jetblue closes the door 20' prior to departure.

[CRJ puppy]

I'm surprised you can leave 20 minutes early, even with all paying pax onboard.

at SWA it is only 5 minutes early with all expected customers onboard and I hope that most flight deck crews are cruising the top of the jetway to make sure that we aren't leaving any j/s we could be taking. sometimes agents get their priorities wrong (and put efficiently on time before customer service).

I don't know if the thread starter was commuting or not but I'm surprised how many people jumped on him. closing the door 20 early seems more like a legacy thing than an LCC trying to keep good customer service thing. then again, I'm just a pilot and I just fly the plane.

then again with 20-30 minute scheduled turns, it'd be almost super-human to leave 20 early; so we don't run into this problem much, FOM 5 minute limitation or not.

Man...those of you who don't think you would or could push 20 early if all ticketed pax were on board have NEVER operated out of JFK where this "incident" may have happened. During late afternoon push/ international departure bank at JFK, if I can get out early with all pax and get to the head of the line so I'm not #43 for take-off, you know I'm going to do it and dispatch will be more and happy to let us go...that's a heck of a lot less fuel burned on the taxiway and a plane load of happy pax when we arrive at their destination earlier!

cheers!

 

[firstthird]

makes sense to me. of course, SWA doesn't operate in crowded airports, well, except maybe PHL or LAX or LAS. but it sounds like JFK is a whole nother animal, even exponentially more than PHL. my condolences on having to operate there regularly. at least with SWA and PHL, I might not see it except every other month or so.

 

[clr4theapch]

20'... what were you trying to get on a harrier jump jet.. this redefines short Field Takeoff... I'm kidding... I agree with everyone else said.. esp, not complaining here about J/S'ing.. bad business..

 

[Whiskerbizkit]

They close the flights 30 min prior now. Just ran into this problem this week on a double DH. We got to the gate at 1500 for a 1530 departure and the flight was closed!, the only reason we got on was because we were flying the plane back. So if you are not checked in 30 prior, its a no go!

 

[Jungle Prop]

Just get there as early as you can can and suck it up if you don't make it. If the crew knows your there or see you we will do everything we can to get you on. Almost all of us commute and know how hard it is. As with any other airline it's getting past the retard gate agents who don't know what commuting is like. That said don't complain about it because we have the most liberal jumpseat policy out there.

 

[say again]

That should be a semicolon, genius.

Thanks CA Dipsh!t!! I will remember that the next time.


-Genius

 

[clr4theapch]

Now, how do you think dispatchers feel... this has been our routine for years, that Gestpo "gaties" ALWAYS got us wrong.. thanks to many crews over the years, they would usually come to my rescue if they knew I was there.
Thank God I dont commute anymore..

 

[Bob_Sacamano]

Fuel hedges are old news. The real supremacy of SWA is the 1-2-3 rule.

Like Sail -- I have respect for the commuter (I am one) and will make sure they get on. But if you don't even know they EXIST -- wtfo.

Are you gonna somehow weave fuel hedges and the supremacy of swa into this thread? ... because "yawn" I am getting bored.