So does CAL take orders from the FAA on when to cancel flights?

[CAL EWR B737]

From our own private CAL forum:




"I am in GRU, was schedule to operate #30 GRU-EWR tonight (Friday) and was just informed after I showed up in the hotel lobby for the crew shuttle that the flight was cancelled.

Called OPS and was informed that NOW GET THIS:

"The FAA has cancelled their authorization of our "SNOWFLAKE" operation, so we can no longer de-ice and depart aircraft while there is precipitation ongoing."

According to OPS, the FAA has put the kabosh on SNOWFLAKE and they don't want a lot of aircraft arriving in EWR that they cannot subsequently send out on departures, on account of not being able to deice during the next forecast 24 hours of precip."

 

[gkrangers]

So if it is actively snowing/freezing precip then CAL can't fly?

 

[atcloser]

Interestingly, according to the FAA, and as posted on the FAA website, fly.faa.gov, they stated there was a ground delay program in for CAL only at EWR. Here is the text from the website:

Due to OTHER/CUSTOMER REQUEST COA & BTA, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Newark International Airport, Newark, NJ (EWR). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 2 hours and 11 minutes. To see if you may be affected, select your departure airport and check "Delays by Destination".

 

[gkrangers]

I think its interesting that they go so far as to actually regulate the traffic flow of a specific airline. That can't sit well with ops..

 

[gkrangers]

Flight cancellations suck.

I paid $258 for DAB-EWR-DAB. DAB-EWR was cancelled today, and I wouldn't be able to get rescheduled till Thursday or Friday. So the ticket counter said they refunded the DAB-EWR portion, great.

I was able to find a flight tomorrow from MCO-EWR...

After 45 minutes of back and forth on the phone they wanted me to pay $327 for MCO-EWR and $299 for EWR-DAB.

They would not refund the DAB-EWR portion like the ticket counter said, and they would only refund the entire 258$ roundtrip. In which case I'd have to book a new return flight. So I had a little chuckle and told her to cancel everything.

I ended up booking United (Mesa) DAB-IAD-EWR for $214 on Tuesday and Airtran EWR-ATL-DAB $109 Sunday.

I'm just a little annoyed they wouldn't do anything to accommodate the original reservation. But I guess thats the way it is...if the flight is canceled you are on your own.

Not a shot at CAL really, I'm just annoyed and needed to vent. And any advice if this sounds like BS to anyone.

 

[LJDRVR]

ICE PELLETS!!!

It's OK to vent but EWR was shut down.

 

[gkrangers]

ICE PELLETS!!!

It's OK to vent but EWR was shut down.

Oh I know. I just wanted more help than "Well, the only thing we can do is refund your ticket and charge you $600 for a new one".

 

[flythere]

We need the "Open Ground Initiative". Need more runways. Thats the bottleneck...

Tell the Democrates that!! They want to close more airports. They say airports are a waste of prime real estate!!

 

[LJDRVR]

Oh I know. I just wanted more help than "Well, the only thing we can do is refund your ticket and charge you $600 for a new one".

So are we supposed to be responsible for nature now? How about a pathetically understaffed NY TRACON that results in delays every single day? Maybe the government should reimburse all the missed connections.

You pay your money and you take your chances, Sir. Write your Congressman: The FAA recinded our "Snowflakes" inspection authority Friday, effectively shutting down EWR.

It was a government decision, not Continental.

 

[atrdriver]

What was their reason for recinding Snowflake? Anyone know?