We were on the plane for over an entire day.Come from Away · 2021 — Chapter 5 of 22 · 5'22" · B1
Passengers Stuck on Planes for 28 Hours, Explained: rumors start flying
Passengers are trapped on the tarmac for twenty-eight hours, unable to leave the plane, with phones failing and news spreading as rumour. Half of them share no language with the crew, and the captain says too little, so the stories grow wilder. "Everyone knew every inch of that plane" is the whole boredom and claustrophobia in one line.
What happens
Crowds of passengers sit on grounded planes in Gander for twenty-eight hours, unable to get off, with no working phones and almost no information. Rumours spread from a crash to a war, and some passengers start to panic. Meanwhile, Bonnie at the local SPCA phones to ask whether there are any animals on board.
Listen for
safe and soundevery inch ofrumors start flyingfreaking out
00:00 / 05:22Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
rumors start flying
rumors spread quickly
机长不肯多说，乘客一问三不知，于是 rumors start flying，什么版本都出来了。
When the merger was announced, rumors started flying.
Also in this scene
- safe and sound
平安无事；安然无恙
- every inch of
the whole of something, in detail
- freaking out
panicking or losing control
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 102 lines
over
We were on the plane for over an entire day.the whole of something, in detail
Everyone knew every inch of that plane-We were allowed out of our seats… -Twenty-eight hours…even if
And even if you survived the jump, they probably would've shot you.You could go up to first class. You could stretch in the aisles.We had no way to get information.This was before most people had mobile phones,before-clause
This was before most people had mobile phones,-and only a couple people got through. -…every inch of that planeelision
-and only a couple people got through. -…every inch of that planeThank God I finally got through I borrowed a passenger's phone How are you?Safe and sound on the ground Here in Newfoundland We don't know much Except for the BBC--Listen, I can't talk long-On our plane, someone has a mobile phone. -But then the battery dies.Half the passengers on our plane don't speak English.what-clause
Even if we knew what was happening, we don't speak their language.rumors spread quickly
But the captain says not to say too much, and that's when rumors start flying.Meanwhile on our plane We didn't have a clue-We were all going insane because -There wasn't squat to doThen the captain starts apologizing Says, "On behalf of the airline I'm giving each and everyone some"…liaison
Then the captain starts apologizing Says, "On behalf of the airline I'm giving each and everyone some"…Complimentary boozeOh, my God. I need to get off this plane!flap
Oh, my God. I need to get off this plane!Anyway, Kevin was not dealing with it well.-'Cause I could use a shower or a bar -Or a barNothing but darknessI went down with the rest of the town to look at all those planes.Passengers Stuck on Planes for 28 Hours, explained
What's really going on
The scene is about what happens to people when the world stops and nobody explains why. Twenty-eight hours in a sealed cabin turns ordinary travellers into a group running on rumour, and the film plays the panic for comedy without losing the fear underneath. The detail that lands hardest is scale: there is no private space left, and "Everyone knew every inch of that plane." Half the passengers share no language with the crew, so the isolation is doubled, and the captain's silence fills the cabin with stories. The jokes about vodka and the two Kevins keep the mood moving, but the scene is really about powerlessness: waiting, not knowing, and having no way to reach anyone you love.
Theme
SurvivalHundreds of strangers endure a sealed, information-free wait, managing fear with humour and rumour.
LonelinessStuck without language, phone or news, the passengers are isolated in a crowd and cannot reach home.
Listen for
- got through — elision
- On behalf of — liaison
- get off — flap
We were on the plane for over an entire day.The plain statement of the ordeal: not a delay of hours but more than a full day sitting on the tarmac.
Even if we knew what was happening, we don't speak their language.The double isolation: no information even if it came, because the passengers cannot understand the crew.
Everyone knew every inch of that plane.A line about claustrophobia and boredom, capturing how small the world became for everyone on board.
And even if you survived the jump, they probably would've shot you.A dark joke about how trapped they were: escape was not only impossible but dangerous.
Because you're freaking out, and it is freaking me out, and we are all freaking the freak out!The mounting panic in one sentence, where one person's fear spreads to everyone around them.
We're both named Kevin. It was cute for a while.A wry aside about a couple with the same name, the kind of small joke people lean on when there is nothing else to do.
Questions about this scene
How long are the passengers stuck on the plane?
Twenty-eight hours, more than an entire day. They are allowed out of their seats but not off the plane the whole time.
Why do rumours spread so fast?
Because the captain tells the crew not to say too much, and there is almost no real information. In the silence, stories go from a crash to a bombing to World War III.
Who are the two Kevins?
A couple who happen to share the same first name. They are travelling together and, like everyone else, begin to fray during the long wait.
What is Bonnie calling about?
Bonnie works at the Gander SPCA. She calls to ask whether there are any animals on the grounded planes, and decides she will go and help even though the airport is guarded.
Come from Away · 22 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6make no mistakeWaiting on the Plane for News
Chapter 1a lay of the landGander Learns of the Emergency
Chapter 2shaking like a leafPlanes Land Unexpectedly in Gander
Chapter 3a state of emergencyGander Declares a State of Emergency
Chapter 4for the love of GodA Town Gathers Supplies
Watching · Chapter 5rumors start flyingPassengers Stuck on Planes for 28 Hours
Chapter 6make no mistakeWaiting on the Plane for News
Chapter 7left over fromPassengers Disembark into the Dark
Chapter 8hear a pin dropGander Finds Translators and Animals
Chapter 9speak the same languageLocals Drive Passengers to the Camp
Chapter 10to the ends of the earthGander Academy Becomes a Shelter
Chapter 11suit yourselfStranded Passengers Wait for News
Chapter 12make small talkGander Locals Take In the Passengers
Chapter 13praise be to GodThe Gayest Town in Newfoundland
Chapter 14there for meA Mother Waits and Tells Jokes
Chapter 15a moment of silenceA Gas Station Falls Silent
Chapter 16jump at one's own shadowA Fight Breaks Out in the Hallway
Chapter 17take the plungeThe Screech-In Ceremony
Chapter 18Don't be a strangerGander Says Goodbye to the Visitors
Chapter 19take seriouslyA Muslim Passenger Is Searched
Chapter 20seize the momentDiane and Nick at the Lookout
Chapter 21ground zeroThe Aftermath Back Home
Chapter 22a big breakGander Remembers the Plane PeopleChapter 5 of 22 · about 59 min to go