mcrt
Jun 5, 05, 2:13 am
OK, I know it was a teaser line. Not all of it was because of AS delays, but much of it was. I was torn between just adding this to the ongoing thread of AS delays, but my ego wanted my own thread :D Warning: Timeline may not be 100% accurate, but is good enough for the story.
I was in Spokane Friday for work. I flew over in the morning and had a 17:30 return scheduled. My work wrapped up early and I was back at the airport about 14:00. The 14:30 hadn't left and GEG is a small airport so I checked my toolbox and asked to be put on the standyby list.
At security I tried to walk through without removing my sandles and the TSA guy wouldn't let me though. I started to point out that they didn't fit the profile and I hadn't had a problem in SEA that morning, but he crossed his arms and planted his feet. I decided that I better be careful or I would end up with a permanent SSSS.
(Note: all flights QX Q400s except 17:30 and 19:30, they are AS MD80)
I headed to the gate and realized I was standby for the 15:30 not the 14:30. They called a couple people up for BPs on that flight. It left about 14:45. While waiting for the 15:30 I found out that the problem was a cancelled 13:30 flight for a mechanical. Once I figured that out I had my name added to the volunteer bump list for my scheduled flight. The 15:30 left about 16:00 with perhaps one or two of the standbys. I asked and found out I was 9th out of 35 for standby on the 16:30 so I just headed for the gate that the 17:30 was going to use.
When I got there the time was listed as 17:40, bad sign. The two ladies at the counter were taking care of people as they came up and no big deal yet. The time keeps shifting on the board to later and later times. At one point the GA tries to get the crowd to do a sing-a-long. I'm leaving on a jet plane No takers. Eventually they announce that our plane has left Seattle. It is clear that we won't make the currently posted time since the plane isn't that fast.
Just an aside...the added entertainment out the window was a 777 in Boeing paint was cruising up and down the runway. I'm not sure what they were testing, but it went on for 2-3 hours. By the time I was in my car heading home it was back in its hanger at Boeing Field.
Back to GEG and the waiting game. Our plane finally arrives an hour or so late. Everyone is ready to board, but no. There is a mechanical. The GAs announce a time for the next announcement. A few people are worried about connections and the GAs start working on new connections for them. The QX 18:30 comes and goes. The eventually GA announces that our plane will be ready in about 20 minutes.
About an hour later (maybe 19:30) six cops, a random security guy and two TSA show up and start talking to one of the waiting pax. I sit and watch the show, at one point he is standing surrounded by cops and TSA with his chest puffed out, not a good move. Later I heard that he was accusing the GA and crew of faking the delay and was trying to pick fights with other pax. On board I heard crew commenting that he is now on the no-fly list. I'm not sure if that is just for AS, but I suspect that he will be SSSS for a long time.
About 19:20 the plane scheduled to leave at 19:30 arrives. About 19:45 they start boarding. After the scheduled are loaded they tell any stand-bys to come over and board, then anyone else that isn't on the standby list can come over. They take people until the plane is full. I stick with the 17:30 so I can sit up front.
Finally we start boarding...All Aboard, ready to go...and we wait. We don't push back until after 21:00. I assume we were waiting for a landing slot and gate assignment. The plane makes it to Seattle at about 22:00 only 3.5 hours late. Some of the folks were still going on to ANC on that flight.
It took another hour to find my toolbox since it didn't come with the other Flt 119 bags. I eventually found it at the QX baggage carousel. I figure I'll send an e-mail to the folks at AS and see if they will send me a couple of the aircare kits or put some miles in my account.
Looking forward to my next AS adventure. - MCRT
I was in Spokane Friday for work. I flew over in the morning and had a 17:30 return scheduled. My work wrapped up early and I was back at the airport about 14:00. The 14:30 hadn't left and GEG is a small airport so I checked my toolbox and asked to be put on the standyby list.
At security I tried to walk through without removing my sandles and the TSA guy wouldn't let me though. I started to point out that they didn't fit the profile and I hadn't had a problem in SEA that morning, but he crossed his arms and planted his feet. I decided that I better be careful or I would end up with a permanent SSSS.
(Note: all flights QX Q400s except 17:30 and 19:30, they are AS MD80)
I headed to the gate and realized I was standby for the 15:30 not the 14:30. They called a couple people up for BPs on that flight. It left about 14:45. While waiting for the 15:30 I found out that the problem was a cancelled 13:30 flight for a mechanical. Once I figured that out I had my name added to the volunteer bump list for my scheduled flight. The 15:30 left about 16:00 with perhaps one or two of the standbys. I asked and found out I was 9th out of 35 for standby on the 16:30 so I just headed for the gate that the 17:30 was going to use.
When I got there the time was listed as 17:40, bad sign. The two ladies at the counter were taking care of people as they came up and no big deal yet. The time keeps shifting on the board to later and later times. At one point the GA tries to get the crowd to do a sing-a-long. I'm leaving on a jet plane No takers. Eventually they announce that our plane has left Seattle. It is clear that we won't make the currently posted time since the plane isn't that fast.
Just an aside...the added entertainment out the window was a 777 in Boeing paint was cruising up and down the runway. I'm not sure what they were testing, but it went on for 2-3 hours. By the time I was in my car heading home it was back in its hanger at Boeing Field.
Back to GEG and the waiting game. Our plane finally arrives an hour or so late. Everyone is ready to board, but no. There is a mechanical. The GAs announce a time for the next announcement. A few people are worried about connections and the GAs start working on new connections for them. The QX 18:30 comes and goes. The eventually GA announces that our plane will be ready in about 20 minutes.
About an hour later (maybe 19:30) six cops, a random security guy and two TSA show up and start talking to one of the waiting pax. I sit and watch the show, at one point he is standing surrounded by cops and TSA with his chest puffed out, not a good move. Later I heard that he was accusing the GA and crew of faking the delay and was trying to pick fights with other pax. On board I heard crew commenting that he is now on the no-fly list. I'm not sure if that is just for AS, but I suspect that he will be SSSS for a long time.
About 19:20 the plane scheduled to leave at 19:30 arrives. About 19:45 they start boarding. After the scheduled are loaded they tell any stand-bys to come over and board, then anyone else that isn't on the standby list can come over. They take people until the plane is full. I stick with the 17:30 so I can sit up front.
Finally we start boarding...All Aboard, ready to go...and we wait. We don't push back until after 21:00. I assume we were waiting for a landing slot and gate assignment. The plane makes it to Seattle at about 22:00 only 3.5 hours late. Some of the folks were still going on to ANC on that flight.
It took another hour to find my toolbox since it didn't come with the other Flt 119 bags. I eventually found it at the QX baggage carousel. I figure I'll send an e-mail to the folks at AS and see if they will send me a couple of the aircare kits or put some miles in my account.
Looking forward to my next AS adventure. - MCRT