s0ssos

I have flown US Air a few times through Phoenix and nothing was bad. Of course the weather was fine. And then last night there was a storm with lightning and all the flights were grounded.
(Of course, my background is mostly flying in California, where I expect no weather issues, and I realize that there was winter issues in most other parts of the country and many parts that have regular snow are used to dealing with it, and it is no big deal)

We landed (touched down) at 6:40pm and stood there in the runway, because nobody was moving. Because of the lightning. But planes started taking off later, and we still stood there. Apparently we couldn't get to our spot (I was flying a regional jet, our spot is just a spot on the tarmac, not a gate) because another plane was there. Every 10 minutes we'd move about 100 feet. Until finally a little after 8pm we were 10 feet away from the spot. But we still stopped there for 10 minutes.

I feel that is simply US Airways' incompetence. There was no plane in our spot. Maybe they had to move some stuff? That makes no sense to me, because if the other plane was just there, obviously there is an open spot.

From your experience at Phoenix, is everything horrible for every airline when there are weather issues, or is it just US Air?

WiscAZ

First off - weather at PHX is only an issue about a handful of days per year and when it is it impacts everyone. Why do you think this is a US Airways problem? This is an ATC problem who would be the group allowing or not allowing planes to move accordingly.

formeraa

I echo the previous poster. Fortunately, weather only affects PHX a few times per year. I have no idea why your plane couldn't move into its "spot". Perhaps a US employee at PHX can enlighten us. At the end of the day, it would be the operating carrier on an RJ, who makes the decisions (not US).

If it was Mesa, all bets are off. I have had "on-time" flights with Mesa where there is no gate agent at the podium. Finally, the pilot comes up into the gate area and tells us that we are waiting for a replacement FA. At the supposed departure time, there was still no GA and no FA. I finally went over to one of the other gates and pointed all this out to the agent. She was good enough to call and a GA showed up 5 minutes later.

ubernostrum

If ATC doesn't allow planes to move, then planes don't move.

Sometimes that happens in weather situations; I've had more than my share of sitting on the tarmac at DCA, for example, when they decide to flip the airport, and I know there's nothing the airline can do about it.

PHL

Lightning on the tarmac also means ground crews stop working for safety reasons. That means nobody to marshall the plane into the parking spots and no crews to to unload the bags.

Did you take note if other airlines' planes were being ushered to their gates in an expeditious fashion or was this an airport wide delay due to weather?

s0ssos

The reason I would ask if it were US (it was US Express so somebody else I guess) because some companies are more flexible, so would do things that aren't SOP when exceptional circumstances warrant (if as the poster notes weather is only an issue a handful of times a year I would call that exceptional).

WiscAZ

This isn't a US decision. You cannot break a rule and risk the safety of employees.

s0ssos

What safety?
Apparently at airports if there is lightning out the probability of being struck is much higher than non-airport locations.
If it isn't you are saying no reasonable person goes outside?

No, I am talking about flexibility

WiscAZ

It's the same reason that a number of events are postponed due to lightning - sporting events are a good example.

The fact is that your delay was not due to US unable to be flexible, it was due to an ATC delay. You can argue whether it was reasonable or not but the fact remains that it is a policy that all airlines and airports follow.

s0ssos

Yup, it is great to follow rules. That is why the Redcoats won when the 13 Colonies revolted.

WiscAZ

Welp, you got me there.

dcpatti

When there is lightning within 2 miles, all ramp activities stop and all personnel go inside. Ground crews can't uses electronic communications headsets if there's lightning within 3 miles. http://www.aviationpros.com/article/...htning-strikes

While there are many reasonable residents of Phoenix who will go outside in a lightning storm, they generally are not walking around airplanes, luggage tugs, and all sorts of other equipment which can attract lightning. The level of caution considered reasonable for walking from a parking garage or across your back yard is not the same level of caution considered reasonable for a variety of different settings, including airports, construction sites, and sporting events. Being "flexible" on these lightning rules can get someone seriously injured or worse. If you are safely on the ground in your plane, then chill out and wait till conditions are safe for people to start doing their jobs again.

PHL

Are you just trying to be snarky now? (the redcoats did eventually lose, btw....)

Or....are you realizing that your original post was completely uniformed and subjective from your limited, myopic view from a seat in the back? Who do you suggest break the rules? The ground workers violate their work rules? The pilots violate FAA Ground Controller instructions? I'll tell you what..next time you don't want to wait, why don't YOU break the rules and open the door and just get off the plane by yourself?

s0ssos

I guess it will be another 100 years before the lightning rod has been invented. Must have travelled back in time too much.

If lightning really is an issue then wouldn't it be smart to "fix it"?

My main question is whether any airlines are able to handle the weather delays. I presume some airlines are better able to handle things because they allow their employees to use their brains. I do not know why United was so affected by the flight control tower incident near Chicago recently and not American.
An example of flexibility-when that happened I was stranded at AUS. There was no way on United to get back. The gate agent walked over to look at the departure schedule and sent me off to American (after ensuring I had no checked baggage).
Was that an exceptional day? I would say burning flight control equipment doesn't happen often (I have never heard of it prior).

If everybody just follows the rules we should have robots.

dcpatti

Don't be silly. A lightning rod is not 100% magical protection against ever being struck by lightning. If by "fix it" you mean "control the weather," I'm sure you could patent your super-secret technology and sell it to the highest bidder. Let me know what your stock ticker is, so I can cash in. There's a huge difference between "allowing employees to use their brains" and putting them in a situation where they risk injury. Perhaps I can treat you to a nice round of golf next time there's a thunder-and-lightning storm in your neck of the woods. You are not going to find an airline anywhere that allows their ramp workers to work when there is lightning in the close area.