Tango

Two of the overhead bins could not be closed on a flight out of LGA. The plane sat at the gate for 55 minutes for a mechanic to come on board, look at the bins, determine they were broken, fill out a ton of paperwork and then duct tape the bins shut. The plane left and due to the delay, many passengers missed their connections and had to be put on later flights.

I realize the FAA and AA have rules and paperwork but why not just have a roll of ducttape on board each plane and when a bin is broken, have the FA just tape it shut and be done with it?

hdatontodo

Did the mechanic bring a box cutter on board to cut the duct tape? Maybe they should empty the whole plane.

pauleeepaul

Good question. Last year I was boarding a flight in LAX and saw a clerk using one to cut the plastic wrap off a case of bottled water at a concession stand on the air side of security. Really made me feel good about the 20 minutes spent at security checking my laptop.

FWAAA

Union rules? I imagine the mechanics' union would have a cow if FAs began fixing airplanes.

A roll of duct tape on the airplane? What if terrorists found it?

JDiver

Maybe duct tape would work instead of thrust reversers?

Shades of Pan Am! I remember duct tape used to hold a ceiling panel on a 747 "classic" SFO - LHR. Very encouraging to the pasengers...

trekker

That's nothing! I was on an ancient Royal Air Nepal plane (I swear it was a DC-3) a few years back that had duct tape on the engine cowling.