Why can't the JFK gabblers be sent over to London Heathrow (or I am sure many other airports around the world with a high proportion of foreign traffic) to hear how it should be done.
Originally Posted by SassyPilotsWife
As a pax and wife of a pilot, I wouldn't have cared if you had keyed up and said " STOP THE EFFIN PLANE !!!. Yes there needs to be a level of universal language and proper phraseology but no one is perfect. Especially in an emergency situation with the potential for catastrophe.
You should listen to the ATC (it's doubtless still somewhere on the web) from the accident to the landing BA 777 at Heathrow a couple of years ago, dealing with an actual sudden crash on the airfield, comms with the accident aircraft, sending the following landers round, etc. All the situations you describe and more. But immaculate phraseology at all times, all calm, clear and well enunciated. A real credit to the team.