sbtinme
Sep 7, 02, 5:43 pm
I found this glorious tale on usaviation.com. Seems this RJ pilot got so fed up (like all of us) with the outrageous, sloth-like sense of urgency with which commuter flights are offloaded in PHL, that he took matters into his own hands. Personally, if I ever see this guy in action, I'll shake his hand and offer him $100.
Read on:
I have been operating out of the Taj Majal (F terminal) at PHL since it opened. There are some real issues there that are a source of frustration for crew and pax; mostly related to gate arrival. Some of the problems are due to lack of staffing and some to lack of motivation, but that does not excuse the fact that the pax are subjected to unnecessary inconvenience. I have spoken to my company about this, I have spoken to Allegheny supervisors about this and I often have provided my card with the Express Division address and phone # written on the back to pax who voice complaint.
As a practical matter, I have established my own procedure for dealing with the following issues which are typically encountered in varying combinations:
Stop astride the vehicle road, set the brake and establish a roadblock; landing/taxi lights shining through the terminal windows. Call op's and advise there is no reception crew. When advised by ramp control I am obstructing traffic, I politely reply that we have called op's and as soon as I have a crew to meet the aircraft, I can move. This happens about 75% of the time. Typical wait time is 3-5 minutes. While I am waiting, I check to see if the gate agent is in the loading bridge ready to dock.
Into the gate, I open the aircraft door, jump 4 1/2 feet to the ground, go up the jetway, poke my head through the door, surprise the gate folks with the announcement that we have arrived and politely insist someone drop what they are doing right now and come dock us. 80-85% frequency.
As the agent is driving the jetway, I peek out the door to check progress of the carry-ons. When we are docked I walk past the agent and tell the FA to release the pax. Then turn to the astonished and dismayed agent, apologize, and tell him/her that I am not going to allow my pax to miss their connections waiting at an open airplane door that they are prohibiting from exiting because the rampers, after 10 minutes, have not yet retrieved the carry-ons. 100%
Then, depending on the progress noted during my peek out the door, I go down to the back of the plane and throw bags. 25%
I have established this procedure over the course of the last 13 months and have found that it significantly reduces the delay in getting the pax on their way. but even with all this effort, it consistently takes 10-15 minutes from the time we arrive at the gate until the first pax steps out of the plane, and sometimes as much as 20 minutes before the last pax has retrieved their carry-on and bolted amidst a cloud of tire smoke and dust for their connection.
I am always polite to the ground/gate crew, but am very clear that this should not be happening. Some get miffed at me, some appreciate the help, and the beat goes on.
Read on:
I have been operating out of the Taj Majal (F terminal) at PHL since it opened. There are some real issues there that are a source of frustration for crew and pax; mostly related to gate arrival. Some of the problems are due to lack of staffing and some to lack of motivation, but that does not excuse the fact that the pax are subjected to unnecessary inconvenience. I have spoken to my company about this, I have spoken to Allegheny supervisors about this and I often have provided my card with the Express Division address and phone # written on the back to pax who voice complaint.
As a practical matter, I have established my own procedure for dealing with the following issues which are typically encountered in varying combinations:
Stop astride the vehicle road, set the brake and establish a roadblock; landing/taxi lights shining through the terminal windows. Call op's and advise there is no reception crew. When advised by ramp control I am obstructing traffic, I politely reply that we have called op's and as soon as I have a crew to meet the aircraft, I can move. This happens about 75% of the time. Typical wait time is 3-5 minutes. While I am waiting, I check to see if the gate agent is in the loading bridge ready to dock.
Into the gate, I open the aircraft door, jump 4 1/2 feet to the ground, go up the jetway, poke my head through the door, surprise the gate folks with the announcement that we have arrived and politely insist someone drop what they are doing right now and come dock us. 80-85% frequency.
As the agent is driving the jetway, I peek out the door to check progress of the carry-ons. When we are docked I walk past the agent and tell the FA to release the pax. Then turn to the astonished and dismayed agent, apologize, and tell him/her that I am not going to allow my pax to miss their connections waiting at an open airplane door that they are prohibiting from exiting because the rampers, after 10 minutes, have not yet retrieved the carry-ons. 100%
Then, depending on the progress noted during my peek out the door, I go down to the back of the plane and throw bags. 25%
I have established this procedure over the course of the last 13 months and have found that it significantly reduces the delay in getting the pax on their way. but even with all this effort, it consistently takes 10-15 minutes from the time we arrive at the gate until the first pax steps out of the plane, and sometimes as much as 20 minutes before the last pax has retrieved their carry-on and bolted amidst a cloud of tire smoke and dust for their connection.
I am always polite to the ground/gate crew, but am very clear that this should not be happening. Some get miffed at me, some appreciate the help, and the beat goes on.