Zero Airflow
Feb 25, 2021, 1:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,331
Zero Airflow
Sitting on a Delta A320, about 1 hour into a 3-hour flight. “COVID-full” load.
Absolutely zero airflow from the individual air vents, close to zero airflow in the cabin. Stuffy and hot. FA “called the captain” but no change.
Not that unusual in normal times but with all the press about how very much Delta cares, come on...
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-u...r-safer-travel
Really?
Absolutely zero airflow from the individual air vents, close to zero airflow in the cabin. Stuffy and hot. FA “called the captain” but no change.
Not that unusual in normal times but with all the press about how very much Delta cares, come on...
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-u...r-safer-travel
Really?
Feb 25, 2021, 1:55 pm
#2
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Sitting on a Delta A320, about 1 hour into a 3-hour flight. “COVID-full” load.
Absolutely zero airflow from the individual air vents, close to zero airflow in the cabin. Stuffy and hot. FA “called the captain” but no change.
Not that unusual in normal times but with all the press about how very much Delta cares, come on...
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-u...r-safer-travel
Really?
Absolutely zero airflow from the individual air vents, close to zero airflow in the cabin. Stuffy and hot. FA “called the captain” but no change.
Not that unusual in normal times but with all the press about how very much Delta cares, come on...
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-u...r-safer-travel
Really?
Feb 25, 2021, 2:01 pm
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,331
Feb 25, 2021, 2:33 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,331
And at at 1:30 mark we suddenly have good airflow. Not through the individual vents but the general cabin airflow is working as expected.
Either they fixed something, or someone from the Delta social media team is really, really good...
Either they fixed something, or someone from the Delta social media team is really, really good...
Feb 25, 2021, 3:24 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Haha, I assume it was the former. Great to hear!
Feb 25, 2021, 8:05 pm
#11
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If fresh air is not flying into the cabin then it can not be pressurized and/or will lose pressurization if already in flight.
My first thought was that an air duct, leading to the eyeball vents in your area, had come detached. In such a case, the air is still moving, it's just not coming out of the affected vents. Generally, that won't fix itself in-flight, though.
I've never flown Airbus aircraft so don't know the logic for bleeds vs. recirc fans and if there are situations were the recirc fans would be off. That would reduce the airflow from the vents but might actually increase the amount of fresh air entering the cabin.
My first thought was that an air duct, leading to the eyeball vents in your area, had come detached. In such a case, the air is still moving, it's just not coming out of the affected vents. Generally, that won't fix itself in-flight, though.
I've never flown Airbus aircraft so don't know the logic for bleeds vs. recirc fans and if there are situations were the recirc fans would be off. That would reduce the airflow from the vents but might actually increase the amount of fresh air entering the cabin.
Feb 25, 2021, 9:48 pm
#12
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I always like this reply.... as if the captain can control everything. Yeah, he was flying the plane but he just set the cruise control and is now swapping an air handler blower motor. I think FAs just instinctively say that. Realistically, things break and when they do I'm just happy it's not a wing or an engine 
Feb 25, 2021, 9:57 pm
#13
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I always like this reply.... as if the captain can control everything. Yeah, he was flying the plane but he just set the cruise control and is now swapping an air handler blower motor. I think FAs just instinctively say that. Realistically, things break and when they do I'm just happy it's not a wing or an engine
Feb 26, 2021, 5:32 am
#14
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That's a ridiculous strawman argument. No one said the captain can control everything and obviously they aren't replacing motors. It's very unlikely that anything was actually broken. Almost certainly a setting needed to be adjusted or a system needed to be reset. The captain and co-pilot absolutely can and do take care of those things regularly. And I assure you they don't have to turn on "cruise control" first because the auto-pilot was already engaged, it almost always is during level flight
Feb 26, 2021, 7:13 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,333
Sounds clearly like a mechanical malfunction, but not the kind of safety-related malfunction that will ground a plane. I would view it as a rare inconvenience and nothing more. The average DL A320 has been in service for 24.8 years, so these types of issues are inevitable.