Airport '77

Attention. Attention, please.

Continental Airlines announces the departure of Flight 3…

for Los Angeles and Honolulu at Gate 28, the blue concourse.

Global 45, Lincoln Tower. Clear to land. Runway 2-niner.

Wind 1-5. Gusting 2-5.

Roger. Cleared to land. Runway in sight.

Lincoln Tower from Global 4-5.

I think we cut the taxiway a little too short, and we're stuck in the snow.

Please notify company dispatch. I think we'll need assistance.

We've got a condition four on 2-niner at Taxiway Echo. Right.

Change traffic to Runway 2-2. Two-niner's closed.

Trans World 17, I have a change.

Now taxi to Runway 2-2. Runway 2-niner is closed. Over.

Air Canada ninety-niner, hold short of Taxiway Bravo.

Emergency equipment will pass to your left. Over.

Runway 2-niner closed… account disabled aircraft.

2-2 approach. Runway 2-niner is closed.

All right. We'll stay with 2-2 with everything.

Global 10, make a turn. Clear 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 2-niner.

A tail sticking out into the runway about 20 yards.

Yeah. 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 24A, the green concourse.

I'm moving up to the forward entrance.

Bakersfeld.

Mel, Tanya. How about some coffee?

- I just found something. - I just lost something… Runway 2-niner.

Oh, no. Snow?

One of your jockeys missed a turnoff, buried the wheels.

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 release forms…

and plenty of sympathy and 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. We've got an emergency.

You said you would be home at 6:00.

Now, you promised me you wouldn't 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.

Are we going to Jamaica to have a wonderful time?

No, no. We have to get home.

Let me take that for you, ma'am.

You'll be much warmer in the bus. I'm sorry this happened.

The captain wants you to take off as much weight as possible,

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 ought to use pneumatic bags to lift the wings.

- Could take most of tomorrow. - I want that runway cleared tonight.

Tonight?

Look. I know you're doing everything 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 right away. I got 14 on the ground and 18 stacked upstairs.

And I've got our five kids stacked away at my mother's…

so that me and Marie could be alone for a while.

Tell Marie I'm sorry to louse up her evening. I need 2-niner badly.

Can't the Global crew handle it?

They're having a conference now 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 have them start digging a 10-degree incline in front of the wheels.

- Right. - Out.

Aw, Joe.

Do you have to go to work on a night like this?

They don't call them emergencies anymore. They call them "Patronis."

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 you found I should know about?

Your brother-in-law was on the snow clearance committee today.

My boss got a copy of the report.

I can guess what it says. "The airport"… meaning me…

"has been inefficient in snow clearance"…

"Grossly inefficient."

"Causing flight delays, loss of revenue to all airlines." Et cetera, et cetera.

"Signed, Captain Vernon Demerest, Chairman."

How can he say a thing like this?

Because he's a no-good, irresponsible louse…

who can't pass up the opportunity to knife me.

Mobile 1, Snow Desk. Where are you?

Coming up to the ramp.

Mel, Commissioner Ackerman wants you at the street side of the terminal.

- Trouble. - I'm on my way.

Close down Runway 22.

Close down Runway 22.

Keep moving, please. Keep moving, please. Keep moving, please.

They'll break it up soon and go home…

after the TV cameras get a few shots.

A lawyer they hired yesterday arranged for news coverage.

That's all we need.

I'd better get in touch with the other commissioners and tell 'em about this.

Afterwards, we'll meet in the boardroom, you and I,

and see what we can figure out to calm those people down.

I'll call you.

Mel!

Hi, Sis. I thought Vernon was on Flight 2 tonight.

He is.

- Sure here early enough. - What with the weather and the traffic,

Vernon didn't want to take a chance on being late,

but we just sailed right along.

First, 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, huh?

- I call 'em as I see 'em. - Then you're due for an eye check.

For your information, clearing those runways and taxiways…

is the equivalent of 700 miles of two-lane highway.

Well, what do you know?

And I'll bet you measured every little foot of it all by yourself.

We've also had 10 inches of snow in the last 24 hours.

Anchorage had twice as much, and they're clean.

They've got twice the equipment.

Well, then get some more. This isn't Alaska.

You don't spend an extra two million dollars…

for machinery you might use once in 10 years.

You buy for the average snowfall. Then when emergency hits,

you use what you have and work around the clock.

Sitting behind that desk made you think like a bookkeeper.

I didn't always fly a desk.

Well, 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. Two-nine is closed.

The pilot from your Flight 45 made a shortcut across the field.

- And he didn't make it. - Well, 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?

Now stop that, both of you!

Yeah. You're right. It's a waste of time arguing with a penguin.

- Bye. - Have a good flight, dear.

What would you want me to bring you back from Rome?

Just yourself.

Maybe if you have the time, I could use a pair of white gloves.

Size 6 1/2, right?

No. I'm the one who wears a size 7 1/2.

American Airlines Flight 103 for St. Louis…

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. Hmm?

How you can live with that overage juvenile delinquent, I'll never know.

There's just the two of us. If I left him, what would I have?

Would you have any more if he decided to leave you?

He won't.

The moment a girl gets too 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. Good-bye, dear.

Lufthansa Flight 82 for Frankfurt…

Bakersfeld.

No, no. No, I'll take care of it myself.

Mm! Vern, we just don't have time.

But I have a cab waiting downstairs, and we can make the airport in 15 minutes.

The driver doesn't mind waiting. His meter's running, and so is mine.

But I've got to finish packing. If you get me up to full throttle…

and 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.

Oh, that I like. You can see right through it.

- Who's in the right-hand seat tonight? - 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 that doesn't matter.

Somebody's gotta check you out every six months…

just to make sure you don't pick up any bad habits.

Such as nuzzling stewardesses? Mm-hmm.

Does he hold on to 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.

And when he's stacked up and 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.

Oh, that's not all our loot. The girls in the building have been contributing.

Grace is getting married. We're giving her a party.