Originally Posted by
sbm12
Is BUR-JFK really required to make a tech stop that often?
It can't have been head winds going east in the winter, so there must've been something else. Load restrictions on take-off almost make sense, but I thought that was a bigger issue in the summer due to the higher temperatures, not in the winter.
Without looking, high cross winds at BUR might have necessitated using the less-frequently used shorter runway (8/26) at BUR for the eastbound flight, leading to the fuel stop. That's happened before due to Santa Ana winds, which the LA area experienced last week. The rain over the weekend was accompanied by unusual wind patterns as well, which caused LAX traffic to reverse (landing from west, takeoffs to east). Neither BUR runway is long enough for takeoff of a fully fueled A320 on a transcon flight, especially when wind/temperatures deviate from the norm.
But I agree that it's a bigger problem due to high summer temperatures at BUR, which can hit 100+ in the afternoon on the hottest days.