Narrative:

No other widebody transport was in sight around us so we thought ground control was talking about that widebody transport and we completed the turn towards T-1. Part of the taxi instructions did not make a lot of sense, but since the normal flow and our instructions were both in the same direction, I proceeded to T3 and then had the first officer call ground control again to find out if he wanted us to go out T3 (which would be the normal way to get to T1/32L). Ground replied, 'where are you company xyz?' the first officer told him our location and ground came back with, 'what are you doing, taxiing on your own? I don't even have any of your paperwork.' ground said the clearance was for air carrier qxyz and not for us, and then told us to use T3 to the parallel to get to T1 and switch to tower. We made the turn to taxi out to the parallel, and as we were approaching the runway 32L parallel, ground control said, 'xyz, turn left and contact tower.' I responded, 'which xyz?' ground control then made another transmission to another aircraft and then came back to us and said, 'company xyz, turn left and contact tower.' after switching to tower, and cleared into position on runway 32L at T1, there was some confusion about xyz switching back to ground controller. The confusion was resolved when tower cleared company xyz for takeoff. Company xzy was not a heavy. This is not the first time that this flight has been called a heavy because not too long ago this flight xyz was a wide body. Sometimes the controllers get into the habit of calling certain flts heavy because of past scheduling. It happens frequently. Controllers are getting better, but there still are a lot of flight numbers being called out west/O the company prefix. I should have picked up on this, but the ground controllers at O'hare are always busy and I falsely assumed that he was talking to us. I have a feeling also that he might have been passed the wrong paperwork after we had been cleared to ground control. I will never assume that a controller is talking to me again west/O hearing the whole identify. Supplemental information from acn 87501: I was still trying to figure how we were going to use the 27 parallel to get to T1 and where we were going to turn onto the outer to use the 27 parallel. Airplanes were visible taxiing towards us on the outer on the other side of T1 intersection. It was conceivable for us to taxi along the inner and fall in line behind the opp direction aircraft somewhere further down transitioning from the inner to the 27 and 32 parallels.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT UNAUTH TAXI.

Narrative: NO OTHER WDB WAS IN SIGHT AROUND US SO WE THOUGHT GND CTL WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT WDB AND WE COMPLETED THE TURN TOWARDS T-1. PART OF THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS DID NOT MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, BUT SINCE THE NORMAL FLOW AND OUR INSTRUCTIONS WERE BOTH IN THE SAME DIRECTION, I PROCEEDED TO T3 AND THEN HAD THE F/O CALL GND CTL AGAIN TO FIND OUT IF HE WANTED US TO GO OUT T3 (WHICH WOULD BE THE NORMAL WAY TO GET TO T1/32L). GND REPLIED, 'WHERE ARE YOU COMPANY XYZ?' THE F/O TOLD HIM OUR LOCATION AND GND CAME BACK WITH, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING, TAXIING ON YOUR OWN? I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY OF YOUR PAPERWORK.' GND SAID THE CLRNC WAS FOR ACR QXYZ AND NOT FOR US, AND THEN TOLD US TO USE T3 TO THE PARALLEL TO GET TO T1 AND SWITCH TO TWR. WE MADE THE TURN TO TAXI OUT TO THE PARALLEL, AND AS WE WERE APCHING THE RWY 32L PARALLEL, GND CTL SAID, 'XYZ, TURN LEFT AND CONTACT TWR.' I RESPONDED, 'WHICH XYZ?' GND CTL THEN MADE ANOTHER XMISSION TO ANOTHER ACFT AND THEN CAME BACK TO US AND SAID, 'COMPANY XYZ, TURN LEFT AND CONTACT TWR.' AFTER SWITCHING TO TWR, AND CLRED INTO POS ON RWY 32L AT T1, THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION ABOUT XYZ SWITCHING BACK TO GND CTLR. THE CONFUSION WAS RESOLVED WHEN TWR CLRED COMPANY XYZ FOR TKOF. COMPANY XZY WAS NOT A HVY. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS FLT HAS BEEN CALLED A HVY BECAUSE NOT TOO LONG AGO THIS FLT XYZ WAS A WIDE BODY. SOMETIMES THE CTLRS GET INTO THE HABIT OF CALLING CERTAIN FLTS HVY BECAUSE OF PAST SCHEDULING. IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. CTLRS ARE GETTING BETTER, BUT THERE STILL ARE A LOT OF FLT NUMBERS BEING CALLED OUT W/O THE COMPANY PREFIX. I SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP ON THIS, BUT THE GND CTLRS AT O'HARE ARE ALWAYS BUSY AND I FALSELY ASSUMED THAT HE WAS TALKING TO US. I HAVE A FEELING ALSO THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PASSED THE WRONG PAPERWORK AFTER WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO GND CTL. I WILL NEVER ASSUME THAT A CTLR IS TALKING TO ME AGAIN W/O HEARING THE WHOLE IDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 87501: I WAS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE HOW WE WERE GOING TO USE THE 27 PARALLEL TO GET TO T1 AND WHERE WE WERE GOING TO TURN ONTO THE OUTER TO USE THE 27 PARALLEL. AIRPLANES WERE VISIBLE TAXIING TOWARDS US ON THE OUTER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF T1 INTXN. IT WAS CONCEIVABLE FOR US TO TAXI ALONG THE INNER AND FALL IN LINE BEHIND THE OPP DIRECTION ACFT SOMEWHERE FURTHER DOWN TRANSITIONING FROM THE INNER TO THE 27 AND 32 PARALLELS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.