Why not deplane by stairs when no gates available?
 

Over the weekend (and before the storm came rolling in) I flew BOS-IAD-SEA on UA. We touched down on time at IAD but had to wait 30-45 minutes on a taxiway for a gate to open up, thus spoiling my connection. My question is this: In such situations, why not park the plane at a remote stand and have the pax disembark via stairs and be bussed to the terminal? I generally appreciate that American airports virtually always provide jetbridges for mainline aircraft (unlike many European airports), but where facilities exist to disembark remotely, which they most certainly do at IAD what with the UAX operations out of the G Concourse, why won't they do it?

The big thing that sticks out at me is that if they do that, then what happens with the next flight that plane is supposed to make? They'll have to get catering, baggage, cleaning crews, etc., over to it, then bus the pax for the next flight over, as well.

In the alternative, if they deboard the incoming people and their bags, then move the plane over to the gate for the next flight, that means that while they're offloading people and their luggage they can't be doing anything else, like having catering or cleaning crews get a start.

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And have somebody Slip and Fall goimg down the stairs and then sue?

It's obvious that stairs aren't inherently objectionable. Just look at UAX ops, or even mainline ops out of SJC as an example.

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Tongue in cheek, slightly.

The other reason would be while this would accomodate the pax it would require additional airline personnel, which I do not think that each airline has hanging around to handle planes when the gates are full.

If the plane is just waiting on the tarmac, then the cleaning and catering crews wouldn't be able to do anything anyway. I just don't see how the airline could be any worse off by offloading pax and bags remotely ASAP, then taxiing it off to the gate. The plane would arrive at the gate at the same time as it would otherwise, and it would be there for the next flight.

You stated an opinion, and then object to those who disagree with you?

Well, here are a few more reasons:

-- you can't just unload an airplane anywhere on the paved surfaces of an airport, since people can't walk around near active jet engines. most airports are not exactly overflowing with space for this sort of activity.

-- once you open up the pax doors & baggage, it takes a while to finish what you started. if a gate opens up in the interim, you're in trouble...

-- you need baggage facilities to unload the luggage, and staff, and stairs, and busses/drivers, and people to escort the pax to the busses/to the terminal. Where are those extra people coming from, and why do you think they won't be otherwise occupied?

-- sometimes, the world doesn't revolve around YOUR flight. Just maybe, the airline may need to offer up 1 flight as a sacrifice to keep most of the rest of the ops on schedule.

Flame away!

Most US airlines act as though it were illegal to use anything but a jetway.

It's called a debate. I make my suggestion, others tell me why it wouldn't work, and I rebut their arguments.

That being said, you do raise good points about staff availability. I don't know how many ground staffers there are hanging around at a given moment. Perhaps they could be diverted to meet a remotely docked flight, and perhaps they're too busy. Certain airports I know have the spare apron space and others might not. I would imagine they could take a bus off the UAX route to the G Concourse (or whatever the analogous remote terminal is at your airport of choice) and send it to a remote stand without too much disruption. It just seems to me that the airlines could and should develop a system to remotely deplane an aircraft off the tarmac if it will be delayed for a significant period of time.

2/17/06 12:18 pm First UA flight deplanes using stairs, after alert UA employee reads FT thread, suggests to superiors, superiors approve of idea.

2/17/06 12:47 pm first post on FT from passenger onboard

...... 31 degrees and raining and they deplane us by stairs? Are you kidding me? By stairs, in the rain/sleet!!!! :mad: :mad: . My brand new leather coat was ruined as I waited for the bus to take me to the terminal :mad: :mad: . All this for what? So a few people could make their connections :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :mad: ? And I',m Premier Exec and did I get one of the seats? No way!! They totally disregard both the fact that I a elite and the fact that I sat in FC. That's it, I am done with this airline for good!!

Perhaps they could park the planes on the tarmac and the airports could operate a fleet of "mobile lounges" that would carry passengers from midfield boarding platforms to the main terminal. In fact, some clever engineer might put this lounge on a scissor or screw platform so it can "mate" with the plane, and this "planemate" could then speed them without ever exposing pax to the weather. The airport of the future!

Well, airport of the future, ca. 1960 anyway. :)

We're talking about IAD right? Then, easy, just bring back the moon buggies. :)

Am I wrong to think that (the majority of airports I know at least) there is enough of a logistical challenge to be met by the airport operators at the current time, let alone that which would occur with occasional & sudden one-offs at remote gates?

I will say disembarking from an LY 744 using stairs a couple of years ago was one of the most efficient disembarkations I've seen. It's amazing how quickly 400+ people can get off a plane when you attach five stairways.

Jetway-less airports aside, I did deplane via stairs on a QF NRT-SYD flight in October when no gates were available. While the FAs expressed surprise and said they hadn't had that happen with a 747 before in routine ops, QF seemed to have the resources to easily handle it. (Interesting factoid: Qantas is the largest operator of buses in Australia. Who would have guessed?)

-m

From looking out the window at US airports they just do not have the buses, or any bus drivers, or even the steps, available for use. And the investment in them (steps cheap, buses not) is probably felt not to be justified for the few occasions they might be used.

Most airports in Europe have handling agents who provide these services and many others to a range of airlines. In fact you pay a lesser handling charge if you do not use the jetway (hence why Ryanair never does). In the US airlines tend to do ramp services themselves, even at smaller stations (always seems very inefficient to Europeans but I believe there are union restrictions), and they would each expect to provide their own steps and buses. And as pointed out above, there is a cultural disbelief among US passengers about using steps. You should hear the moans when they are used at London Heathrow to disembark a transatlantic flight at a remote stand.

Maybe also, looking at some other FT threads, the statistical-average US passenger is nowadays too fat to be able to negotiate the steps :)