ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is a great link between crews and dispatchers. ACARS helps with many additional functions used on each flight and sends/receives countless messages every day around the world. Many of those messages are routine position reports, maintenance messages, or performance calculation requests. My guess is that most dispatchers and flight crew using ACARS for messaging in flight do not give much thought to who reads the messages beyond their intended audience.
Recently I stumbled upon a few websites live-streaming ACARS messages with a very slight delay to “enhance security.” Looking at the live stream, I was struck by how many messages go by every second and how most of them are completely undecipherable. But there are messages with potentially sensitive content. (Some of it is fun!) Obviously, these example messages have not been edited to correct spelling, grammar or punctuation.
Example:
QUNDCULUA~1MSG FROM EWROO UA0065/23 LPPT KEWR SENT: 11:29:45Z
SENDING CAPTAIN ##### [surname removed] A NOTE OF CONGRATS ON YOUR RETIREMENT. WATER SALUTE UPON ARRIVAL HAS BEEN COORDINATED. WHAT ARE YOU SHOWING AS AN ETA? EWROO [name removed]
This message also included the flight number (UAL65) and the tail number (visible on the site where I found this message). Sometimes messages include a full flight release including employee ID numbers and full names. (In the previous message, I deleted the names for privacy reasons.)
You can search old messages by keyword here: https://app.airframes.io/messages/historical
Here is an example of a security related incident, which many messages involve:
OS KDFW /FTM
HEADS UP WE HAD A THREAT LEVEL 1 IT HAS BEEN DEESCALATED I WOULD LIKE LEO AND GSC TO MEET US. SEAT 32G [deleted passenger name] AND SEAT 17H [deleted passenger name] BECAME DISRUPTIVE AND INSULTING TO SEAT 18J AN EXECUTIVE PLATINUM INCLUDING SPILLING WINE ON HIM WHEN HE WOULDN’T SWITCH SEATS.
Some messages push the boundaries on essential communications:
C311 2HI COULD YOU PASS ON THE JAYS SCORE IF YOU ARE NOTTO BUSY
Or this one…
OS KPIT /FTM NYY VS BOS SCORE…
Or even this one…when I searched for keyword “pizza.”
OS CLT /FTMOK WE WANT PIZZA IN CLT PEPPERONI (That was from a US-based regional airline, so not a private flight. I assume it was sent to the dispatcher as a request.)
Or check out this one where perhaps the crew is trying to help stranded passengers?
FTX01YX5642/22221345KLGAKIND 08/22/26 13:45Z 0083 N40 20.3 W076 31.7 –FREETEXT– THATS PROB HOW ATC FEELS ABOUT PIZZA DURING SHUTDOWNS. IS THERE A JIMMY JOHNS/Q I THINK THOSE ARE OPEN LATE AND DELIVER.
This one includes comedy (?) on the very unprofessional practice of “meowing” on 121.5.
QUNDCULUA~1MSG FROM PILOT UA3922/17 LEMD KIAD
SENT: 13:08:37Z MESSAGE FROM UAL261:
SMOOTH TO 37W CONT LITE TURB TO 40W NOW SMOOTH NY AT 40W 17946/13306 WE ARE AT 320 CUZ WE R MAKING MONEY FOR THE CO. WHILE U GUYS ARE NOT. MANY UFOS MEOWING ON COMMON BUT NO SIGHTINGS
This one has a crew using lots of paper from the ACARS printer!
3J01 DSPTCH 0003/26 KDCA/KSEA .N581AS VERY LONG. ZERO REMORSE FOR COSTING OUR COMPANY MONEY IN ACARS PAPER.
Some messages involve detailed medical instructions:
GOOD MORNING CAPT [surname removed]
LOST CONNECTION WITH FAS REGARDING PAX IN 3H MEDLINK RECCOMENDS VERIFY PAX HAS NO ALERGIES BEFORE GIVING A TABLET OF ONDANSETRON TO DISSOLVE IN THE MOUTH. NO FOOD OR DRINKS FOR 30 MINUTES. MAY GIVE A WARM COMPRESS FOR ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT THEN KEEP WELL HYDRATED WITH JUICE AND WATER. MAY OFFER ACETAMINOPHEN 2 TABLETS 325MG FROM THE IMK WITH WATER
IF NEEDED PLS CALL BACK FOR REPATCH NO MEDICS ARRANGED AT THIS TIME CASE NO. IFN 0009097 FD54 [dispatcher name removed] END
Spending too much time searching ACARS messages by keyword? Some sites will even filter it for you. Consider www.acarsdrama.com which claims to provide only the “dramatic” type messages rather than https://app.airframes.io/ which feeds everything.
The takeaway for flight crews and dispatchers: the public can see your ACARS messages. With ever more sophisticated AI filtering tools, I have privacy concerns since these messages are public. Do we need to include full names of passengers, crew, and dispatchers? What about employee ID numbers? These may be necessary on the release paperwork which is sometimes sent via ACARS. Do these sites need better filtering, or should they be taken down entirely?
ACARS Drama (the dot com) claims to be a project “dedicated to showcasing the behind-the-scenes, heroic efforts of commercial aviation.” They say they delay messages by around five minutes and do seem to remove names. Yet other sites like https://app.airframes.io/ don’t filter at all. What do you think? Reach out in Comments and pass it on to your fellow pilots and dispatchers. Remember the public could be reading what you send.
Here’s a video I made to summarize: https://youtu.be/Yp-daweUbUc or scan this QR code to watch or share:
