photojojo

I flew CVG-DET-SEA on Sunday night and woke up to three dozen calls and texts from my wife, parents and inlaws recalling me back to CVG. Apparently baby #2 wanted to try to come out 8 weeks early and there were some serious complications going on. Because of the weather in Seattle Monday morning it was a bit of a chore getting home so to speak.

I bought the last (F) ticket available on the first flight out. Weather delays meant original plane was 2 hours late. That meant missed connection. Rebooked on another. That too was delayed since original crew was on one of the delayed flights. We started to overlap the boarding process of connection... You know. One of those days that tests your mettle.

So I've been telling this story to my coworkers and the nurses and every time I get to this next part they ask me "can they do that?"

As I mentioned, the original crew for SEA-MSP was delayed and they reassigned an inbound crew for us. We started boarding about 40 minutes behind schedule and then it took quite a while to eventually close the door. I'm in 1B and doing an amazing job keeping my s**t together if I may say so myself. The next flight boards at 7:45 and mathematically were starting to look at a 7:52 arrival. The door closes, the jet bridge is fully pulled back, and then an FA comes up from the back whispering that a passenger in the back wants to get off because they're going to miss their connection. They talk for about a minute between themselves and the pilot and then the pilot calls the gate and has them come back down and allow the passenger off.

Okay, no big deal, we're looking at an 8:00 arrival. I can deal with that. Welp... No sooner than the door closes and the bridge is almost fully retracted, another passenger comes up and asks to get off because of their missed connection. At this point my expletives are very audible, and I'm trying to make sure I don't get escorted off. The pilot this time opens the window and yells out to ground crew to bring the bridge back, and sure enough, they do. They make an announcement if anyone else wants off and nobody does.

I eventually do make my flight with a few minutes to spare, so no harm no foul, BUT, how common is it for this to happen - let alone twice? I thought things like that were reserved for physically escorting a passenger off.

DLDiamond2013

Never seen that done for passengers simply wishing to get off once the jetway is disconnected (just like they won’t reconnect it and reopen the boarding door inside the concourse for late passengers running up who missed it even by a few seconds). A week or so ago I sat at the gate during a weather delay where the jetway was connected and boarding door remained open until our departure clearance was given. Some passengers did get off during the delay period, but that’s obviously different and didn’t inconvenience or further delay anybody else. Weird situation you witnessed.

jdrtravel

Very surprising. However, is there any reason to believe that the pilot knew that there was time for this anyway and so just decided to be kind? What I mean is, is it possible that the pilot knew that pushback was not going to happen for X more minutes anyway, even with the door closed and bridge removed, because of whatever factors, so they thought that they may as well do someone the favor of not forcing them to sleep in an airport hotel (at the airline's expense)?

For the record, I can completely understand your frustration. I'll never forget when I had a very tight connection at LAX due to a delay, and then DL decided to deplane us in a random lot outside of a hanger because there were no gates. We then of course sat there waiting for a shuttle for a good chunk of time. Luckily, DL held my flight.

vincentharris

I thought they couldn't/wouldn't do this because of "security" (since they would have to go find the luggage if those passengers have any and pull it off the plane)?

Seems like the pilot did a no no here. twice.

Cory6188

I could be wrong, but I thought that there was a change in the regulation a while back that only required positive bag matching for international flights. At least, I enjoyed a half hour delay on my ATL-AMS flight a few weeks ago when someone's bag had to be removed who didn't board, but I can't remember the last time that happened on a domestic flight.

Zeeb

Yeah, that's only for international. They won't pull bags on domestic just because somebody isn't on the plane. I've had more than a couple of occasions on tight connections that were on opposite sides of an airport where my bag made the connecting flight but I didn't.

photojojo

So my temper was justified, got it.

Seriously though, there were rumblings between the other passengers to the effect of "you can't do this" but they essentially ignored us.

aviatorzz

Playing devils advocate. Let's say that you were in CVG and the same situation occurred with the flights and your wife, and you wanted to come off the flight and they wouldn't let you due to supposed "security" issues, what would you do in that situation?

photojojo

Absolutely correct, and I get what you're saying. That's why I thought it was extremely accommodating for them to let someone off because they were going to miss a meeting. Had I tried the same with my "excuse" and been denied, it would have somehow ended up all over social media that Delta was the devil for holding me hostage.

It's lose-lose for DL.

MSPeconomist

The FAs and pilots might also have considered how upset and disruptive the person might be during the flight if he/she were not permitted to deplane.

Often1

The security issue is non-existent. That happened back in 2003 when TSA implemented screening of all checked luggage. The security issue is now a matter of carrier policy. All of this presumes that the inividual had checked luggage, something which is ever more rare.

As to opening a flight, while it is the Captain's discretion and he may certainly do so if he wishes, the crew would generally try to talk a rational passenger with no major issue, out of it. But, Captains tend to err on the side of caution. Having a distraught passenger at FL 40 is no fun and if someone is belligerent about it, the Captain wants them gone in any event.

All of this presumes that the effort caused a delay. The issue for consideration is the length of the delay into the destination, not the delay in departure. You will sometimes see a bit more of a lackadaisical approach to schedule when there are other delays which will occur no matter what.

MSPeconomist

Even without a checked bag, someone who deplanes might deliberately leave something behind on the aircraft. Carry on items are supposed to have been screened too, but that doesn't mean that TSA doesn't frequently miss things.

emrdoc

I have no idea the answer but at what point is an airline no longer legally required to let a passenger deplane?

yohanson

I was on an America West flight about a dozen years ago where we were already taxiing and the pilot returned to the gate to let a woman in F off the plane.

jrl767

I think "captain's discretion" outranks "no longer legally required"