Wow! You can track flights, literally days in advance?
What will they think of next.
"Seriously", I don't think I said anything about all the delays being wx.
In fact, I said, "Storms in the summer, high load factors, high aircraft utilization", just to name a few.
Add to that crew and staffing levels and the mighty SHARES system.
Here are but a few examples:
I get a plane late because it WAS delayed due to weather. We're flying to one of the intl gateways. Most folks are getting off there, but there are a several intl connections on one of the late flights. We pedal as fast as we can, cut every corner possible and arrive with about 25 min to spare. Phew! They should make the intl flight .... except, we sit short of the gate for nearly 30 min. waiting for a marshaller!! The intl folks got to watch their flt pushback several gates down. Why no marshaller? I was told that they cut back the ramp crews after a certain time at night. THAT is a mgt decision to inadequately staff the airline.
Another one. We get off the gate early, quick start and taxi to the runway. #1 for departure! Approaching the rwy, appx. 7 or 8 min. after we commenced pushback, STILL no final weight and balance #'s. We have to pull off into the holding area and it takes them over 30 min. to get us the #'s. In the meantime a long line of planes has now sequenced in front of us. It takes another 10 min or so to finally get airborne. At our arrival station folks that originally had ok connections are now sprinting to try and make their flights. Again, THAT was a result of mgt's decision to implement SHARES. Apparently the data is not making it from CS to the CLP (Central Load Planning).
The 2nd example happens to me at least once every trip. Multiply that across the system and you got problems.
It's been such a problem that when approaching the rwy a common call from DEN and ORD twr controllers is "United, are you ready"?
Yeah, it's ONLY wx that's causing all the problems. NOT!!!
This place was positioned to fail. Whether they knew it or not.
The only question now is who'll "leave to explore other opportunities" after this summer and who will mgt try to blame.
They've already tried to pin it on the pilots a couple times. Didn't stick.
Maybe they need to look around a little closer to home.