Narrative:

We departed the gate at XB04 over four hours late because of thunderstorms and flow control to ord. We were given a void if not off by XC19Z time just before we left the gate. As we taxied to 1N we tuned to 121.9. As we sat waiting on the close out we listened to ground control for several min. Both the captain and I noticed the controller being very condescending towards all flts he was handling. This put us in an uneasy defensive mind set before we ever talked to anyone. We heard the controller have a confrontational transaction with a super tug driver maintenance operator. When I received our close out I called, 'air carrier X at 1N.' he sniped at me, 'hold air carrier X, I will get back to you.' we of course knew that he was in a foul mood and knew to be careful. He then cleared us to runway 26L via fox. We started our journey on fox approaching hotel when we noticed a MD80 approaching fox, he was on the left on an intersecting taxiway. The MD80 then flashed his wing inspection lights, we slowed, then the controller got in an argument with the MD80 over phraseology. We then were told to give way to the MD80. We really did have to give way because the MD80 was slightly in the intersection. After the MD80 entered ramp 2N and was clear, we continued to taxi. The ground frequency seemed to be very hectic up to that point. Just as we passed ramp 2 the controller said 'air carrier X, aren't you going to give way?' I replied, 'we did give way.' he said, ' I told you to give way to the outbound MD80.' in all of the fuss and confusion we did not hear him say anything about then outbound MD80 plus, the MD80 on our left was the threat. If the MD80 on the left was not the aircraft he was talking about hen we would have had a close call. As we passed the 2N exit we noticed an MD80 with no lights sitting there. The controller then said in disgust, 'air carrier X hold short of F3.' we had just gained taxi speed as we received the clearance. Of course we held short. There was a flight that was given the clearance out of F3/3N. In the time we were stopped, I was pulling up a new tps, my head was in the cockpit. When I looked out, the other flight was no where in sight and we were moving. About the time I got my bearing the controller said, 'air carrier X you have not done anything I told you tonight,' in a very nasty manner. I admit that we had moved passed 3N/F3 without his clearance. There was no more traffic in the vicinity and the captain was probably thinking about the 'give way' earlier. The controller then said, 'air carrier X hold short of charlie.' we stopped before charlie on fox. As we sat there we had a discussion about the situation and concluded that we should regroup our thoughts about the earlier conflicts and focus on the rest of the trip. We received a clearance to give way to the traffic to our left and taxi to our left and taxi to 26L via east. We sat looking for traffic to our left. We waited for a min but saw no traffic. I then asked the controller where was the traffic, he replied, 'the traffic was ahead to your left air carrier X.' he was referring to traffic that was not even close to us, in, fact that traffic was on echo between G and E10. He then said in disgust, 'air carrier X, just taxi to 26L.' this situation was an example of a bad working relationship. The controller was pressed for some reason and needed to be relieved. We could tell the first time we heard him that he was causing disruption in the controller pilot trust we are custom to. This condescending attitude affects the real purpose we are trying to obtain- safety.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATCT CTLR AT ATL WAS VERY CONDESCENDING ANDCONFRONTATIONAL WITH PLTS ON GND CTL. PLT FELT CTLR WAS PRESSED FOR SOME REASON AND NEEDED TO BE RELIEVED.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED THE GATE AT XB04 OVER FOUR HOURS LATE BECAUSE OF TSTMS AND FLOW CTL TO ORD. WE WERE GIVEN A VOID IF NOT OFF BY XC19Z TIME JUST BEFORE WE L THE GATE. AS WE TAXIED TO 1N WE TUNED TO 121.9. AS WE SAT WAITING ON THE CLOSE OUT WE LISTENED TO GND CTL FOR SEVERAL MIN. BOTH THE CAPT AND I NOTICED THE CTLR BEING VERY CONDESCENDING TOWARDS ALL FLTS HE WAS HANDLING. THIS PUT US IN AN UNEASY DEFENSIVE MIND SET BEFORE WE EVER TALKED TO ANYONE. WE HEARD THE CTLR HAVE A CONFRONTATIONAL TRANSACTION WITH A SUPER TUG DRIVER MAINT OPERATOR. WHEN I RECEIVED OUR CLOSE OUT I CALLED, 'ACR X AT 1N.' HE SNIPED AT ME, 'HOLD ACR X, I WILL GET BACK TO YOU.' WE OF COURSE KNEW THAT HE WAS IN A FOUL MOOD AND KNEW TO BE CAREFUL. HE THEN CLEARED US TO RWY 26L VIA FOX. WE STARTED OUR JOURNEY ON FOX APCHING HOTEL WHEN WE NOTICED A MD80 APCHING FOX, HE WAS ON THE LEFT ON AN INTERSECTING TXWY. THE MD80 THEN FLASHED HIS WING INSPECTION LIGHTS, WE SLOWED, THEN THE CTLR GOT IN AN ARGUMENT WITH THE MD80 OVER PHRASEOLOGY. WE THEN WERE TOLD TO GIVE WAY TO THE MD80. WE REALLY DID HAVE TO GIVE WAY BECAUSE THE MD80 WAS SLIGHTLY IN THE INTXN. AFTER THE MD80 ENTERED RAMP 2N AND WAS CLEAR, WE CONTINUED TO TAXI. THE GND FREQ SEEMED TO BE VERY HECTIC UP TO THAT POINT. JUST AS WE PASSED RAMP 2 THE CTLR SAID 'ACR X, AREN'T YOU GOING TO GIVE WAY?' I REPLIED, 'WE DID GIVE WAY.' HE SAID, ' I TOLD YOU TO GIVE WAY TO THE OUTBOUND MD80.' IN ALL OF THE FUSS AND CONFUSION WE DID NOT HEAR HIM SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THEN OUTBOUND MD80 PLUS, THE MD80 ON OUR L WAS THE THREAT. IF THE MD80 ON THE L WAS NOT THE ACFT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HEN WE WOULD HAVE HAD A CLOSE CALL. AS WE PASSED THE 2N EXIT WE NOTICED AN MD80 WITH NO LIGHTS SITTING THERE. THE CTLR THEN SAID IN DISGUST, 'ACR X HOLD SHORT OF F3.' WE HAD JUST GAINED TAXI SPD AS WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC. OF COURSE WE HELD SHORT. THERE WAS A FLT THAT WAS GIVEN THE CLRNC OUT OF F3/3N. IN THE TIME WE WERE STOPPED, I WAS PULLING UP A NEW TPS, MY HEAD WAS IN THE COCKPIT. WHEN I LOOKED OUT, THE OTHER FLT WAS NO WHERE IN SIGHT AND WE WERE MOVING. ABOUT THE TIME I GOT MY BEARING THE CTLR SAID, 'ACR X YOU HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING I TOLD YOU TONIGHT,' IN A VERY NASTY MANNER. I ADMIT THAT WE HAD MOVED PASSED 3N/F3 WITHOUT HIS CLRNC. THERE WAS NO MORE TFC IN THE VICINITY AND THE CAPT WAS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT THE 'GIVE WAY' EARLIER. THE CTLR THEN SAID, 'ACR X HOLD SHORT OF CHARLIE.' WE STOPPED BEFORE CHARLIE ON FOX. AS WE SAT THERE WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SIT AND CONCLUDED THAT WE SHOULD REGROUP OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE EARLIER CONFLICTS AND FOCUS ON THE REST OF THE TRIP. WE RECEIVED A CLRNC TO GIVE WAY TO THE TFC TO OUR L AND TAXI TO OUR L AND TAXI TO 26L VIA E. WE SAT LOOKING FOR TFC TO OUR L. WE WAITED FOR A MIN BUT SAW NO TFC. I THEN ASKED THE CTLR WHERE WAS THE TFC, HE REPLIED, 'THE TFC WAS AHEAD TO YOUR L ACR X.' HE WAS REFERRING TO TFC THAT WAS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO US, IN, FACT THAT TFC WAS ON ECHO BTWN G AND E10. HE THEN SAID IN DISGUST, 'ACR X, JUST TAXI TO 26L.' THIS SIT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF A BAD WORKING RELATIONSHIP. THE CTLR WAS PRESSED FOR SOME REASON AND NEEDED TO BE RELIEVED. WE COULD TELL THE FIRST TIME WE HEARD HIM THAT HE WAS CAUSING DISRUPTION IN THE CTLR PLT TRUST WE ARE CUSTOM TO. THIS CONDESCENDING ATTITUDE AFFECTS THE REAL PURPOSE WE ARE TRYING TO OBTAIN- SAFETY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.