Airline Apologizes For Trapped Passengers

UPI ^ | 8/10/09

[rabscuttle385]

fyi

[CedarDave]

Link to Minneapolis Star Tribune story.

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/52798827.html

There are 23 pages of comments!

[tflabo]

A little common sense about the situation could not be applied in fear of trespass of the hallowed Federal Law?

"When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson

[GOPJ]

The airline should be sued.

[Sequoyah101]

Is it really worth the tuition? Even the regular airline jobs don’t look that good. The formula for pay based on flying, waiting, preparation hours and such takes a philadelphia lawyer to figure out and the numbers achieved aren’t too impressive.

Once upon a time it was a good job but with the union and layoffs not so much anymore.

Maybe I’m wrong and I stand to be corrected but I’ve looked at it somewhat closely and have met a lot of otherwise qualified out of work pilots.

[HIDEK6]

Several years back, my wife and I were both on the road, she flying and me driving. We met in Cincinnati for a visit with family.

When it came time to leave, I took her to the airport, then headed down to Greensboro.

After I got home, I got a call that she would be arriving in Charlotte in 2 hours, then had to wait until the morning to get the flight to Greensboro.

I drove to Charlotte, got there before her plane landed, and brought her home.

I thought that was ludicrous.

[CedarDave]

I’m sure lawyers are already lining up not only for Podunk Air but deeper pockets Continental.

[dragnet2]

Note to self:

Stay away from airports and air travel.

[tcrlaf]

TSA controls access to gate areas now. If the gate area is considered “Secured and sterile”, you have to get permission from your local Head TSA wonk to enter it, as making it sterile again involves a pretty long checklist.

Sounds like somebody at Expressjet Ops dropped the ball, BIG-time!

[CedarDave]

Continental Airlines says it is now using movable stairs and vehicles to deplane passengers after three hours. On June 18, at Newark Liberty airport, one passenger who asked to deplane when thunderstorms stranded a flight was able to do so, according to a spokesman. If Continental can provide this service, it's hard to see why everyone else can't, too. (August 04, 2009)

Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights

Sorry Charlie, not in this case.

[Albion Wilde]

"That was not provided as an option by ground services personnel at the airport," she said.

Newspeak for "we didn't give a ****."

[mountainbunny]

FTA: Nicholas told the newspaper that passengers couldn't be let off of the plane and into the terminal due to federal regulations. Security screeners at the Rochester airport had gone home for the night.

Does no one ever question this sort of thing?

Did no one figure out that if the passengers were trapped on a stinking plane overnight, the media would be informed? That this would be in the paper and on the news?

That there would be lawsuits?

Are the airline's employees so stupid that they are incapable of seeing the obvious fallout from their actions?

[Sequoyah101]

500 mile trip = 8.5 hours driving

Same trip flying with proper allowances:

2 hours Drive to airport allowing for traffic jams and parking
1 hour pre-arrival (cutting it close)
1.25 hours flying to hub
1 hour waiting at hub for connection (Memphis or Dallas)
1.25 hours flying to destination
.5 hours for baggage that may not be there
1 hour driving to final destination

8 hours total time enroute = I drive and arrive much more rested.

The alternative is the direct flight to a more distant airport.

2 hours Driving to airport
1 hour pre flight arrival
1.75 hours en route
.5 hours baggage
.5 hours rent a car
1.75 hours driving to destination

7.5 hours total time = I drive

An overnight train trip? Wouldn’t that be delightful?

[tcrlaf]

“However Continental does not fly into the airport but Delta does and controls the gates.”

The local NWA staff, or the local FBO, could have handled this for ExpressJet, but that would have involved some coordination on behalf of the EX operations staff in Houston. And it would have been EXPENSIVE..

Finding an EX reserve crew late on a bad weather day would have been a pain, as well as getting them from an EX base to Rochester, would have taken time.

They SHOULD have done what you said, but that would most likely have required the approval of higher management, and may have gotten lost in the shift change at operations.

Instead, someone made the decision to wait for a reserve on the next days schedule, etc.etc.

This isn’t unheard of, but someone at EX dropped the ball, BIG-time!

[HIDEK6]

An overnight train trip? Wouldn’t that be delightful?

Back in the 60s I was stationed in Germany and took an overnight train trip from Frankfurt to Berlin.

It was really cool.

As soon as we crossed into East Germany, though, they made everyone pull their window shades down so that you couldn't see out.

I had a sleeping berth, and don't remember how they enforced that, but I remember that tey did.

When we got to West Berlin, we could raise our shades again.

I got to have a beer at the Checkpoint Charlie bar.

Wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

[stormer]

“I have never been on a domestic airline flight that required security screening at the destination.”

I have - in China. I think it was for SARS.

[paul51]

Anyone sitting in a stuffed airplane for 9 hours on the tarmac has no one to blame but themselves. What would have happened if they were told they have to sit 3 more hours after that? 7? 10? 2 days? Would they have just continued sitting there until they starved to death?

[meyer]

What would have happened if they were told they have to sit 3 more hours after that? 7? 10? 2 days? Would they have just continued sitting there until they starved to death?

I think that around the third hour, I'd have defied the crew and popped open the emergency door. They cannot imprison people. If there's a problem, then they should return to the terminal and let people off the plane.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Airline Apologizes For Trapped Passengers

Something tells me that in the next apology, the Airlines' wallet will be doing the talking.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Nicholas told the newspaper that passengers couldn't be let off of the plane and into the terminal due to federal regulations. Security screeners at the Rochester airport had gone home for the night

Wanna bet?

I might end up with a brief stay in the local pokey, but after about 4 hours (my personally set limit) I would be getting off that plane even if I used an emergency chute

Its about time someone challenged the nimrod Feds over this "rule."