A big four-engine plane was carrying passengers from the US to
France across the Atlantic. The flight was going well, until the
pilot came on the PA and said, “Attention, passengers. One of
our engines has broken down. Don’t worry, we can still go on
with three, but there will be a two-hour delay.”
About half an hour later, the pilot comes on the PA again.
“Attention, it seems we have lost another engine. Don’t worry,
we can go on with two, but there will be a four-hour delay.”
A little while later, the pilot makes another announcement that
a third engine has gone, and there will be a six-hour delay. At
this point, one of the passengers muttered, “If that fourth
engine goes out, we’ll be up here the whole damn day.”