Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > United Airlines | MileagePlus
Reload this Page >

Can't Trust United (regarding posted cause of flight delay)

Can't Trust United (regarding posted cause of flight delay)

Old Oct 11, 2012, 3:54 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP, FB Silver (former UA 1K)
Posts: 161
Can't Trust United (regarding posted cause of flight delay)

I'm sitting here at the gate at IAD waiting for 1299 to depart. There's a mechanical problem in the cargo bay. With the cabin door opened, the passengers are turning on their phones and getting status updates from United. We're all being told that our departure is delayed owing to en route weather. We all know better.

Mendacity or carelessness, it's still inexcusable and further evidence that trust in this airline is misplaced.

Marc
Tunapalooza is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:03 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 2P, UC, Hertz 5*, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 513
Not to laugh at the flight delay, but today the skies are clear at IAD, I haven't even seen any clouds.
am1108 is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:12 pm
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP, FB Silver (former UA 1K)
Posts: 161
Further Update

Captain advised that delay will be another hour. I then received an automated update confirming the further delay, once again blamed on weather.

BTW, I applied an RPU to this flight and was still #25 on the upgrade wait list. I didn't make it. I'm not sure of the upgrade priority, but that doesn't seem right.
Tunapalooza is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:14 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: various cities in the USofA: NYC, BWI, IAH, ORD, CVG, NYC
Programs: Former UA 1K, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 5,485
67 people on the u/g list (plus 11 cleared)... wow.

Originally Posted by am1108
Not to laugh at the flight delay, but today the skies are clear at IAD, I haven't even seen any clouds.
To be fair, the OP did say en-route weather. And Flightaware is reporting "inbound flights delayed at their origin an average of 2 hours 16 minutes due to low clouds" at SFO.

VX's flights are also delayed. The weather delay may actually be legit.
ralfp is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:23 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 2P, UC, Hertz 5*, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 513
Originally Posted by ralfp
67 people on the u/g list (plus 11 cleared)... wow.



To be fair, the OP did say en-route weather. And Flightaware is reporting "inbound flights delayed at their origin an average of 2 hours 16 minutes due to low clouds" at SFO.

VX's flights are also delayed. The weather delay may actually be legit.
Sorry, didn't catch that the first time around.
am1108 is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:26 pm
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP, FB Silver (former UA 1K)
Posts: 161
Originally Posted by ralfp
67 people on the u/g list (plus 11 cleared)... wow.




VX's flights are also delayed. The weather delay may actually be legit.
I'm physically in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft. Unless the captain is lying, which I doubt. Each of his updates on the mechanical problems was followed by an automated update blaming weather. There may yet be a weather delay, but it hasn't happened yet.

Last edited by J.Edward; Oct 12, 2012 at 2:44 am Reason: tos compliance
Tunapalooza is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:30 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
Originally Posted by Tunapalooza
BTW, I applied an RPU to this flight and was still #25 on the upgrade wait list. I didn't make it. I'm not sure of the upgrade priority, but that doesn't seem right.
IAD-SFO near the end of the week. #25 does not seem too far off.
Madone59 is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:33 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AS, UA, WN, IHG Diamond Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Gold, CET 7*
Posts: 3,284
Ground Delay Program

Hey there, I'm actually in SF and there's been delays all day due to low ceilings. My flight is delayed 2 hours out of here.

"This airport has issued a Ground Delay Program affecting flights arriving between 11:26 AM Oct 11 and 11:59 PM Oct 11 due to WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS. Flights are being delayed an average of 136 minutes."
NoLaGent is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:38 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K 2006-2013
Posts: 334
Originally Posted by Tunapalooza
A gold star apologist! Congrats. I'm physically in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft. Unless the captain is lying, which I doubt. Each of his updates on the mechanical problems was followed by an automated update blaming weather. There may yet be a weather delay, but it hasn't happened yet.
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/flyfaaindex.jsp?ARPT=IAD

Due to WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS, departure traffic destined to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA (SFO) is currently experiencing delays averaging 2 hours and 16 minutes.

I'm physically not in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is not solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft.

Last edited by J.Edward; Oct 12, 2012 at 2:44 am Reason: tos compliance
johnmont is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 4:45 pm
  #10  
In Memoriam
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: dallas texas usa
Programs: aa plt 4.9MM LTAC
Posts: 14,828
radar shows storms between dew & iah as we post...
clacko is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 5:56 pm
  #11  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 14,921
Originally Posted by johnmont
A gold star d-bag comment. Congrats!

http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/flyfaaindex.jsp?ARPT=IAD

Due to WEATHER / LOW CEILINGS, departure traffic destined to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA (SFO) is currently experiencing delays averaging 2 hours and 16 minutes.

I'm physically not in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is not solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft.
To OP: Even if there was NO problem w/ the cargo door, the flight may not have been allowed for take-off anyway seeing the evidence of delays at your destination. Blaming the departure delay on a cargo door malfunction may be in error. If they were cleared to take off and there was still a problem with the cargo door, then you can blame a cargo door malfunction for the delay. Do you have any proof your flight had permission to take off prior to the door being fixed? Planes actually don't take off any old time they want. They can be delayed at their departure airport until conditions at an adversely-affected airport clear enough for aircraft already in the air can land and grounded a/c to take off. SFO doesn't have the number of runways to quickly clear out a backlog of slots. It does look like the PRIMARY reason (and maybe the sole reason once the door was fixed) was aircraft being held at their origination airport. Stuff happens on the west coast that you can't see out your window in the east.

Last edited by J.Edward; Oct 12, 2012 at 2:44 am Reason: tos compliance
IAH-OIL-TRASH is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 6:25 pm
  #12  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: CO hublette
Programs: UA AU MM,HH Diamond,Hyatt Globalist , Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,279
Originally Posted by Tunapalooza
BTW, I applied an RPU to this flight and was still #25 on the upgrade wait list. I didn't make it. I'm not sure of the upgrade priority, but that doesn't seem right.
Don't feel too bad, last Thursday and Sunday I ended up 4 and 3 on the upgrade list IAD - PDX with a GPU as a 1K. (yes both flights IAD - PDX)
trm2 is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 6:34 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SoCal
Programs: UA Plat, National Exec Elite
Posts: 833
Originally Posted by johnmont

I'm physically not in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is not solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft.
No, actually you can not. It's clear from reading the OP's post that the flight is currently delayed solely because of mechanical issues, and it should be coded as such.

I don't believe the FAA keeps track of "hypothetical delays".
murphyUA is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 6:46 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,684
FLO delays almost always keep the plane from boardg when they are of extended duration. Mechanical delays that do not impact the cabin rarely keep the plane from boarding unless they are going to take the aircraft out of service. Knowing these two facts, I would say that the unknown fix of the cargo door timmay not b the limiting factwhen th FLO delay is known to be of duration.

Once either a) the cargo door is fixed/defered, or th FLO delay is lifted/exceeed, then the final cause of the delay is known. At this point (given the 411 posted) the limitinfactor of greatest known duration is the FLO delay.

If the OP wants conspiracy theories, perhaps he should turn on the Sci Fi channel.

Edit: The plane is enroute, lss tan 1 hr delayed. Anyone know what the FLO was quoted on that aircraft at dptr time?
fastair is offline  
Old Oct 11, 2012, 6:54 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: various cities in the USofA: NYC, BWI, IAH, ORD, CVG, NYC
Programs: Former UA 1K, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 5,485
Originally Posted by am1108
Sorry, didn't catch that the first time around.
What did you not catch?

Originally Posted by Tunapalooza
I'm physically in the aircraft and can assure you that the departure delay is solely due to a mechanical fault with the aircraft. Unless the captain is lying, which I doubt. Each of his updates on the mechanical problems was followed by an automated update blaming weather. There may yet be a weather delay, but it hasn't happened yet.
I don't doubt what you said. I just pointed out that the weather is currently the cause of many delays into SFO (and I provided a non-UA source saying that 2h+ ground holds were the norm for flights to SFO).

I've been on the end of quite a few of UA's mechanical delays turned weather/ATC/"not our fault". I know UA tries to BS its way out of almost any IIROP, e.g. the time my IAD-HPN flight was diverted back to IAD. Half an hour after "arrival" the delay was tagged as ATC (or weather).

In the OP's case, the actual delay would seem to be legitimately attributable to the weather, as the takeoff was 82m late, vs. the current 86m (less than before) average ground delay for SFO-bound aircraft.

As for other flights on the same route... VX71, scheduled to leave less than 30 min before UA1299, was delayed 113 minutes. VX77 is currently delayed 133 minutes. UA647 was only delayed 38 minutes.

If a 60 minute (for arguments sake) delay turns into a legitimate 90 minute weather delay that would have happened anyways, can one blame the airline? I dunno. However, if the 60 minute mechanical causes a flight that would otherwise have departed before the ground stop to get stopped before takeoff, then the weather excuse (IMHO) would be BS. From the evidence I see on FlightAware (see VX71), this does not seem to be the case here.

Last edited by J.Edward; Oct 12, 2012 at 2:45 am Reason: tos compliance
ralfp is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.