Wild experience on US 1711: CLT-->EWR
Jul 4, 2014, 8:47 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
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Posts: 7,816
Looks like there was some rather tough weather in the New York area that night - courtesy of flightaware.
According to flightaware, the plane did travel - departing at 3:00 am and arriving at 4:18 am.
Didn't think you could have an intra-east coast red eye......
About 9 hours late departing.
According to flightaware, the plane did travel - departing at 3:00 am and arriving at 4:18 am.
Didn't think you could have an intra-east coast red eye......
About 9 hours late departing.
Jul 4, 2014, 9:12 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: PIT/LBA
Programs: I miss US Airways
Posts: 791
(bolding and snipping mine)
The first part is just basic annoyance: my plane last night was supposed to leave at 6:10 pm and land at 8:10 am. We didn't board until after 10 pm due to weather. Sure, that's annoying. But ultimately, that's what Twitter users would call #firstworldproblems - it's not any one's fault and I should feel grateful that I have the ability to go on commercial airlines in the first place.
But after all of this, due to the mechanical issues, they turned off the air conditioning on the plane. The flight attendants, bless their hearts, distributed water and they were trying to do what they can do to help. But there was no air conditioning on a crammed plane and we were stuck on the runway in North Carolina in absurd heat in the beginning of July. The pilot was impersonal and made no moves to think that maybe we ought to de-board. He kept assuring us that the problem would be fixed in a matter of minutes. So no one wanted to complain because no one wanted to speak up against the pilots assertions that we were fine. We weren't fine.
Still, the pilot assured us to sit back and enjoy the incredibly dangerous heat that he was now inflicting on us. Finally, I stood up and politely asked the flight attendant to get off the plane. She looked at me very compassionately and said, "okay." As we were getting off, the pilot told us that he could no longer fly the plane legally because he had been flying for too long and we would need to find another pilot.
That's good that he was doing his due diligence. But he certainly wasn't when he kept us on the plane in sweltering heat. I politely asked this pilot if he could speak to the supervisor about us all getting vouchers due to the heat that he subjected us to. He said he would love to help but he could not. Later, the supervisor, whose name I had told me that he had no idea about any air conditioning problems. So either the supervisor lied or the pilot was a complete jerk. The pilot, I should add, made sure to be unnecessarily escorted off the plane by Charlotte police.
Isn't 10PM CLT Summer like high 60s/low 70s?
The first part is just basic annoyance: my plane last night was supposed to leave at 6:10 pm and land at 8:10 am. We didn't board until after 10 pm due to weather. Sure, that's annoying. But ultimately, that's what Twitter users would call #firstworldproblems - it's not any one's fault and I should feel grateful that I have the ability to go on commercial airlines in the first place.
But after all of this, due to the mechanical issues, they turned off the air conditioning on the plane. The flight attendants, bless their hearts, distributed water and they were trying to do what they can do to help. But there was no air conditioning on a crammed plane and we were stuck on the runway in North Carolina in absurd heat in the beginning of July. The pilot was impersonal and made no moves to think that maybe we ought to de-board. He kept assuring us that the problem would be fixed in a matter of minutes. So no one wanted to complain because no one wanted to speak up against the pilots assertions that we were fine. We weren't fine.
Still, the pilot assured us to sit back and enjoy the incredibly dangerous heat that he was now inflicting on us. Finally, I stood up and politely asked the flight attendant to get off the plane. She looked at me very compassionately and said, "okay." As we were getting off, the pilot told us that he could no longer fly the plane legally because he had been flying for too long and we would need to find another pilot.
That's good that he was doing his due diligence. But he certainly wasn't when he kept us on the plane in sweltering heat. I politely asked this pilot if he could speak to the supervisor about us all getting vouchers due to the heat that he subjected us to. He said he would love to help but he could not. Later, the supervisor, whose name I had told me that he had no idea about any air conditioning problems. So either the supervisor lied or the pilot was a complete jerk. The pilot, I should add, made sure to be unnecessarily escorted off the plane by Charlotte police.
Jul 4, 2014, 9:30 am
#18
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,110
If indeed accurate, file a complaint with the FAA and change the narrative to cover the facts - try an outline of the timeline. Keep the invective to a minimum.
Jul 4, 2014, 10:00 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 755
With an already delayed (weather) flight, it's likely that before the maintenance issue the flight crew was close to timing out.
Pilots don't keep people on hot aircraft for no reason. And they only have what maintenance tells them to go by. If the pilot decided to let everyone off, and the half-hour it would take to re-board everyone would have made the crew time out, then the delay gets longer because a new crew has to be called in (and likely several because lousy weather doesn't just affect one flight), but if the aircraft gets fixed, close the door and go.
If he called for the cops to escort him off the aircraft, I would speculate it was because the cabin crew told him the natives were getting very restless - supported by the story after the pax were let off.
If the email was half as long, and half as dramatic, the person at US reading it likely stopped reading a quarter of the way through. Successful compensation requests are concise and stick to the facts in a non-emotional tone. While I don't doubt the basics, laying it on thick doesn't help your case when trying to get them to do something for you.
Pilots don't keep people on hot aircraft for no reason. And they only have what maintenance tells them to go by. If the pilot decided to let everyone off, and the half-hour it would take to re-board everyone would have made the crew time out, then the delay gets longer because a new crew has to be called in (and likely several because lousy weather doesn't just affect one flight), but if the aircraft gets fixed, close the door and go.
If he called for the cops to escort him off the aircraft, I would speculate it was because the cabin crew told him the natives were getting very restless - supported by the story after the pax were let off.
If the email was half as long, and half as dramatic, the person at US reading it likely stopped reading a quarter of the way through. Successful compensation requests are concise and stick to the facts in a non-emotional tone. While I don't doubt the basics, laying it on thick doesn't help your case when trying to get them to do something for you.
Jul 4, 2014, 10:18 am
#20
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,790
Same drivel, different airline. I've heard similar stories to this before, just change a few minor details and replace "US Airways" with "Delta", "United", "Jetblue" etc. It's part of life, weather and mechanical delays happen. I might be more sympathetic if this was much shorter and if the OP wasn't trying to instigate a fight with everyone from the FA's and pilots to the gate agents and cops.
Jul 4, 2014, 2:04 pm
#21
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SEA
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Amb./LTP
Posts: 287
Jul 5, 2014, 8:11 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
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Wild experience on US 1711: CLT-->EWR
If all airlines had a replacement plane, spare crew, extra parts/maintenance items in every single airport, how much money will a ticket cost? I do not think that airlines let their planes brake down on purpose, mechanics take their time to fix things. The pilot goes by what he is being told. This issue has happened to all airlines, it is not a US issue.
Jul 5, 2014, 1:38 pm
#23
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: NY
Programs: AA Plat 1MM, IC RA, HH Gold
Posts: 2,791
A pet peeve of mine is the use of "runway" any time a plane sits because of a delay and more than a few people do that. The runway is the strip of concrete/asphalt that planes use to take off or land and the controllers aren't going to let a plane block it for hours or even minutes. Planes with delays either wait in a "penalty box" - an area set aside so that planes with delays will be out of the way, somewhere out of the way on the ramp or at the gate. If maintence worked on the plane, it was almost certainly on the ramp or more likely at the gate - they wouldn't go to a penalty box, on a taxiway and absolutely not on the runway to work on it.
Jul 5, 2014, 3:15 pm
#24
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
Shows how long it's been since I was at JFK and even then not when delays existed (except for the evening departure to Europe long line). But you're right - some airports with spare unused runways can use them for a "penalty box."
Jim
Jim
Jul 6, 2014, 3:26 pm
#25
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
I suspect there was more drama in the post then the actual events. A bit way over the top. Lot of "threats" being made there.
Jul 14, 2014, 9:36 pm
#26
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: TLV now - formerly LAS
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Posts: 7,357
Wild experience on US 1711: CLT-->EWR
I was once on a nwa flight that had a fuel spill at the gate. I too found it ironic that we did not evacuate the aircraft. It was explained that the fire department preferred that we not agitate the aircraft deplaning. Besides, jet-a isn't all that dangerous once covered in kitty litter. Lots of emotion in the post, but the airline appears to have followed sop to a degree.
I want to see the 3 finger salute photo!
I want to see the 3 finger salute photo!
Jul 15, 2014, 6:00 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: MKE
Programs: AA Exec Platinum, SPG Platinum / Ambassador / Lifetime Gold, Avis FIRST
Posts: 3,293
I don't typically consider myself an apologist, but this strikes me as just being a series of unfortunate events rather than a travesty.
I guess the pilot could have been more communicative or sensitive but other than that, sh*t happens. The OP had the bum luck of having a weather delay + mechanical all in the same night. Lord knows have we all been in that situations ... at least the flight wasn't cancelled in the end so there's that.
I didn't get the fuel spill part. They spilled fuel but took off anyway? I was on a plane once (an HP flight in maybe 2003) that spilled fuel on the tarmac and we weren't evacuated either. Jet fuel is surprisingly non-flammable in actuality. Is there a standard operating procedure regarding evacuating a plane after a tarmac fuel spill that US Airways ignored?
I guess the pilot could have been more communicative or sensitive but other than that, sh*t happens. The OP had the bum luck of having a weather delay + mechanical all in the same night. Lord knows have we all been in that situations ... at least the flight wasn't cancelled in the end so there's that.
I didn't get the fuel spill part. They spilled fuel but took off anyway? I was on a plane once (an HP flight in maybe 2003) that spilled fuel on the tarmac and we weren't evacuated either. Jet fuel is surprisingly non-flammable in actuality. Is there a standard operating procedure regarding evacuating a plane after a tarmac fuel spill that US Airways ignored?
Jul 15, 2014, 7:14 am
#28
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
With fuel dump systems heading into history, nearly every fuel spill is of limited quantity - a few gallons instead of hundreds of gallons. Plus, as already stated, it takes a high intensity spark to ignite the fumes - you could throw a lit match into a puddle of fuel and it'd put the match out. Then add that any fuel spilled normally comes out of the tank vent at/near the wingtip, keeping the spillled fuel away from the cabin. Therefore there's only a very small risk of a fire large enough to do damage.
Jim
Jim