'Deplane': We need to offload fuel
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,462
'Deplane': We need to offload fuel
This was a new one to me. I was flying the last flight of the night from STL to MDW. Everyone is in their seats and it is push time. The captain comes on and says there will be a short delay because we need to offload fuel. 10 minutes later Captain says they are still working on it. After sitting for 20-25 minutes Captain says that we all need to leave the plane, but leave all your carry-ons on the plane.
5 minutes after everyone was off, they want to start reloading. No one without a mobile boarding pass has one. They announce that we must show ID and they will cross us off the list. Several people shout that they told us to leave carry-ons on the plane and they don't have their ID's. Oh. More conferring. OK, just tell us your full name. Needless to say, it took quite a long time to get everyone back on the plane.
Amazingly, everyone got back into their original seats and there were no fights over seats.
To Southwest's credit, it appears that they held the flights of everyone who was connecting - about 4 flights.
5 minutes after everyone was off, they want to start reloading. No one without a mobile boarding pass has one. They announce that we must show ID and they will cross us off the list. Several people shout that they told us to leave carry-ons on the plane and they don't have their ID's. Oh. More conferring. OK, just tell us your full name. Needless to say, it took quite a long time to get everyone back on the plane.
Amazingly, everyone got back into their original seats and there were no fights over seats.
To Southwest's credit, it appears that they held the flights of everyone who was connecting - about 4 flights.
#3
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
If "off-loading fuel" was a contrivance to cover a security alert - which it sorta sounds like to me - the captain would look like a fool trying to uphold the bogus pretext.
No flight officer has credibility to squander.
No flight officer has credibility to squander.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
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This was a completely full plane to a very short runway, so fuel load is certainly important.
#7
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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Other way around. STL to MDW. MDW has 6,000 - 6,500 ft. runways.
Also, only 41 minutes in the air. We don't burn much off enroute.
Also, only 41 minutes in the air. We don't burn much off enroute.
#9
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Paradise
Posts: 1,617
#10
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
I've experienced similar clusters at least a couple times with Southwest -- offloading the whole plane then reboarding in a huge disorganized mess. Once we reboarded for the sole purpose of retrieving our carry-ons and belongings, after initially being told to leave them but then being told our flight was "moved to another plane" which actually turned out to later be cancelled (before we boarded the new plane, which to my knowledge never actually existed).
But never deplaned so they could de-fuel. Odd.
But never deplaned so they could de-fuel. Odd.
#11
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
It's far from unusual and the Captain's announcement seems to have said all that there is to be had.
Needless to say, the WN practice of collecting paper BP's makes this is a silly process later, but WN sticks to lots of silly practices which don't make much sense.
#12
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Inland Empire, semi-regularly going between LAX/ONT/SNA and IND/STL
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I don't know how far in advance they plan these things (there's someone on here who might, though that might also be information he's not allowed to share), but depending on when it is there's a lot that could change between then and when things actually get under way.
#13
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,028
[QUOTE=BerenErchamion;25347555
I don't know how far in advance they plan these things (there's someone on here who might, though that might also be information he's not allowed to share), but depending on when it is there's a lot that could change between then and when things actually get under way.[/QUOTE]
Actually, it was one of my flights, and I'm checking into it....
I don't know how far in advance they plan these things (there's someone on here who might, though that might also be information he's not allowed to share), but depending on when it is there's a lot that could change between then and when things actually get under way.[/QUOTE]
Actually, it was one of my flights, and I'm checking into it....
#14
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
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#15
Original Poster
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