Delta Connection Carriers = Safety or Schedule?
I was recently on flight 4817 from LAX-LAS on 6/29 operated by Skywest. The flight left the gate with an inoperable APU unit. The aircraft was blazing hot inside due to the air conditioning unit not being able to be operated without a running APU or engine. As you all know the aprons at LAX in some areas don't allow engine start up until fully pushed back at the gate. Once the flight left the gate it stood in the apron with a failed nose gear, still no engines for 1.5 hours until the gear was fixed, it turned out to be an electronics issue.
Is it safe to operate a flight without a working APU? In the event of an engine flame out what type of power would operate the controls? It is my understanding that a flight can only be operated with an inoperative APU as long as there are no other electronics issues, which wouldn't seem to fit this case.
I am really beginning to question the safety of the Delta Connection carriers, more and more I am experiencing issues like this one. Are the connection carriers sacrificing safety to ensure they meet Delta operational contractional commitments?
Anyone else have experiences like these?