How the hell does this happen?

[wannaBrich]

Is FedEx still not hiring active airline guys? Are there exceptions?

There was an active Delta guy (late 90's hire) in our interview group last summer who made it through.

 

[hoover]

FLYING IS NOT A RIGHT IT IS A PRIVILAGE. do you comprendo!!!! If you don't like it DON'T FLY. What do you expect when you won't pay anything over $100 for a seat. Too many people wan't everything for nothing. You wan't service PAY FOR IT, you wan't to be on time PAY FOR IT.

Oh contraire! If I have paid for a ticket, and complied with the contract of carriage, then flying is very much a right. If on the other hand, the airline has contracted to provide services, which it then does not deliver, then I am entitled to some sort of compensation for the breach of contract. That's how it works in any other business arrangement. If the airlines can't make money on a $100 ticket, that's their problem. I'm not the one who sets ticket prices.

 

[erj-145mech]

Article from the Ft Worth Star Telegram:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/16416838.htm

The entire debacle was a result of AMR's SOCC's failure to accomodate the customers. It was unfortunate that it took the crew 8 hours to take the situation into their own hands.

 

[JimG]

I guess I started a flame war here, when all I wanted to know is how in the hell can there be a situation where someone allows a plane to sit out on the tarmac that long before even the captain gets sick and tired of waiting and does something about it.

I told my wife when I was watching the show yesterday that even the $500/ea wouldn't have been enough compensation for that.

I can understand and appreciate the deviation due to Wx, but the disregard of people out in those conditions FOR NINE HOURS is pretty thoughtless, and deserving of more than an anonymous "sorry.... and here's $500 to fly with US again".

 

[crashpad]

The pax got $500 a piece in free travel...case closed.

The Captain should be disciplined for not being smart enough to solve this problem.

 

[Vne]

It's called captain's authority, a quaint old concept I learned from my elders in this business.....

AA captains have no authority on the ground not given to them by the gate agents.

 

[RJAA]

Unless the airplane is on fire, smoke or about to explode, for any other reason the slides are being deployed, it's unlikely that I would jump off the slide off a MD-80 or B737. Maybe I will congregate to get some fresh air by the door, that's about it. It's clearly not a live or death situation. What are they going to do? Walk to the terminal?

 

[JimG]

What are they going to do? Walk to the terminal?

Uhm....yeah.

 

[Huck]

What are they going to do? Walk to the terminal?

It won't kill them. I work in the freight world (now), and believe it or not, you can get off an airplane on a set of stairs, and you can walk to the terminal. You really gonna turn that down and sit in that tube for that long?

Every big airport has an FBO. And every big airport FBO has a set of stairs. If the station won't bring you some, call the FBO on unicom (I've actually done this at Gemini), and get them to bring the stairs over. This captain would have been treated like a hero.

And no, the station manager's authority begins when the plane's in the chocks. Until then Part 91.3 applies:

Sec. 91.3

Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.

(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.

 

[JimG]

Every big airport has an FBO. And every big airport FBO has a set of stairs. If the station won't bring you some, call the FBO on unicom (I've actually done this at Gemini), and get them to bring the stairs over. This captain would have been treated like a hero.

It was an MD80 according to the article, and passengers were out walking their dogs anyway....they didn't need stairs brought to them.