Ground/gate holds after arriving
Dec 1, 2014 | 1:17 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Ground/gate holds after arriving
An odd situation last night is prompting this question.
DL 173 SEA-JFK was, according to both the iOS App (before boarding) & onboard FA, supposed to come in to JFK T4's B30. Upon landing, the pilot tells us that we're going to be pulling in to T2's C60, but there's a plane in the gate already. We then proceed to wait nearly an hour until he comes back on the intercom and says that we're going to go to T4's B30 instead (where we should have been going to in the first place).
So - is there a maximum ground hold time after arrival by DL policy, or are pax just expected to deal with whatever poor arrivals-management procedures are in place?
DL 173 SEA-JFK was, according to both the iOS App (before boarding) & onboard FA, supposed to come in to JFK T4's B30. Upon landing, the pilot tells us that we're going to be pulling in to T2's C60, but there's a plane in the gate already. We then proceed to wait nearly an hour until he comes back on the intercom and says that we're going to go to T4's B30 instead (where we should have been going to in the first place).
So - is there a maximum ground hold time after arrival by DL policy, or are pax just expected to deal with whatever poor arrivals-management procedures are in place?
Dec 1, 2014 | 2:08 pm
#2
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I experienced almost exactly the same thing on a SEA arrival a couple months ago; we made two or three circuits of the taxiways between T4 and T2 in the space of an hour (tried to get to one gate, had to move off the alley so another jet could get out, sat in the penalty box for awhile, repeated the cycle, and eventually parked at the gate adjacent to the one where we were initially scheduled to arrive ... luckily it was in the mid-20s (not far from the T2 shuttle bus), and luckily our jet to DCA had been in the same parade so the connection that was now down to 20 min turned out to actually be closer to 45 min
I think your question is pretty rhetorical ...
I think your question is pretty rhetorical ...
Dec 1, 2014 | 6:00 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,614
+ 1. The only point that I have to add is that schedule padding is not limited to JFK. I will often take an < 1.0 hour from XXX to ATL, which will arrive 15 minutes early, and we sit on the airplane until the gate is clear. On the other hand, however, the A/C often times has been in XXX overnight, and will need to be deiced before the AM departure, which will consume much of the pad, and the flight will still arrive on time.
Dec 1, 2014 | 7:06 pm
#5
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+ 1. The only point that I have to add is that schedule padding is not limited to JFK. I will often take an < 1.0 hour from XXX to ATL, which will arrive 15 minutes early, and we sit on the airplane until the gate is clear. On the other hand, however, the A/C often times has been in XXX overnight, and will need to be deiced before the AM departure, which will consume much of the pad, and the flight will still arrive on time.
Dec 2, 2014 | 11:58 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ATL
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I've never had more "gate is full" announcements after arriving then when I land in Atlanta. This airport must have the LAZIEST gate workers I've ever seen. Not the inside employees, but the ramp personnel... slow as molasses.
Dec 2, 2014 | 12:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ATL
Programs: DL - PM + 1MM; Marriott - Gold
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The ramp personnel in Atlanta are INCREDIBLY slow. They are never ready for planes when they arrive. And if you arrive early... you'll chew up the ENTIRE early time waiting for a gate... or even better, you're gate is open, but no staff to bring you in.
Welcome to Atlanta, where we don't really care.
Welcome to Atlanta, where we don't really care.
Last edited by RSSrsvp; Dec 2, 2014 at 1:07 pm Reason: removed quoted remarks deleted by the moderator and the reply to them
Dec 2, 2014 | 6:35 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Posts: 583
The ramp personnel in Atlanta are INCREDIBLY slow. They are never ready for planes when they arrive. And if you arrive early... you'll chew up the ENTIRE early time waiting for a gate... or even better, you're gate is open, but no staff to bring you in.
Welcome to Atlanta, where we don't really care.
Welcome to Atlanta, where we don't really care.
How do you know you aren't waiting for a gate because DL management is cheap and doesn't want to pay for more workers?
Or are you basically talking out of your bunghole?
David