Welcome to ATL: "Our Gate is Occupied"

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Mar 29, 2009, 8:26 am

#31

SchmutzigMSP

Join Date: Jan 2005

Posts: 8,884

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Cforme

A 2006 study showed that ATL handled more passengers per gate than any other big airport in the USA. Only LAX was close. That sounds like a rational reason to me. More money (capital improvements leading to higher costs per enplaned passenger) and time can fix this.

Instead of trying to rationalize it, how about accepting that it is a problem and that DL needs to work to fix this. With the ATL-centric mindset of Delta, more and more traffic is coming through ATL and this is just not an acceptable experience.

I, too, have sat on the ground for 15-20 minutes twice in the past week (out of two trips) waiting to get into a gate or waiting for other traffic (also waiting on the ground for gates) to get out of our way. Really unacceptable.

In the meantime, DL fliers should really consider alternative connections through DTW and MSP (and MEM to a lesser extent). You just don't have these kinds of issues on an everyday basis like ATL.

Mar 29, 2009, 10:16 am

#32

FlyingUnderTheRadar

Join Date: Nov 2005

Location: on the path to perdition

Programs: Delta, United

Posts: 4,802

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackneon89

What I don't understand is if ATL is a Delta Hub and they have so many damn gates, why not just re-assign early flights to open gates, I mean yeah for some it might cause a little bit of a problem, but for the majority people will be deplaning early and making their connections (if they have one) in plenty of time.

The problem is not so much the deplaning but the boarding and the follow on trickle down affect. A plane may go into a gate and sit for 4 hours before it goes out again. Well if it takes a gate that was originally scheduled for a plane on a quick turn around say 1 hour with another right flight behind. Now you have two planes that have to find new gates. Plus you do not want passengers in terminal B all of a sudden have to run to terminal D cause that is where their plane is arriving at.

From a mathematical point of view it is an interesting problem of combinatoric and probabilities. Just like loading passengers on a plane.

Mar 29, 2009, 10:35 am

#33

iTanNicNic

Join Date: Apr 2006

Posts: 1,572

I love walking through ATL and hearing the millions of gate changes being announced.

"This is a gate change announcement only... Delta flight... <<1596>>... with service to... <<Buffalo>>... will now be departing from gate...<< "B" as in bravo twelve>>".

They "almost" sound like a real person, too.

Last edited by iTanNicNic; Mar 29, 2009 at 10:36 am Reason: typo'd

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