here to talk about the future of aviation." "You better start." "And you better start looking ahead." "What are we going to do about these jumbos that seat 500 passengers?" "How are we going to get people to the airport?" "Save that for the women's clubs and Rotary luncheons." " We've got to be practical." " Sure, ignore it." "Don't stick your neck out." "It's time that you all began fighting for a bond issue to finance this kind of airport instead of running around checking to see if the toilets flush." "Insulting me won't solve anything, so let's get back to the problem." "We've got to make a decision about tonight." " The airport's staying open." " Stop being bull-headed." " Think of the consequences." " Don't tell me about consequences." "When Congress voted to cut airport funds, you never even sent in a letter of protest." "Where were you when the airlines and pilots were pleading for more airports and better traffic control?" "You were picking colors in the ladies' lounge." "You've got your consequences." "Congested air traffic, where Sunday pilots hold up airliners with thousands of people and force us to stack up planes as far away as Denver." "When it comes to politics, you're a child." "Two of our councilmen live in Meadowood." "Think what they'll do to us downtown." "I'm thinking of those pilots waiting to land, flying blind in that muck and circling in holding patterns praying to God some overworked, underpaid controller doesn't have another plane on the same course." "Call it pigheaded." "Call it what you want." "But as long as we're not below FAA minimums, we're not closing down." "All right, if that's the way you want it." "I'm calling the commissioners and I'll let you know what OUR decision is in an hour." "That's your privilege." "You've got the right to fire me." "But until you do, this airport is staying open." "Do you wish to make a reservation?" "No, I don't." "Could you please tell me if there's a flight to Rome tonight?" "Yes." "Our Golden Argosy, flight two." "It departs at 10pm, only it's delayed one hour due to weather conditions." "Could you..." "I must find out if somebody is on that flight." "His name is DO Guerrero." "I'm sorry." "We're not allowed to give out that information." "You don't understand." "The person I'm asking about is my husband." "I'm sorry, but it's a company rule." "Well, you might go out to the airport." "If you can get there before they board, you could see your husband, if he's there." "I see." "Well, that's the only way, I suppose." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you for calling Trans Global." "Why didn't you tell me this before?" "I tried." "But we were in a hurry and..." "You're sure?" "Do you mean am I sure I'm pregnant or am I sure you're the father?" " Come on, Gwen." "I-I didn't..." " The answer to both is yes." " I wasn't asking..." " You have a right to." "I want you to know something, Vern." "That there hasn't been anyone else but you." "You see, there couldn't be." "I happen to love you." "I was careless." "I stopped taking the pills because I was gaining weight." "So instead of being plump, I'm pregnant." "Stop twisting your wedding ring." "I know you've got a wife." "I know you can't marry me." "I knew it in the beginning." "I won't make things difficult for you." "I'll work it out myself." "Don't be ridiculous." "You don't think I'd ignore the whole thing?" "I'll take care of you." "I'll make sure you don't go to some butcher." "I hear Sweden's the best place." "Good doctors, good hospitals." "Medically safe." "Very quick, very simple." "One minute you have it, the next minute you don't." "There's no danger of complications." "That is, no physical complications." "I'm not so sure about the moral ones." "You have religious scruples?" "No." "No." "But the strangest thing happened today when the doctor told me." "I've known other girls in the same situation toss it off with bad jokes like, "I've got a bun in the oven", or "Captain, we've got an extra passenger on board."" "I knew I'd react the same way." "Very modern, very sophisticated." "But I certainly didn't." "I was suddenly filled with a sense of wonder and awe." "I don't want to sound mystical or anything, but I am carrying someone who's part of us." "I'm not so sure I want to lose it." "And if you have the baby, then what?" "Well, I suppose adoption would be the answer." "They're very careful nowadays." "They find the right family." "They're very careful and all the arrangements are made beforehand." "And the records are kept secret, you know." "And you'll never see the baby." "I suppose in time I'll be sensible, but I-I've got to have time to think." "Vern, thank you for caring." "Most men would have said, "So long, girl." "Tough luck."" "Not this one." "You know, I think you really do love me a little." "It makes it harder to decide, but easier to bear." "Something wrong, Gwen?" "The air vent was stuck." "The captain fixed it." "Full throttle!" "All the way!" "You chickened out." "I said I wanted all the power you got." "At full throttle, this plane would be on its nose." "You might fly these things, but I put 'em together." "If you had any guts, we'd be on the runway now." "10 seconds more, we'd have had structural damage." "Who do you think I am, some kid that fixes bicycles?" "I know the 707." "Take the wings off and you could use it as a tank." "This plane is built to withstand anything, except a bad pilot." "All right, hold it." "This will get us nowhere." "Tell your mechanic that I've got over three million miles in the air." "And two and a half feet on the ground." "Let's stop wasting time." "What now?" "We got to dig a lot deeper." "Put lumber under the wheels." "But next time, since he's afraid, I'll drive it out." "I'm not turning this ship over to anybody without authorization." "I phoned Kettering - no answer." "Then we sit here and wait till you get him." "No." "We haven't got time." "You're on the ground now, Captain, and you're blocking my primary runway." "I'm not using full power." "It's too risky." "Then I'll make the decision." "I'll take the responsibility." "Mr. Patroni is licensed to taxi." "He'll take over." "He tears this ship apart, I hope you got eight million to pay for it." "Joe, my neck's out about 14 feet." " You sure it'll work?" " Let's put it this way." "You promised me a box of cigars if I pulled this off, right?" "Well, what are you standing here for?" "Go get 'em." "Bus from the downtown terminal is just coming in." "'Attention, please.'" "'Trans Global Airlines, the Golden Argosy, flight two, non-stop to Rome 'is now ready for boarding." "'All passengers holding reservations, please go to gate 33 on concourse D.'" "Oh, Rome." "The Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel." "The Catacombs." "My dear late husband and I always planned to visit there." ""See Rome and die," he always said." "But he died just when we were packing." "Ah, gee, that's too bad." "Yes." "So near and yet so far." "Mm." " Mm." "Mm." " What's wrong?" "Oh, dear." "Oh, dear." " What is it, Mrs. Quonsett?" " Oh, I'm sorry." " I'm having one of my spells." " I'll call for a doctor." "Oh, it's..." "I'll be all right." "I-I've had these for years." "It-it'll pass." "Oh, dear." "If I could just lie down for a little while." "I-I s-saw a cot in the ladies' room a little while ago." "I'll help you." "Come on." "Take it easy." "Mm." "Mm." "You sure you're all right?" "Sit down if you're not." "'... flight 45 from Pittsburgh are hereby notified 'that the flight has been cancelled due to conditions in Pittsburgh.'" " You'll be all right." "Be there soon." " I'm much better." "Much better." "Are you sure you don't want the doctor?" "Oh, no." "I've been enough trouble already." "But don't go away." "You will stay right here, like before?" "Oh, certainly." "I'll stay right here." "Mm." "Mm." "Mm." " Perhaps you're right." "Get a doctor." " Of course." "Right away." "But don't worry." "I'll be all right." "There's an attendant in there." "She'll take care of you." "I won't be long." "Thank you." "Uh, that is E-R-O." "And what amount policy were you considering, Mr. Guerrero?" "Uh, 150,000." " That'll be $5." " Yes." "But for 2.50 more, you could take out 225,000." "It isn't much extra for all that protection, is it?" "I don't know if I have that much left." "American money." " I exchanged my dollars to lira." " We accept foreign currency." "Yeah." "Well, I've got that all in big bills." "Or we'll take a personal cheque." "No." "When I go to Europe, I always leave my chequebook at home." "You know, the..." "It's too much of a temptation." "Oh, wait a minute." "I may have enough." "I didn't mean to push you, but we're having a sales contest and I've got a chance." "Every little bit helps." "Could you, uh, hurry that up, please?" "They've already called my flight." "It's just the first call." "You still have time." "'Delta Airlines flight 299 for Minneapolis 'now in the final stage of departure at gate 14-A.'" "But I distinctly asked for the fourth row." "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but this is the best we can do." "Well, give it to me." "Give it to me." "Did you say this was some kind of exchange programme?" "Yes." "The Italian girl will live with my folks, and I'll live with them." "That should be quite an experience." "Could you hurry?" "There's the terminal, lady." "Over there." "Just be a couple more minutes now." "Now, how about letting me buy you a cup of coffee?" "Good." "Mr. Bakersfeld's in there having dinner." "We can join him." "Let me check the counter first." "Here you are, sir, seat 23-A." "Have a good flight." "Thank you." "Just two no-shows in first class?" "They're coming." "They were in the Commander's Club." "Oh, no." "No, I'm just a visitor." "I work downstairs." "Oh." "Sorry." "Ready?" "Say, did you see that man with the attaché case just now?" "No." "Well, if he were coming in from abroad instead of going out," " I'd want to inspect it." " You think he's smuggling?" "It was the way he held the case, the look in his eye." "He tried to hand me his ticket." " Sorry about the delay, Mr. Donovan." " That's OK, Mike." "Excuse me, my son dropped his wallet..." " Madam..." " He just went on board." "Blonde hair, camel's hair coat." "I wonder if you'd..." "I can't accept a wallet with money." "See the stewardess, please." "But, you see, if someone is smuggling, they usually get nervous when they land, not before they take off." "This guy was really shaking." "If it is contraband and he's nervous, Italian customs will nail him." "Besides, there's not much we can do here." "I don't know." "I think somebody ought to." "Maybe you ought to tell your boss, just in case he might want to notify the captain." "I guess you're right." "Be right back." "'Atlantis International flight 49 for Dallas 'now boarding at gate 19, the red concourse." "'All passengers holding confirmed reservations, 'please proceed to gate 19, the red concourse.'" " 23-B?" " Oh, yes." "'... report to the American Airlines ticket counter.'" " What are you doing here?" " She got away." " She what?" " Well, what she did was..." "I don't care." "Get on that phone." "Call every airline and gate." "I'll see if security can round her up." "Forward jetway's still in place." "It's your decision, Captain." "Make some noise." " Miss Meighen?" " Yes, Captain?" " What's the delay?" " The tourist head count won't tally." " Where's the ramp supervisor?" " He's back there counting." " Get him." " OK." " The plane to Rome, has it gone?" " No." "But you'll have to hurry." "Through there, turn right." "Green concourse, gate 33." "Thank you." "I know you got problems, so have we." "How long we gonna be?" "I've ordered a ticket recheck." "We should have 81 in tourist, we got 82." "Every second we sit here, we're burning fuel cos you OK'd to start," " fuel we'll need in the air." " I know, Captain, but..." "Unless we leave now, I'm shutting down, and we'll send for fueling to top up," " so make up your mind." " It'll only take a few minutes." "What's more, the tower told us there's a temporary gap." "So if we taxi out right away, we can take off fast." "But five minutes may mean a half-hour delay." "So you take the responsibility." "What'll we do?" "Cancel the ticket recheck." "OK, you're leaving now." "'Continental Airlines flight 41 for Los Angeles 'now boarding at gate 26.'" "May I see your ticket, please?" "Thank you." "Ruth?" "Cancel the ticket check." "We're leaving." "Fine." "'Clear to start two.'" "Turning two." "OK to start one?" "'Braniff International flight 252 from Houston 'now arriving at gate 10, the red concourse.'" "22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32," " 33, 34, 35..." " Excuse me, please." "I'd like to find out if my husband's on that flight that just left." "I'm sorry." "I'm not allowed to give that information." "He hasn't been well." "I just wanted to make sure he got on board safely." " His name's DO Guerrero." " All right." " Yes." "He's aboard." " We'll start from there." "19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24," "25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30..." "Life rafts are located in the ceiling storage compartments." "In addition to the doors, there are emergency exits over both wings." "For more information, please look in the seat pocket in front of you." "We suggest you read it sometime during the flight." "Don't worry." "Take one of these and you won't get airsick." "Thank you, Doctor." "Global Two, Lincoln Tower." "Clear for takeoff." "Global Two, rolling." "On top at 7,000." "Clear above, visibility unlimited." "Proceeding on course." "Will report passing Cleveland." "Now there's nothing to be nervous about." "I've flown thousands of miles, and I can tell you, it's a lot safer than crossing a street." "'... now in the final stages of departure 'at gate 41-A, the green concourse.'" "Yes." "She was here." "I saw her go on." " But did you see her get off?" " No." "But I'm almost certain she did." "Her son dropped his wallet." "She went on to give it to him." "The wallet gag." "She's on the plane." "Maybe that's why the head count didn't tally." "Have you counted yours lately?" "You've got at least two." "Should I send word to the captain to check and verify?" "Yeah, but call him on the company frequency so we can keep it private." "Our ground speed is 620 miles per hour." "We've reached our cruising altitude of 33,000 feet." "'And the temperature outside is a pleasant 50 degrees below zero." "'Our route tonight will take us over Toronto, Montreal," "'Cape Ray, St John, Newfoundland, across the Atlantic, 'reaching the European coastline just north of Lisbon 'and on into Rome on schedule." "'The weather in Rome is a lot better than what we left in Chicago.'" "If there's anything we can do during the flight, please let us know." "Thank you." "This is Global Two." "Flight two, I have a message from Lincoln." "Advise when ready to copy." "Go ahead, Cleveland." "We're ready." "Uh, practically certain you have a stowaway on board." "Caucasian." "Female." "Approximately 5 feet, 100 pounds." "Age about 70." "Wearing a brown hat with a brown pompom, tweed coat with black velvet collar." "Name, Mrs. Ada Quonsett." "Determine and confirm." " We'll check and advise." " I don't believe it." "Oh, I believe it." "Those penguins on the ground are idiots." "Now the guy in 21-D says it's too hot." "You want a laugh?" "Have you seen her?" "Well, she's not in first." "I've hardly checked tourist yet." "Well, go back and see if the old biddy's there, huh?" " If she is, what do I do?" " Nothing." "Just come back and report." "How about that, huh?" "Little old lady just walks on like she's walking into an elevator." "Excuse me." "There you are." "Uh, miss." "The captain said we'd arrive on schedule." "That means we're going to make up the hour's delay." "Father, with a ground speed of 620 miles per hour and a distance of 4,817 miles, it's a physical impossibility." "Your son is right." "The captain was referring to scheduled flying time." "It'll be approximately seven and a half hours from takeoff." "Oh, excuse me." "Oh, I see you've got a boyfriend." "Yes." "And he's invited me to Rome to a nightclub." "Miss." "Miss." "These nuts are stale." "I'm sorry, sir." "I'll try and find you some fresher ones." "474 dollars and you get stale nuts." "So you play the oboe?" "My late husband played the violin." "Not professionally, but he was very good." "He once played The Minute Waltz in 58 seconds." " There you are." " Thank you so much." " Nuts to the man in 21-D." " You said it." "May I treat you to another sherry?" "Oh, no." "Really." "One is all I ever..." "Well, thank you." "You're very kind." "She's there, all right." "23-B." "That's why the head count was wrong." "What do you want me to do?" "Nothing." "If you start questioning her now, there'll be tears and..." "We were asked to check and report, that's all." "They'll grab her in Rome." "So, until then, why make her miserable?" "You know, Captain, you're a real nice person." "I didn't know you were so fond of old women." " Oh, I prefer the younger ones." " So I heard." "But opportunities, you know, don't last forever." "Soon, we'll have to settle for the not-so-young ones." "Well, I already have for quite some time." "You always played it straight." "No mucking around on layovers." "Helen was a stewardess flying DC-4s." "That's how we met." "She knew what was going on." "When we got married, I made her a promise, the obvious one." "I always kept it." "I guess all those kids you had helped." "Yeah." "Maybe." " How many have you got?" "Six?" " No, seven." "Four we planned, three we didn't." "The ones you didn't plan, uh, did you ever consider... doing anything about 'em before they were born?" "No." "Let me tell you something." "I love all seven." "But the three we didn't plan, they turned out to be something real special." "Detain on board... after landing." "Release only... to station manager, Rome." "I'm going to flight dispatch." "I'll take it." "I'll take it." "No, I don't want it to wind up in the ladies' room." "What about the man with the attaché case?" "If Standish wants to know what he's smuggling, get Italian customs to check." "I won't offend a passenger with something that's not our business." "What if he isn't smuggling?" "Forget it." "I'm sorry, Mrs. Livingston, that he got mad at you." " It was all my fault." " Never mind." "He'll get over it." "That man was one of the last to go aboard." "So he probably was on that bus that was late." "Reindel." "John, this is Tanya Livingston." "Do me a favor." "Read me the list of passengers on flight two who came on the bus." "Hang on, I've got it right here." "Never mind the women." "Just the men." "OK." "Rathbone, Marcus J." "Bonnelli, Luigi." "Guerrero, DO." "Yates, Robert..." " She stood us up, that's all." " I hope that's all." "You or me?" "You." " Bakersfeld." " Your wife insisted that I page you." "She's waiting for you in your office." "Thanks." "'American Airlines flight 46 to Boston 'is now scheduled to depart at 10:35." "'Delta Airlines flight 76 for Atlanta now departing at gate 12... '" "Oh, Mrs. Livingston." "I'm sorry to bother you." "One of my men found this woman wandering about the terminal." "She seems terribly upset." " She ought to see the doctor." " Doesn't want to." "She doesn't have any money to get back to town." " I'd like to help, but..." " She let me go through her purse." "I thought I'd find an address book, call somebody who knew her." "I found this." "Since her husband has a Global ticket you might give her bus fare home." "Five dollars would do it." "Just take it easy, ma'am." "Everything's going to be fine." "Guerrero." "We don't have a home any more." "We have a waiting room." "A place where I can pace and wonder whether you're going to leave this damn airport long enough to drop by." "Why you have to pick tonight to come out here..." "I came here to tell you that Roberta left home." "What do you mean, left home?" "When?" "I called from the banquet and I spoke to Libby." "Roberta told her that she couldn't stand our fighting any longer, that she couldn't stand "the atmosphere of hate."" "That's a direct quote." "Where is she?" "Did Libby say?" "She's spending the night at Sally Bolton's house." "I spoke to her." "Cindy, we can't do this to the kids." "We've got to call a truce, even if it's a pretence." "We've got to start being civil to each other." "And add hypocrisy to the problem?" "They'd see through that in a minute." "Well, we've got to do something." "You're right." "And the only answer is a divorce." "You think that will make them feel more secure?" "A broken home?" "It's better to come from a broken home than to live in one." "You may be right." "And you may be right about me, too." "I suppose I'm like a lot of men, a bigamist." "Married to both a woman and a job." "And I can't be number two wife any longer." " Yes, Danny?" " 'Patroni wants a skip loader.'" "Get one from the parking lot." "We've got to get that plane out of there." "And, Danny, keep twenty-niner clean so it'll be operational." "See?" "Those things are more important to you than we are." "Not more important." "But at the moment more imperative." " We're in a hell of a mess." " We certainly are." "It's a big step, Cindy." "You sure you don't want to reconsider?" "No." "It's too late, Mel." "It's not just the girls that I'm thinking of." "There's someone else, Mel, and there has been for quite a while." "Someone who makes me feel wanted occasionally." "You had no idea, had you?" "Too busy to even consider the possibility." "Cindy, uh..." "Mrs. Livingston." "Mrs. Bakersfeld." " How do you do?" " How do you do?" "I have some information on that man with the attaché case." "We'll talk about it in a little while." "Certainly." "Are you sure?" "Are you really sure?" "Yes." "When we tell the children, we must do it together." "Of course." "And I promise there won't be any trouble." "You may see the girls as often as you wish." "Thanks." "As a matter of fact, you'll probably see them more often." "Ex-husbands always seem to make a special effort." "Bakersfeld." "Hang on a second." "Ned?" "I'll be right with you." "OK, Hank, go ahead." "Yes." "Well, that's all right." "Put it in warehouse 12." "Get the trucks out." "They're not supposed to be there." "Right." "What's up, Ned?" "Let the police handle it." "Now, you stay right here." "I'll just be a minute." "The terminal said they remembered a man with an attaché case." " They must have had ten of them." " But this one held it under his arm." "And when the agent tried to tag it, he insisted on putting it on himself." "That's why they remembered him." "And it WAS Guerrero." "I can't get anything out of his wife except a blank stare." "Maybe YOU can make her talk." "Please try." " I have a horrible feeling." " All right, bring her in." "Mrs. Guerrero... '... please come to the courtesy phone 'at the terminal information counter.'" "She's gone." "Hold it." "Yes, sir?" "Remember the woman with Mrs. Livingston?" "She's run off." "She's probably still here." "Find her, Ned." " Will you round up my boys?" " We'll announce from here." "You do it." "I'll call the insurance company." " What's the security code tonight?" " Lester Mainwaring." "Attention, please." "Attention, please." "'For Mr. Lester Mainwaring's party." "'Mr." "Mainwaring requests that all members of his travel group 'report immediately to the main terminal entrance." "'To the main terminal entrance.'" "Yes." "Here it is, Mr. Bakersfeld." "DO Guerrero." "It's for 225,000." "Yes, I remember him." "Yes, sir, he was a little nervous." "Did you notice anything unusual about him?" "'Well, just one thing." "'For somebody going to Europe, he didn't seem to have much money." "'He paid me with six $1 bills and the rest in change." "'Mostly nickels and dimes." "It seemed to be just about all he had.'" "Thanks." "You've been so busy." "We just haven't had a chance to chat." "I'm Ada Quonsett." "How do you do?" "What's your name, sir?" "Guerrero." "Guerrero?" "That's Spanish, isn't it?" "Yes." "But way back." "You look more Irish." "So did my mother." "I've been fascinated by that figuring you've been doing on the map." "I said to Mr. Davidson I was sure you'd win." "The contest." "The one that comes the closest to guessing our time of arrival wins a sightseeing trip." "Oh." "No." "I-I-I didn't know." "No, I just do this as sort of a hobby." "I like to see if I can calculate where we are all the time." " Now that's..." " If you'll excuse me," "I think I'll take a little nap." ""Approach with extreme caution." "His seat assignment is 23-A."" "Have a dispatcher send it on the company frequency." "Probably New York." "They're out of Cleveland by now." "He might just be an ordinary eccentric." " Maybe it's just important papers." " I don't think so." "I wish I did." "I have a niece aboard that flight." "Right." "Suppose he has got a bomb." "They've been up there an hour." "Why hasn't he let it go?" "I don't know." "Maybe he's waiting until they're over the ocean." "The Atlantic doesn't leave traces." "We found the Guerrero woman." "One of my men is bringing her up." "Hold that call." "We may have something to add." "I'll call you right back." "Now they say it's too cold." "Oh, he has fainting spells." "So when he feels one coming on, he takes a whiff of oxygen." "Sometimes it helps." "Don't let him kid you." "It's an FAA regulation." "Over 25,000, if one of us leaves the flight deck, the other one must go on oxygen." " It's just a precaution." " Thanks." "Why didn't you ring?" "I could have brought you that." "Up there I'd have to be formal." "Up there, I-I couldn't tell you, uh, how sorry I am." " How do you feel?" " I feel great, Vern." "No fainting spells." "No craving for pickles." "No morning sickness." "It's funny." "I didn't think you were the kind of a guy who would worry about a thing like this." "Neither did I." "Before you said that you thought I loved you just a little." "You were wrong." "I..." "I love you a lot more than just a little." "I didn't know he was going to Rome." "He said he was going to Milwaukee." "Here, Inez, take another sip of this." "But this was in your purse." "You must have known." "It just came tonight." "Special." "I only saw it after he left." "Does your husband have business in Italy?" "What is your husband's business?" "Oh, he's, uh..." "He was..." "He did excavations f-for buildings." "You said "was"." "He's not in that business any more?" "Things... went wrong." " Financial trouble?" " Yes." "Bad trouble?" "Broke?" "In debt?" "Then how'd he get the money for his ticket?" "I think, uh... he pawned my mother's wedding ring." "When I looked tonight in the case, it was empty." "He..." "He just can't seem to hold a job lately." "Why not?" "He gets in arguments." "They fire him." "It's his temper." "He's been like that ever since he got out of the hospital." " What sort of hospital?" " Army hospital." "Yes, but, uh, I mean, what was he in the hospital for?" "He, uh... was sick." "A mental patient?" "Mrs. Guerrero, what did your husband do in the Army?" "He was a demolition expert." "And I suppose in his excavation work he used explosives?" "He..." " He, um..." " You were about to say something." "His last job, they fired him." "Something was missing." "Some dynamite." "What we need's an unlisted number." "This is Global Two." "Global Two, New York." "We have an important message." "Advise when ready to copy." "OK, New York, go ahead." "Strong probability..." "Repeat, strong probability exists that passenger DO Guerrero, seat assignment 23-A, may have an explosive device in attaché-type briefcase." "Passenger purchased excessive insurance, mentally disturbed and desperate." "Approach with extreme caution." "Yeah, that's right." "Tell 'em another section of 3-by-12s laid crosswise." " 'Will do.'" " They need you?" "It won't be ready to drive out for a half hour." "Ingram knows what to do in the meantime." "So we know the kook is sittin' in 23-A." "That's here." "That's right." "What's your opinion?" "They should get the hell back here as fast as they can." "If he should let it go, could the plane possibly stand the explosion?" "We got one break..." "he's not in an aisle seat." "So first it'll blow out a hunk of the fuselage here." "What kind of damage will that cause?" "Luckily, there's nothing but skin on the sides." "All the control cables run along here, so if it's not too big a hole, she might fly." "But the sudden decompression at 30,000 feet is somethin' else." " He'll get sucked out, won't he?" " So will anybody next to him." "Until that pressure equalizes, everything within 20 feet is gonna get sucked out that hole." " Is it that powerful?" "Are you sure?" " Yeah, I'm sure." "When I was a mechanic in the Air Force," "I was being transferred on a MATS plane." "At 20,000 feet, one of the windows shattered." "The guy sitting next to me was about 170 pounds." "He went through that space like a hunk of hamburger goin' down a plug, and right after him coats, pillows, blankets, cups, saucers." " Yeah, I'm sure." " Takes about three seconds." "Depends on the size of the hole." "Everything fogs up just like that." "And then watch out." "At that altitude you can't breathe, so unless they get on oxygen in 45 seconds, it's goodbye." "We'll turn back." "I'm gonna make a wide, slow turn." "That way the passengers might not notice." "Toronto Center, this is Global Two." "Seem to have a problem here." "Request clearance back to Lincoln at a lower altitude." "Roger, Global Two." "Turn left, heading 2-7-0." "Descend and maintain flight level 2-8-0." "Are you declaring an emergency?" "Possible emergency." "Might have a disturbed passenger." "There's no mistake." "He's in 23-A." "Fits the description perfectly." " When did you see him?" " When I was boarding Mrs. Quonsett." " He's sitting right next to her." " Did you notice the attaché case?" "It's on his lap, and he won't put it down." "Ruth said when she was serving the snacks, he wouldn't use the pull-down table." "He insisted on putting his tray on his case." "Sounds as if that's where it is." "Then he must have a trigger on the outside of the case." "Is anyone on the other side of the old lady?" "A man." "I'd have to lean over two people." "I couldn't surprise him like that." "OK if I go back and take a look?" "Yeah." "Not too close a look." "He might suspect something." "I'll do one of those smiling "good evening" walk-throughs, and if anybody catches the fact that we're turning around," "I'll give 'em some double talk." "Toronto Center, Global Two." "Starting turn, wide and gradual." "Global Two, wide turn approved." "We'll alert other sectors to your problem." "So delay serving dinner." "Put every bottle, glass and everything else away and lock it up." " Right." "Be careful, Vern." " I'll tell the girls in tourist." "Captain." "Oh, oh, Captain." "Our son has a question to ask you." "Schuyler, here's our captain." "Before, Virgo and Leo were right there, sir." "Now I'm beginning to see Ursa Minor and Cassiopeia." "We must be turning around." "Why, you have a young navigator here." "Well, I'll tell you, son." "Due to a setsel wind," "DISTOR has vectored us into a 360 tunsun of slower traffic." "We'll maintain this borton hold until we get a fortamagnus clearance from MALNAKS." "Oh." "Yes, of course." "What did he mean by that, Son?" "Never mind, Father." "I'll tell you later." " Enjoying your trip?" " Very much." "I was just telling my wife how smooth it is." "I put my drink on the armrest, didn't lose a drop." "Hi, girls." " Slumming, Captain?" " No, we got bumpy weather ahead." "Don't serve dinner yet." "Keep everything in drawers." " Are you getting them?" " 'Yes.'" "They've turned and started a slow descent." " What's the frequency?" " 132.0." "I'm sorry to have to put this on you, but if I go back there a second time, he might get suspicious." "Don't worry." "I think I can handle it." "Excuse me, madam." "May I see your ticket?" "My ticket?" "That nice young man at the gate took it." "No, he wouldn't do that." "If it was a round-trip ticket, you'd have the return flight coupon." "If it was a one-way, you'd still have the ticket stub and folder." "You're English, aren't you?" "I knew it the moment you started to talk." "You make our language sound so delightful." " My late husband..." " Never mind." "What about your ticket?" "I'll certainly look, but I'm sure..." "Why don't you stop wasting my time, Mrs. Quonsett?" "You are Mrs. Ada Quonsett, aren't you?" "Since you're aware of who I am, there's no use denying it." "If there's a misunderstanding, may I help?" "There's no misunderstanding." "Are you traveling with her?" " No." " Then it's none of your business." "This woman is a stowaway." " Are we going to turn back?" " You're not that important." "When we land, you'll be handed over to the authorities." "Come with me." "The captain has to make a report on you." "But first he'd like to see you." "Let this lady out, please." "The captain wants to see me?" "And he doesn't like to be kept waiting." " Don't treat her like a criminal." " That's what she is." "Imagine shoving an old lady." "I've never seen anything like it." "I can't believe she's a stowaway." "Mrs. Quonsett, I'm Captain Demerest." "This is Captain Harris." "Would you come forward as far as you can?" "Oh, Captain..." "Please sit down, Mrs. Quonsett." "I'm sorry to be a trouble to you, but I was on my way to New York to visit my poor daughter..." "Then why'd you get on this flight?" "Because the next flight back from Rome is to New York, your number 5." "I thought they'd want to get rid of me, so they'd put me on that plane." "If you help us, I promise you'll get trips to New York first-class." "Oh." "Thank you." "But how can I help?" "Mrs. Quonsett, whatever happened back there just now, you can forget." "That's not why you were brought here." "Mrs. Quonsett, I hope I didn't hurt you." "No, no... not much." "Ma'am, are you frightened easily?" "No." "I get nervous sometimes, but not as much as I used to." "When you get older, there isn't a lot left to be frightened of." "Good." "All right, now, you listen very carefully..." "'Global Two, this is Toronto Center." "'You're 15 miles east of Kleinburg Intersection." "Say altitude.'" "'Level at 2-8-0." "Request continued slow descent.'" "'Roger, Global Two." "What altitude?" "'" " 'Request level 2-1-0.' - 'Roger." "Continue slow descent." "'Maintain flight level 2-1-0.'" "Mel, I talked to the other commissioners, and they all agree with me." "So as not to have any more trouble with the Meadowood residents," "I'm instructing you to shut the airport down until 7 am." "Read this." "A dispatch we just sent." "The plane's on its way back here." "You still want us to shut down?" "Under the circumstances, I, uh, I..." "'Global Two, this is Toronto Center." "Continue slow descent.'" "Whatever she's done, you don't have to be so rough on her." "Please don't interfere." "Ask the captain to reconsider." "I don't want to be handed over to the Italian police." " You should have thought of that." " All I ask is to be sent back." "Please don't hand me over in a foreign country." "Can't you see the lady's upset?" "Keep out of this." "Now sit down and be quiet!" " You hurt me!" "You hurt me!" " Stop it!" "You're hysterical!" "Help me!" "Please, help me!" "No." "No!" "No!" "That's his personal property!" "You've got no right to take that from him!" "No!" "Stop!" "Stay where you are!" "Don't try to get any closer." "Guerrero, listen to me." "Do you hear me?" "Listen." "They know about you on the ground." "Your insurance is no good." "It's cancelled." "It's worthless." "No one has ever gotten away with it." "No one has ever collected a penny." "You won't help your family." "You'll only hurt 'em." "You'll kill yourself for nothing if you explode that bomb." "Stay where you are!" "Your family will be hounded and blamed." "Listen to me." "Think." "Guerrero, let these people sit down, and we'll talk." "I promise, until you're ready, no one will come close." "Sit down." "Guerrero, you know now that you've failed." "The only way you can help your family is to give me that case." "Give me the case." "If you do, I promise that no one on this plane will hurt you." "Grab him!" "He's got a bomb!" "Get on oxygen!" "Mayday!" "Mayday!" "Trans Global Two." "Decompression." "Making emergency descent." "'Request one-zero-thousand.'" "Roger." "Descend and maintain." "Report your intentions when ready." "Global Two, Toronto Center." "'We're level at one-zero-thousand." "Returning to heading 2-7-0." "'We have damage due to explosion." "Extent unknown.'" "Turn on all the heat you've got." "Can we maintain control?" "The rudder's heavy and the stabilizer trim won't respond, but at least the tail didn't fall off." " Where'd he pull the trigger?" " In the starboard can." "Go check the damage and report by inter-phone." "According to the manifest, there's three doctors aboard." " Let's hope they're not dentists." " They're probably helping already." "And find out about Gwen." "I'm so cold." "I'm terribly cold." "Put him on the walker." "I'm gonna cut off the oxygen." "You can breathe normally." "Take off your mask." "Fasten your seat belt." "Fasten your seat belts!" "You can breathe normally." "Take off the mask." "Fasten your seat belts." " Anything I can do to help?" " Yeah." "Come on, Sergeant." "Are you all right, dear?" " Can we get a blanket?" " Fasten your seat belts." "Can we get a blanket?" "Stewardess, if there's any brandy on board, pass it out." " Pardon me." "Doctor?" " Yes, Sister?" "Press that hard." " May we have a blanket?" " Are you all right?" " May I help you?" " No, I'm all right, thank you." "Take care of that man behind me." " How is her pulse, Sister?" " Weak." "I have some adrenaline and syringes in my bag." "Would you prepare a shot?" "OK." "Will it hold?" "Yeah, as soon as I get this blanket wedged in here." "Joan." "As soon as they're patched up, move them all forward." "Stow the center armrests." "Put four people in three seats." "Right." "Go ahead." "The hole is about three to four feet." "What about control surfaces?" "See anything?" "Possible damage to rudder power and we seem to have stabilizer problems." "Most of the blast, thank God, went sideways." " Can we stay in the air an hour?" " Hard to tell." "There's a tear in the ceiling from the top of the hole to the port side." " A rupture in the outer skin?" " I don't know." "Could be." " What about the passengers?" " I can't say anything definite yet." "I checked the structural damage first." "What I did see was less than I expected." "Some cuts and bruises and shock and puking." "Medical help good." "I'm going to cut off the passenger oxygen." "How's Gwen?" "Pretty bad shape." "The doctor's working on her." "I'll report when I can." "Sounds like the break is just this side of the tail." " Better set down as fast as we can." " Right." "Toronto Center, Global Two." "Have structural damage." "Would like to land nearest available airport." "Global Two, Toronto Center." "Everything east of Lincoln is closed due to weather or field conditions." "However, if you are declaring an emergency, Detroit possible." "They report five inches of snow over ice, but they will try to clear." "Request Detroit stand by in case of any change in condition." "We'll try for Lincoln." "Roger, Global Two." "You are leaving my area." "Contact Cleveland Center, 117.5." "Good luck." "Roger, Toronto." "Cleveland Center, Global Two on your frequency." "Global Two, this is Cleveland Center radar contact." "Turn right, heading 2-8-0." "Maintain one-zero-thousand." "Lincoln weather - sky obscured, visibility one mile in blowing snow." "Runway two-niner still closed." "But we have control damage which makes landing there imperative." "'Repeat - imperative.'" "'Roger, Global Two." "We'll relay your request.'" "Keep monitoring, Bert." "I'll be in Mobile One." "'Global Two, this is Cleveland... '" "All eyeglasses off." "Eyeglasses off." "All eyeglasses off." "Take off your eyeglasses and return your seats to their upright position!" "Take off your eyeglasses and return your seats to their upright position." "What's more, the captain deliberately struck my face!" "Unless you shut up, the second officer will do the same thing." "Is there anything I can do to help?" "Yes, Father." "I'm putting you in charge of praying." "If that's an order, you're about 30 minutes too late, son." "This is Captain Demerest." "Thank you for moving forward in such an orderly manner." "'It'll be warmer for you this way, 'and also it'll help us in controlling the plane during landing." "'You know we've had trouble - bad trouble." "I won't try to minimize it." "'We've all gone through an experience that none of us has ever had before." "'Thank God we have come through." "'We have the airplane under control." "'We estimate landing in about 25 minutes." "'I won't kid you." "We still have a few problems ahead of us." "'There are two thoughts that should comfort you." "'First, you're in one of the best-constructed planes there is.'" "Second, tonight, instead of one experienced captain, you have two " "Captain Harris and myself." "'Between us, we have more flying years than we like to think about.'" "I'll give you something for the pain, but don't move your head." "Later on, Second Officer Jordan will instruct you on landing procedure." "Please do exactly as he says and..." "I promise you we'll all come through this together safely." "Thank you." "Global Two, Cleveland Center." "Lincoln advises runway two-niner still closed." "They are attempting to clear, but failing that, plan landing on 2-2." "Roger." " Want me to take over for a while?" " Yeah, thanks." "Ground, Mobile One." "Yes, Mel." "Tell the chief to take a position between runway two-niner and 2-2 so they can move either way." " We'll notify which runway later." " 'Roger.'" "Turn left, heading 2-0-5." "At pilot's discretion, descend and maintain 6,000." "Report leaving one-zero-thousand." "Global Two, turning left, heading 2-0-5." "Leaving one-zero-thousand now." "Mr. Jordan said you wanted to see me again, Captain." "We radioed ahead, and they'll have all the equipment you asked for." "Good." "You'd better call again." "See if the airport doctor can have an ophthalmic surgeon standing by." " For Miss Meighen?" " Yes." "Besides her other injuries I'm afraid her right eye has splinters." "Whether they're wood or metal, I have no way of knowing." "Her left eye seems is unharmed." "Of course, it's too early to draw conclusions." "Modern ophthalmic surgery can do extraordinary things." " I'd better get back to her..." " Doctor." "Gwen..." "Miss Meighen..." "she... she... she's pregnant." " Does that make a difference?" " I can't tell." "Her pregnancy can't be very far advanced." "No, it isn't." "She wasn't deprived of oxygen long enough to harm the child." "No one was." "If there are no abdominal injuries and she survives, chances are fair to good that the baby should be born normally." "Global Two leaving." "Advise Lincoln doctor ophthalmic surgeon required." "'Roger, Global Two.'" "I'll take over now." "Vern, I guess you know how badly I feel about Gwen." "What's between you two, that's none of my business." "But if there's anything I can do, as a friend..." "You already have." "Mobile One, Ground Control." "Yes, Doug." "This is Mel." "Cleveland just handed off flight two to Chicago Center." "The transmissions aren't exactly regulation." "Captain's blowing a fuse." "I'd like to monitor." "What's the frequency?" "'117.1.'" "We need answers, not questions." "Are you guys sleeping down there?" "Why aren't we getting any action?" "We need help." "Global Two, this is the Chicago Center supervisor." "Please understand we're doing all we can." "We're giving you priority." "What type of approach do you wish?" "Chicago Supervisor, listen carefully." "Any approach is no good if it ends on runway 2-2." "We need two-niner." "We've got an unserviceable stabilizer trim, doubtful rudder control and structural damage." "If we come in on 2-2, there'll be a broken plane and lots of dead people." "You call Lincoln, mister, and turn the screws." "Tell that Lincoln airport manager to get off his penguin butt and clear that runway." "Snow Desk, Mobile One." "This is Snow Desk." "Go ahead, Mel." "Danny, listen carefully." "Break the conga line." "Send the heavy ploughs across to two-niner." "Head for stuck airplane and await instructions." "Roger." "Conga Leader, Snow Desk." "That's it, on this side." "Get it as close under the wheel as possible." "Give it a whack on the other side." "Keep monitoring Chicago Center and Ground Control." "If you hear anything I should know, honk the horn." " What's with the ploughs?" " If you can't move it, they will." "Shove an undamaged airplane with snowploughs?" "Are you crazy?" " No, but I'm out of runways." " Think of what this baby costs." "I'm thinking of that planeload." "This runway's their only hope." "If those snowploughs rip it apart, you'll have chunks of fuselage all over the runway." "It's a chance I've got to take." "OK." "But keep those Dinky toys away from this airplane for 15 minutes." "Maybe less." "I'll drive it out." "Joe, let's get one thing straight." "When the tower tells us we're out of time, no arguments." "The ploughs will move on my order." "Get everybody and everything out of the way!" "We're startin' up!" "And get me somebody that's cockpit qualified." "All right, we're clearing' out!" "And Chicago Center expects to hand over in 12 minutes." "Then our approach control will have the flight for ten minutes." " They say touchdown at 1:28." " That's less time than we figured." "The choice of runway will have to be made no later than five minutes before landing." "After that, they'll be committed." "They can't turn them." " What now?" " We get out of the way and wait." "Holding 6,000 on heading 2-0-5." "What's the status on runway two-niner?" " No change." "We'll keep you advised." " Roger." "'Mobile One, Snow Desk.'" " Go ahead, Danny." " 'Equipment in position." "'Standing by, ready to move.'" "Roger, but be clear about one thing." "If the ploughs go in, I'll give the order." "No one else." "Right." "Better you than me." "They'll do a real hatchet job on that plane." "Then the owners will do the same to you." "Maybe if the owners were on the plane, they might agree with me." " 'Roger." "Standing by.' - 'Mobile One, Ground Control.'" "The center estimates handoff to Lincoln Approach Control at 1-7." "This gives you 11 minutes to make a decision." "I'll need to be kept informed of exact status of flight." " Can we hold this frequency clear?" " Affirmative." "Regular traffic's on another frequency." "Can you also put stuck 707 on same frequency so I can monitor?" " 'Roger.'" " May I speak directly to Patroni?" "That's OK." "Approach Control, who's taking the handoff?" "Frank has the east arrivals." "Continental 73, due to emergency, continue to hold at Joliet." "Maintain 8,000." "The center will hand off Global Two in three minutes." "He's all yours." "We'll take everything else off your hands." "I'll give you the runway when we know." "Right." "OK, son, let's get goin'." "Ready to start." "Pressurize." "Light on number three." "30 miles east of the airport, contact Lincoln Approach Control, one-one-eight-point-niner." " Good luck." " Roger." "Lincoln Approach, Global Two." "Global Two, Lincoln Approach Control." "We're still hoping for runway two-niner." "We should know in three to five minutes." "Roger, Lincoln." "Keep us advised." "Global Two, 25 miles east of outer marker." "Turn right, heading 2-6-0." "Begin descent at your discretion to 2,000." "Mr. Patroni, she won't take much more." "Well, anyway she's gonna get it." "Joe, the ploughs are moving!" "Shut down and hold on!" "'Joe Patroni, do you read me?" "Acknowledge!" "'" "Joe, shut down!" "'Mr." "Patroni, don't you hear?" "We have to shut down!" "'" "I can't hear, there's too much noise." "We're goin' for broke!" "The instruction book said that was impossible." "That's one nice thing about the 707 - it can do everything but read." "Light up two-niner." "Obstructing aircraft removed from two-niner." " I'm inspecting for debris." " 'Roger." "Standing by.'" "Runway two-niner clear and open." "Global Two, turn right, heading 2-8-5." "Runway two-niner is now open." "Roger, Lincoln." "You've just freed the slaves again." " Request PAR approach." " Global Two." "Roger." "This will be a precision radar approach to runway two-niner." "Stand by." "We'll pick you up on the other scope." " How's it handling?" " Ah, real sluggish." "What was that?" "A bump!" "Now shut up and move over." "One bounce, we might lose the tail." "Heads down!" "Keep your arms under the pillows!" "We're landing at Lincoln!" "Landing!" "Heads down!" "We're gonna crash!" "We're gonna be killed!" "We're all gonna be..." "Maintain heading 2-8-5." "Position, eight miles from the airport." "Final approach turn in one mile." "Maintain 2,000 feet." "'You need not acknowledge further transmissions." "'Global Two, turn right, heading two-niner-five." "'Approaching glide path in one mile." "'You're clear to land runway two-niner." "'Wind 3-0-0 degrees, 3-0, gusting 3-5." "'Now intercepting glide path." "Begin normal rate of descent." "'On course." "'If no transmissions are received for five seconds on final, 'abandon the radar approach and make straight in, ILS approach." "'Now six miles from touchdown." "'Course and glide path good." "'Now drifting left." "Turn further right, heading 3-0-5." "'Slightly high on glide path." "Adjust your descent.'" "Keep your head down." "'Passing five miles from touchdown." "'Going through glide path." "Adjust your descent." "'Now 100 feet low." "Ease your aircraft up." "'Four miles from touchdown." "Turn left, heading 3-0-1." "'Returning to glide path." "'Now on glide path." "Check wheels down and locked." "Cleared to land." "'Three miles from touchdown." "Course good." "'Slightly low on glide path." "Ease it up a little." "'Surface wind gusting to 3-5 knots." "'Two miles from touchdown." "Course good." "'Glide path good." "Looks OK." "'Advise when approach lights in sight.'" "We've got the lights." "'Roger." "Good luck.'" " Checklist complete?" " Checklist complete." " I may need help with the rudder." " Right." "Right rudder." "OK with you if Jordan watches the right side for a minute?" "I'll be right back." "Global Two, welcome home." "Do you need a tow, or can you taxi?" "'Global Two, I say again, do you need a tow, or can you taxi?" "'" "We can taxi." " How is she, Doctor?" " I think she's gonna be all right." " Can I speak to her?" " Go ahead." "Gwen, it's Vern." "Can you hear me?" "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." "Hold on." "You're gonna be all right." "We're gonna make it." "'Please do not obstruct the tourist jetway.'" "Open the gate." "Get that down here!" "Mel!" " They're down." "Everything's fine." " I was home watching TV..." "A news agency picked up the mayday call and flashed it all over." "They're all right." "'All passengers will deplane on the first-class jetway.'" "Don't push!" "Will you all stand back, please?" "Thank you." " I'd like to get a statement." " I'll have a statement later." "Please stand back." "This is too important." "Please." " We need a wheelchair." " A wheelchair!" "I'm Mrs. Demerest." "Is Captain..." " The tourist jetway." " Thank you." "Pardon me." "Move back." "Let these folks through." " Get these people over." " Step back, please." "Those of you who are not helping, please step back." "Please sit down in this area!" "It's all over now, madam." "Sit down right here." "Sit down right in here, please." "We'll notify your families." "Judy!" "Oh, thank God!" " Stay in this area." " Over here." "Charlie!" "Please stay in this area, a doctor will be coming through." " Oh, madam." " I'm sorry, but that's my coat." "I'm sorry, too." "Come on." "Let's move back here." "Let's move back, please." "Hey!" "I just wanna see my father!" "Get that lady a chair." "I'm so sorry!" "He didn't mean it!" "He..." "He..." "He didn't mean it!" "Oh, I'm sorry!" " I'm so..." " Inez." " I'm Dr. Nash, the airport physician." " I'm Dr. Compagno." "A stewardess has splinters in the right eye." " They may have penetrated." " I'll take her to hospital." "An ophthalmic surgeon is standing by." "Any other complications?" "She has a fractured arm." "They'll probably use a general." "But before they decide on the anesthesia, tell them that she's pregnant." "Here she comes." "It's all right, Captain." "We'll take care of her." "I'm going to the hospital with her." "Nice goin', sweetheart." "Remind me to send a thank-you note to Mr. Boeing." "Good morning." "First class or economy?" "First class." "You know, it was much more fun the other way." "I'm too keyed up to sleep." " What about some breakfast?" " Sounds good." "Where should we go?" "Your apartment." "You've been bragging about your scrambled eggs." "It's time I found out how good they really are." "Mr. Bakersfeld." "Maintenance just called." "The big snow blower's got damage." "Mike wants to know whether to work overtime to repair 'em." "Tell him to take care of it himself." "Yes, sir."