Listen up, airlines: You need to fix the problem of leaving people stranded on miserable, smelly airplanes with little food, water or patience—and you can. Lots of your peers say so.
Despite repeated high-profile meltdowns, the U.S. air transportation system, including airlines, airports and government, hasn't moved to solve this problem. Ten years ago, planeloads of Northwest Airlines passengers were stranded up to eight and a half hours in a Detroit snowstorm. Last month, a planeload of Continental Airlines customers was stranded overnight aboard a regional jet in Minnesota; the toilet broke at 3 a.m.
An American Airlines jet sat for nine hours in Austin, Texas, in 2006. JetBlue Airways left customers marooned for 10 hours or more in a 2007 ice storm.
Through July this year, 777 flights were stuck sitting for three hours or more, according to the Bureau of Transportation statistics.
If Congress passes legislation that proves to be harmful to the business interests of the airlines, it appears to me they only have themselves to blame.
If Congress passes legislation that proves to be harmful to the business interests of the airlines, it appears to me they only have themselves to blame.
Thanks for posting this.
Be careful for what you wish for. After 3 HOURS, you go back to the gate........and then what????
I hope YOU werent downline of that aircraft waiting to go to a business meeting, wedding, cruise, funeral, etc..etc.
It aint coming (any time soon) when it's sitting at a gate.
Be careful for what you wish for. After 3 HOURS, you go back to the gate........and then what????
I hope YOU werent downline of that aircraft waiting to go to a business meeting, wedding, cruise, funeral, etc..etc.
It aint coming (any time soon) when it's sitting at a gate.
From the column:
"Allow planes to take a number, just like people waiting to buy concert tickets, so that planes can drop passengers back at gates without losing their spot in the takeoff queue."
I've seen that suggestion elsewhere and it certainly appeals to me more than sitting on a plane a few yards from the terminal for more than three hours.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fredd
From the column:
"Allow planes to take a number, just like people waiting to buy concert tickets, so that planes can drop passengers back at gates without losing their spot in the takeoff queue."
I've seen that suggestion elsewhere and it certainly appeals to me more than sitting on a plane a few yards from the terminal for more than three hours.
And it would work great if most airports had sufficient taxi-ways and gates to handle such a system. But there isn't anywhere to put the planes or a way to get from the terminal to #2 in line, skipping the other 20 planes already lined up.
Upgrading the 60s-era ATC gear would help out, too, but for some reason the FAA can't be bothered to make that happen.
And it would work great if most airports had sufficient taxi-ways and gates to handle such a system. But there isn't anywhere to put the planes or a way to get from the terminal to #2 in line, skipping the other 20 planes already lined up.
So how a plane in line return to the gate when there is a MX?
If the plane can leave its place in the line, it can return to its place in the line.
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The FAA has made no moves towards figuring out the logistics of getting an aircraft back into its place in line if an automatic return to the gate is mandated after three hours. Our elected representatives in the past few months have talked about “doing something” without thinking of the operational consequences.
Unfortunately, the subject of updating the ATC system would put everybody to sleep at a rubber chicken dinner political fundraiser.
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CongressCritters value the donations to their PAC and their campaigns far more than they value the health and comfort of themselves, their family's and the voters. Again money talks and often very loudly.
In a very disruptive manner. Often they will use the runway as a taxiway in such cases. That messes things up for everyone.
But you're saying there is a process for MX. Fine. Use the same process (disruptive as it is) for the supposedly-infrequent over-3-hours situations. QED. We're done here.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DenverBrian
But you're saying there is a process for MX. Fine. Use the same process (disruptive as it is) for the supposedly-infrequent over-3-hours situations. QED. We're done here.
Sorry, but that isn't really a solution. Disrupting airport traffic flow for 20 minutes at a peak time to get a plane in or out of queue can have cascading effects for hours. Even if it only happens infrequently the solution you've described has s net effect of creating more problems than it solves. And doing it twice - once to get out and another to get back in - is way worse.
Some airlines have come up with a policy to use air stairs or the like, but that, too, is an imperfect approach as there are still too many moving pieces involved.
I'm not saying that we should just ignore the problem and stick with status quo but I also don't think that the solution is so trivial.
The FAA has made no moves towards figuring out the logistics of getting an aircraft back into its place in line if an automatic return to the gate is mandated after three hours. Our elected representatives in the past few months have talked about “doing something” without thinking of the operational consequences.
Unfortunately, the subject of updating the ATC system would put everybody to sleep at a rubber chicken dinner political fundraiser.
VJ makes an excellent point. I'd add to the comment that in most cases the return to the gate is part of the issue. In alot of cases, there wont be an EMPTY gate to return to due to the congestion.
Sorry, but that isn't really a solution. Disrupting airport traffic flow for 20 minutes at a peak time to get a plane in or out of queue can have cascading effects for hours. Even if it only happens infrequently the solution you've described has s net effect of creating more problems than it solves. And doing it twice - once to get out and another to get back in - is way worse.
But earlier posts have said this is the exact procedure when an MX occurs. Seems to me it's just a paradigm shift - making a three-hour delay equivalent to an MX. <shrugs> Certainly from the passengers' point of view, that paradigm shift has already occurred.
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