ACARS

[N5804NW]

ACARS hurts. Gate agent asks to relaese brakes for on-time departure. Many times we later learn ramp has another 20 minutes of loading or the fueler is still hooked up. ACARS serves a purpose but it also tells a false operational story to the number crunchers. To them the flight looks out on-time and staffing resourses on the ground gets thinner. Release brakes when you are really ready for pushback.
N5804NW

 

[Hope777]

It all depends how your ACARS are programed. Our ACARS does not show and out time until ALL doors are closed,including the Passenger service door,Cargo Bin doors. We have also just changed our Acars so an OUT time is not recording until Wheel movement has occurred.

 

[NWACSA]

[blockquote]
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On 1/6/2003 10:52:55 AM N5804NW wrote:

ACARS hurts. Gate agent asks to relaese brakes for on-time departure. Many times we later learn ramp has another 20 minutes of loading or the fueler is still hooked up. ACARS serves a purpose but it also tells a false operational story to the number crunchers. To them the flight looks out on-time and staffing resourses on the ground gets thinner. Release brakes when you are "really" ready for pushback.



N5804NW

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[/blockquote]

Agreed - pilots do no favors to anyone by releasing brakes early -- I've seen it in my own station...we have everyone boarded, close the boarding door and wait another 10-20 minutes for the ramp to finish loading...in the mean time, captain releases brakes, flight shows departing on schedule and we continue to work understaffed (sometimes 6 people to work 3 flights in/out within an hour). The on-time departure only makes local management look good...otherwise they have to account for the delay on a daily basis with HDQ.

PILOTS : RELEASE BRAKES/Activate ACARS ONLY WHEN READY TO PUSH BACK!