--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this…" description: "\"“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged from service in the United States Air Force..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg" --- # Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the… ![“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged from service in the United States Air Force mission in Afghanistan after six heroic deployments and now returned, following a restorative sabbatical at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital in…” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg) > ““Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged from service in the United States Air Force mission in Afghanistan after six heroic deployments and now returned, following a restorative sabbatical at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia, to his “first love”—civilian piloting for North American Airways. Captain Slatt has informed us that, once we are cleared for takeoff, our flying time will be between approximately seventeen and twenty-two hours depending upon ever-shifting Pacific Ocean air currents and the ability of our seasoned Classic 878 to withstand gale-force winds of 90 knots roaring “like a vast army of demons” (in Captain Slatt’s colorful terminology) over the Arctic Circle. As you have perhaps noticed Flight 443 is a full—i.e., “overbooked”—flight. Actually most North American Airways flights are overbooked—it is Airways protocol to persist in assuming that a certain percentage of passengers will simply fail to show up at the gate having somehow expired, or disappeared, en route. For those of you who boarded with tickets for seats already taken—North American Airways apologizes for this unforeseeable development. We have dealt with the emergency situation by assigning seats in four lavatories as well as in the hold and in designated areas of the overhead bin. Therefore our request to passengers in Economy Plus, Economy, and Economy Minus is that you force your carry-ons beneath the seat in front of you; and what cannot be crammed into that space, or in the overhead bin, if no one is occupying the overhead bin, you must grip securely on your lap for the duration of the flight. Passengers in First Class may give their drink orders now. SECURITY:”” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The announcement humorously describes an overbooked flight, chaotic seating, and the captain's vivid language, highlighting airline absurdities. **In simple terms:** A flight is overbooked, seats are cramped, and the captain uses dramatic descriptions. Key Takeaway Stay flexible and patient during travel disruptions. Themes travel humor bureaucracy Mood lighthearted ironic Type situational observational When to use this quote - airport - long-haul flight - customer service Key Concepts overbooking airline policy communication Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unexpected travel changes? - What could improve passenger experience? A Different Perspective Airlines may prioritize profit over comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-force/) [Duration Flight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duration-flight-1856083/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [First love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-love/) [Flight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight/) [Flight Passengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight-passengers-1856086/) [Flying Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-time-1856084/) [Pacific ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacific-ocean/) [Passenger Boeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passenger-boeing-1856085/) [United States Air Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states-air-force/) [West virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-virginia/) ## Related quotes > [I try to get in quiet time and book time, but really, the only time I ever get that is when I'm on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-try-to-get-in-quiet-time-and-book-time-but-really-the-only-time-i/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [Nobody who gets too damned relaxed builds up much flying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/nobody-who-gets-too-damned-relaxed-builds-up-much-flying-time/) [Ernest K. 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The maxim that flying time is wasted time liberates me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/flights-are-expansive-moments-when-the-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-the/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [“To the west, the Pacific Ocean, which revulses me, for its vastness cannot be fitted into any box.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/to-the-west-the-pacific-ocean-which-revulses-me-for-its-vastness/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“When this war goes into the history books, the United States Air Force will rank as the most efficient gang of murderers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/when-this-war-goes-into-the-history-books-the-united-states-air-force/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Sometimes, just to see what was happening, my father would drive to the airport…. Before my birth, during the “Roaring 20’s” Newark Airport was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/sometimes-just-to-see-what-was-happening-my-father-would-drive-to-the/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/) > [But it wasn't until I graduated from Texas A & M University and joined the United States Air Force, flying C-130's all around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/but-it-wasn-t-until-i-graduated-from-texas-a-m-university-and-joined/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [The enduring responsibility of the United States Air Force is to provide strategic deterrence for the Nation and fly, fight and win as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-a-schwartz/the-enduring-responsibility-of-the-united-states-air-force-is-to/) [Norton A. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-a-schwartz/) > [ “After Natalie \[Wood\] and I got back from our honeymoon, I began The Hunters, with Robert Mitchum, directed by Dick Powell. I adored both… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wagner/after-natalie-wood-and-i-got-back-from-our-honeymoon-i-began-the/) [Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wagner/) > [As a former Airman First Class in the United States Air Force, like many veterans in America, my military experience played an important part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/as-a-former-airman-first-class-in-the-united-states-air-force-like/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [“Lindbergh told Carl Jung that the United States Air Force investigated hundreds upon hundreds of UFO sightings without finding any evidence of supernatural phenomenon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillien-de-lafayette/lindbergh-told-carl-jung-that-the-united-states-air-force/) [Maximillien de Lafayette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillien-de-lafayette/) > [I got a letter from 13-year-old Ryan from Belfast. Now, Ryan, if you're out in the crowd tonight, here's the answer to your question.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-got-a-letter-from-13-year-old-ryan-from-belfast-now-ryan-if-you-re/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [When I served on active duty in the United States Air Force, one of my duties was to teach the Law of War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/when-i-served-on-active-duty-in-the-united-states-air-force-one-of-my/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [I had just been in some repressive situations - the black middle-class college scene and the crazy United States Air Force - and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-had-just-been-in-some-repressive-situations-the-black-middle-class/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More Air force quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [“Iwo Jima is more officially known as “Sulfur Island,” and it lies in a chain of volcanic islands south of the Ogasawara Islands. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/iwo-jima-is-more-officially-known-as-sulfur-island-and-it-lies-in-a/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. 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I have no army, no navy, no air force, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saeb-erekat/since-eve-negotiated-adam-i-am-the-most-disadvantaged-negotiator-in/) [Saeb Erekat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saeb-erekat/) > [“Then, out of the blue, I had the ah ha moment of inspiration at one of our 3rd SPG reunions as I listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowers/then-out-of-the-blue-i-had-the-ah-ha-moment-of-inspiration-at-one-of/) [Bill Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowers/) > [I became an inventor by accident. I was out of the Air Force in 1956. No, no, that's not true: I went in in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-norris/i-became-an-inventor-by-accident-i-was-out-of-the-air-force-in-1956/) [Woody Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-norris/) > [If you're from New York and you're Catholic, you're still Jewish. If you're from Butte Montana and you're Jewish, you're still goyisch. The Air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-you-re-from-new-york-and-you-re-catholic-you-re-still-jewish-if/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) [Browse all 472 Air force quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-force/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged from service in the United States Air Force mission in Afghanistan after six heroic deployments and now returned, following a restorative sabbatical at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia, to his “first love”—civilian piloting for North American Airways. Captain Slatt has informed us that, once we are cleared for takeoff, our flying time will be between approximately seventeen and twenty-two hours depending upon ever-shifting Pacific Ocean air currents and the ability of our seasoned Classic 878 to withstand gale-force winds of 90 knots roaring “like a vast army of demons” (in Captain Slatt’s colorful terminology) over the Arctic Circle. As you have perhaps noticed Flight 443 is a full—i.e., “overbooked”—flight. Actually most North American Airways flights are overbooked—it is Airways protocol to persist in assuming that a certain percentage of passengers will simply fail to show up at the gate having somehow expired, or disappeared, en route. For those of you who boarded with tickets for seats already taken—North American Airways apologizes for this unforeseeable development. We have dealt with the emergency situation by assigning seats in four lavatories as well as in the hold and in designated areas of the overhead bin. Therefore our request to passengers in Economy Plus, Economy, and Economy Minus is that you force your carry-ons beneath the seat in front of you; and what cannot be crammed into that space, or in the overhead bin, if no one is occupying the overhead bin, you must grip securely on your lap for the duration of the flight. Passengers in First Class may give their drink orders now. SECURITY:”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Carol Oates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-morning-is-under-the-able/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air force" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-morning-is-under-the-able/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/joyce-carol-oates-344_air-force_our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-mo_171474.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged…” — Joyce Carol Oates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joyce Carol Oates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-morning-is-under-the-able/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-morning-is-under-the-able/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```