Late inbound pax policy question - NWA

[Vandal]

Wondering what the policy about holding a departure if you have a company inbound plane that is late with pax for the departure...how many does it take to hold the plane etc?

My wife was 5 minutes late to a gate in MEM due to a late takeoff out of PIT tonight and they didn't hold the plane to LIT. Now she's stuck overnight...Just curious who makes the call there.

Thanks

 

[Mercyful Fate]

Was she non-reving?

 

[Vandal]

nope, regular peon...I'm just a lowly MIL dude...

 

[mynameisjim]

It often depends on what fare class the passenger is traveling under, and elite what status they are. They won't hold a flight for a low fare non elite customer.

 

[Occam's Razor]

It's 100% up to the Planning dude on duty in MSP. He has the "big screen" and tracks the downline implications of holding the flight.

The root problem is that very few (read: "none") of the agents will stick their heads above the ridgeline on this one. They are tracked for their ability to get flights out before scheduled departure time. (The statistic is posted daily on our company website). If a particular agent isn't authorized to hold a flight, they get dinged for the late departure, and it can lead to discipline if their batting average drops too low.

In the "good ol' days" the captain could clue the gate agent in on the flight time for the segment, and delay the flight to connect all the pax. Now, captains are getting calls from the Chief Pilots if they push late after the door was closed early by the agent.

I make it a point to check with the agent before each of my flights for the "big three": close connnections, non-revs, and jumpseaters. I always let the agent know I can help get them all on. So far, the only invented excuse I've had to use more than once has been an "intemittant headset mic". It doesn't show up on the ECAM, and can be easily swapped-out or re-seated in the time it takes to get the runners from G14 onboard....or the non-revs loaded. The last time the Chief Pilot called I told him the truth and my cover story. He thanked me and said he was going to save my story in case someone else couldn't come up with a good one on their own when he had to call them.

Crazy, huh?

 

[GoABX]

Razor,

You are a smart man. One of the few who hasn't for forgotten customer service and mission accomplishment.

 

[xjlifer]

There is always a way...I have had "ghost" riders in the past. That is harder now with all the gate agents either pissed off or running scared. The key to remember is that running pax is some body's Mother/Father/Son/Daughter. And I am a commuter so I have a special spot for all the non revs.

The bottom line is just because the industry and management has become the "enemy" does not mean the folks who ride in the back are.

 

[Vandal]

Thanks guys...so basically the gate agent just didn't feel like it... That sucks! The flight MX delayed 15 minutes anyway so they could of held it and not gotten dinged.

 

[Occam's Razor]

Thanks guys...so basically the gate agent just didn't feel like it... That sucks! The flight MX delayed 15 minutes anyway so they could of held it and not gotten dinged.

Concur. That sucks. I apologize.

The compartmentalization of this operation that the beancounters love (because it makes it easier for them to compare "performance indices") has turned our agents into zombies that don't want to risk getting yelled at by their supervisors for holding a flight.

I'm optimistic, though. More and more pilots are figuring out that there is a benefit to all of us if we take care of each other and assert some of the "big picture" control that we have at our disposal.

 

[Thedude]

I think it would be kinda hard for a gate agent to explain why they held the flight for one pax. Now if you had 15 that would be affected that is justifiable.

 

[chperplt]

I think it would be kinda hard for a gate agent to explain why they held the flight for one pax. Now if you had 15 that would be affected that is justifiable.

With the exception of it being the last flight of the night. I can see not holding a flight if there are other flights to catch, but the last flight of the night is different. All paying pax should be accounted for and waited on unless the delay would be excessive. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

 

[Thedude]

Yeah but we are talking NWA where the pax is somewhere between 3rd -15th concern

 

[redflyer65]

I've only seen NWA hold a flight for a certain number of passengers. One just doesn't cut it. And the gate agent really doesn't want to stick their neck out to hold on their own anymore. It has to come from above as someone said earlier.

 

[dondk]

I rarely see MEM hold for PAX, unless it is like 6 or more.

DTW, they tend to hold more often, they will look where the I/B is, they will look how late they will be and I have even have them go so far to see where they are seated and how full the next flights are. Now that is the exception and not the rule. Rule of thumb I have seen, is no longer than 10 minutes and it has to be more than 4 pax.

In MSP I find 50/50 with the gate agents, some are really good and some, well they just board the pax and pull the bridge 5 early.

I have called ahead to ask for them to hold a flight, that is hit or miss. I like the headset write-up, I think I will use that in the future.