Air Traffic Controllers Prefer Springsteen And Sting Over George Michael
— July 29, 2008 2 1246This is the kind of story that makes you wonder about how things operate behind the scenes. I also admit I was a bit amused by this story, and hope the same can be said for my readers. At least the ones who do not consider themselves George Michael fans.
As George Michael’s private jet waited for clearance to take off from New Jersey’s Teterboro airport this past Sunday, word came down from controllers that the singing star would not be able to depart on time. After an hour’s delay, Michael’s jet was finally cleared to take off. If he didn’t know what the cause of the delay was at the time, you can be certain he knows now.
It seems that both Sting, frontman for the recently-reunited group The Police, and Bruce Springsteen were also waiting for clearance to depart in their private jets from the very same airport at the very same time.
After dealing first with a weather delay, Michael’s flight to Boston was further delayed two more times when both Sting and Springsteen were cleared to depart ahead of him.
Do you suppose it was Springsteen’s hometown status that gave him priority over Michael? Perhaps it was the fact that he is often called "The Boss," and controllers did not want to mess with the guy who has earned such a moniker.
Considering the fact that Sting’s jet was permitted to depart first — even before hometown boy Bruce — makes me wonder if some key airport controller is a big fan.
It was reported that Michael made it to his show in Boston without a minute to spare, and now has to live down the embarrassment of losing an airport face-off with Sting and Springsteen.
I wonder what the odds are that controllers are rocking to the sounds of "Roxanne" and "Born In The USA" up in that control tower?
This story surfaced on the New York Post’s infamous Page Six.
2 Comments
As a matter of fact, U.S. controllers are allowed to listen to severe weather radios. This strict policy has been in effect less than 2 years, but prior to this, it depended on who the crew was in the tower that night! We were known to enjoy a multitude of genres, but the delays mentioned have everything to do with spacing requirements into Boston, not who was or was not on the plane.
Thanks for your comment, Danielle.
Severe weather radio does not sound like as much fun as music, but under the circumstances, that’s an understandable decision.
Perhaps I could have worded it a bit better, but that post was intended to have a tongue-in-cheek slant to it.
In any event, good luck keeping all those little blips nicely separated whether you work at IAD, DCA, “Washington Center” or elsewhere. 🙂