LGA Ground ATC Does NOT Like SWA

[Quimby]

I'll never forget the ATC conversation during the first few days of SWA ops in LGA. Typical delays for departure with like 20-30 in line for RWY13, traffic arriving on RWY4. SWA Hero pipes up on freq... "LGA ground, this is Southwest 123, we'd like to request opposite direction departure for RWY31 to help speed things up." LGA ground controller almost fell out of his chair laughing says "Southwest 123, taxi bravo and hold short of hotel. Youre number 35 for departure, welcome to LaGuaaaaaadia."

I'm calling BS on this story.

 

[W0X0F]

Sounds like a normal LGA operation to me....whatever airline you are.

yup.

wrong way taxi? 60 min wait for gate? #35 for departure? 15 miles in trail over XXXXX? can't get out of the alley? can't get into the alley? 1.5nm spacing behind a 757? first three taxi turns from tower? refiled at 10,000'?

...because laguardia


here's a great article on LGA ops:

http://www.readability.com/read?url...r-airlines-new-york-la-guardia?printable=true

 

[igneousy2]

Less than an hour to get to the gate at LGA...not that bad really.

LGA is messed up no matter what airline you fly, howevever, if you fly into LGA on an airline that flies into the central terminal (anybody but USAir and Delta) you get double-hosed because you can only taxi into the gate during an in-bound flow into the alley, so if you are lucky, when you land they are in an inbound flow and you go straight (as straight as you can at LGA) into the gate, if you just missed the inbound flow then you have to wait for over an hour at times to get to the gate as you wait for the next in-bound flow. That's when the weather is good. Not even god can help you when the weather is bad.

LGA has got to be THE worst airport in the country, I never understood New Yorkers desire to fly out of LGA, maybe you save time in your car because the airport is closer to Manhatan then JFK or EWR, but you often lose the time you gained taxing on an airplane.

 

[igneousy2]

“Give the passengers the illusion of progress.” That’s his motto. It gives the people hope.

HAHA --- Classic.

 

[SXMp2c]

LGA has got to be THE worst airport in the country, I never understood New Yorkers desire to fly out of LGA, maybe you save time in your car because the airport is closer to Manhatan then JFK or EWR, but you often lose the time you gained taxing on an airplane.

Right, bc there are NEVER taxi delays at JFK or EWR. Never been 84 in line during international push at Kennedy?

 

[Jiminmem]

LGA doesn't like SWA? Well, its official, they now hate every airline in the US.

 

[igneousy2]

Right, bc there are NEVER taxi delays at JFK or EWR. Never been 84 in line during international push at Kennedy?

JFK is busy, LGA isn't that busy it, just doesn't have any room and is not designed for jet aircraft. Not only do you get to stand in line, but you get to deal with short runways and narrow alleyways.

 

[scoreboardII]

So it's like Burbank?

 

[igneousy2]

So it's like Burbank?

Busier than Burbank and the weather often sucks.

 

[Lear70]

LGA is LGA.

The way we flow our flying there is done to try to get in and out at a less-than-peak time of day. Unless the weather is just crappy or something is going on in ATL, I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes or so for a gate and never been more than 7-8 in line for takeoff.

Either they had a bad day that day or the timing of their flight in there was during peak operating hours and they therefore got hosed. Personally, I hate doing LGA trips primarily because it's almost never a turn on the 737, it's the end of the flying for the day and you have to go to that crap hotel by the airport for 14-16 hours with NOTHING to do close by (or I should say ONE of the crap hotels by the airport).

Delta goes downtown (friend of mine posted her Central Park run on FB this morning - I was jealous).