US using A-East gates at PHL for domestic ops?

[PHL]

I don't know if this is the norm or just happens in irregular ops like last night with the first bad snowfall that they had to break out the de-icers....

US 719, a standard/non-ETOPS 757, left from A4 for CLT last night. It arrived earlier from CUN. I looked at the arrival board and it showed that later, AA would be using it for 2 arrivals. There was an AA sign above the door, although I've never seen AA use the even side of the A terminal. They have the first few gates on the odd side as you enter A-East.

Is this normal, or is it just because PHL is utilizing extra gate capacity when they are not needed for intl. arrivals.

 

[US Oringinal]

I don't know if this is the norm or just happens in irregular ops like last night with the first bad snowfall that they had to break out the de-icers....

US 719, a standard/non-ETOPS 757, left from A4 for CLT last night. It arrived earlier from CUN. I looked at the arrival board and it showed that later, AA would be using it for 2 arrivals. There was an AA sign above the door, although I've never seen AA use the even side of the A terminal. They have the first few gates on the odd side as you enter A-East.

Is this normal, or is it just because PHL is utilizing extra gate capacity when they are not needed for intl. arrivals.

Isn't "arrived earlier from CUN" considered an Int'l arrival? They may have used that gate exactly BECAUSE they needed and Int'l arrival gate for the CUN flight.....I've seen them do that with other gates we don't normally use as well....

 

[PHL]

Good point! For some oddball reason I was thinking CUN did pre-clearance.

 

[US Oringinal]

NOPE!

 

[US Oringinal]

Fascinating topic.......

 

[PHL Approach]

Two things happen reguraly. A INTL IB comes in and of course has to use A-East or A-West. But the aircraft turns as a DOM route.

The other thing is that we get IB/OB DOM flights dumped on us like you wouldn't believe. After 6:30pm it's game for any flight. They just started recently sending us E-Jets to work.

Here are some DOM flights that come down on a nightly basis.

658/257
251/250
259/430
3370/3470
1853
1860
1192
1649 RDU-YYZ
3161/3162
742
1740
1750
1586

Gates 2, 4, 6 and 8 is our turf until about 9:30pm so we use them for anything until then. Then AAL has a live flight come in on 4. DAL like to have a/c RON on 6 and 8. They also use the A-West gates after about 10pm to RON as well.

 

[az_wild727]

I was on US939 (PHL-CLT) yesterday (Dec 16, 2008) and the flight went out of A8. I was quite surprised as I've never flown out of A-East and never expected to (especially on a domestic US flight.)

That said, even though it was odd, it was very convenient. I was coming in from LHR and after re-clearing security it was such a short walk. Santa was there too! They were taking pictures with a Polaroid and giving them out to everyone. Was a nice gesture on behalf of PHL airport/US Airways. A lot of kids too!

-Kinglobjaw

 

[phllax]

The LAX red-eye comes into A frequently and turns into the early CUN flight.

 

[az_wild727]

US1586, CLT-PHL 757 ETOPS w/ Envoy taxied into C30 when I was on it a few nights ago. Guess it all depends on gate availability.

-Kinglobjaw

 

[PHL Approach]

US1586, CLT-PHL 757 ETOPS w/ Envoy taxied into C30 when I was on it a few nights ago. Guess it all depends on gate availability.

Well not exactly gate availability since 1586 usually comes in at 11pm-12am. There are plenty of gates open. It just comes down as to what the aircraft needs to turn as in the morning. When 1586 does come down to A-West is usually to turn as an INTL for the morning. Like during the Summer it tends to turn as 812 to CUN. On weekends it can turn to SXM, or AUA.

 

[PHL]

When 1586 does come down to A-West is usually to turn as an INTL for the morning. Like during the Summer it tends to turn as 812 to CUN. On weekends it can turn to SXM, or AUA.

If it comes in as DOM and turns as an intl. the next morning, why would it matter which gate it parks at? SXM, AUA and CUN (as well as all the carib locations) often just go out of the gates at the end of the B/C hammerheads when operated on a 757/767. I don't see why it would need to park at A-West specifically for that purpose.

 

[az_wild727]

I know the that SXM-PHL and AUA-PHL arrivals usually arrive at A-West and take out the LGW and DUB flights.

-Kinglobjaw

 

[PHL Approach]

If it comes in as DOM and turns as an intl. the next morning, why would it matter which gate it parks at? SXM, AUA and CUN (as well as all the carib locations) often just go out of the gates at the end of the B/C hammerheads when operated on a 757/767. I don't see why it would need to park at A-West specifically for that purpose.

76s are not even authorized to be parked on B/C Con anymore. I wouldn't say SXM, CUN, AUA more like BGI, UVF tend to depart out of DOM. Even NAS departs out of A-West just about every day. Why would you put Carib destinations on B/C just because you can even though you have 5 extra open gates at A-West... Wouldn't make much sense to take Transcon gates just for Carib when there is an entire terminal ready for that stuff.

 

[az_wild727]

76s are not even authorized to be parked on B/C Con anymore. I wouldn't say SXM, CUN, AUA more like BGI, UVF tend to depart out of DOM. Even NAS departs out of A-West just about every day. Why would you put Carib destinations on B/C just because you can even though you have 5 extra open gates at A-West... Wouldn't make much sense to take Transcon gates just for Carib when there is an entire terminal ready for that stuff.

Why can't a 767 flying PHL-CLT or CLT-PHL use B/C anymore? Authorized for what? I've taken the 767 quite a few times between PHL and CLT and it would always leave PHL from the high B gates... That is very interesting, though as I was looking at flight stats and lately they are all high A's.

-Kinglobjaw

 

[PHL Approach]

Why can't a 767 flying PHL-CLT or CLT-PHL use B/C anymore? Authorized for what? I've taken the 767 quite a few times between PHL and CLT and it would always leave PHL from the high B gates... That is very interesting, though as I was looking at flight stats and lately they are all high A's.

-Kinglobjaw

They just don't have the crews down there to know what their doing on those a/c. Apparently not many people know how to use a Loader down there. When one would get dumped down there. Everyone would just stare at each other to see who could run the Loader.