Most of you know me--I am relatively easy going and I usually roll with the punches. Last evening, however, I had an experience which truly made me want to scream. As some of you are my friends here, I thought it worthwhile to post, and ask for your comments---and since I realize weather played a part in this tale, I have no issue with that part, but the rest????...please read on.
I was scheduled on 4223 ROC-PHL, connecting to 3700 PHL-ISP. I arrived very early at the airport since colleagues were leaving 2 and a half hours earlier heading back to the west coast (they actually got home before I did). The agent at the ticket counter told me PHL had problems all day, and offered me the 2:45 on CO Connection which connected in Albany (I declined because I am not real confident in B-1900's right now).
I expected about a 30-45 minute delay on the first flight, since the inbound AC was late out of RIC. We finally departed right about 1 hour behind schedule, which if we got into PHL quickly would have worked since they were projecting a 30 minute delay on my connection.
When we landed at PHL, it was about 5:35PM. It took almost 15 minutes to get from a 27R arrival to terminal F, with many stops due to ramp congestion. At around 5:50 we pulled up to the gate and shut the engines. We sat there for 8-10 minutes before an agent showed up to move the jet bridge, and we began to deplane. However there was no carryon luggage--about 30 passengers waited in the jetway for ALMOST ANOTHER 15 minutes before they brought the carryons up!!
I ran to my connecting gate, and SAW the airplane as the tug was disconnected, and just beginning to start the engines. I was getting mad--and asked the agent for the "off" time of the flight--she told me the computer couldn't tell her that, and she had no way of finding out (great training). I asked for a supervisor, who told me it showed off at 5:47 (30 minutes before). As I knew this to be impossible, I thanked her and proceeded to the club for one of the new $11 wraps and a cocktail.
The club crew was great--they told me the status of the inbound making up the flight and every time something changed Elizabeth came back to tell me what was going on. At about 7:30, plenty of time for a 7:44 departure, I went down to F3, and there was no airplane. It showed up at around 7:38. They deplaned, and I fully expected to see a quick turn and a flight to ISP where the crew would be finished for the day and the aircraft would RON. NOT TO BE!!!
The crew, with ONE LEG remaining, decides they need to take a break, and they delay the flight for "crew rest"!! Now I know the A/C had taken a significant maintenance delay earlier, and they had plenty of down time. They just disappeared, not caring that they were inconveniencing over 20 people booked on the flight, and they did not come back for 45 minutes!!!!!!! No apologies, no explanations to the passengers, and they wouldn't allow us to board for 10 to 12 minutes more!
Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think this rest period is an FAA regulation, more so a union one, and it bothers me that the crew could be so indifferent to the passengers (and the agents I might add, who could not believe they did this).
The bottom line is that I got home almost 4 hours after I was originally supposed to, for reasons PRIMARILY related to operational errors and arrogance. In the past 12-14 flights I have taken, NOT ONE has operated within 30 minutes of schedule!!
I had a very long conversation with a friend in consumer affairs today who documented everything I relayed (including potential false reporting in FLIFO). She said this is a normal occurrance at Express. She also told me that the flight record for the connection showed 30 minutes for crew rest and 19 minutes for a "mechanical" problem, which is total fiction.
Please do not take this as a rant, my friends, as most of you know me better. But if MarkMyWords or anyone has any additional information, I'd appreciate hearing from you--this was an avoidable and unacceptable situation, and could very well contribute to my being forced to look elsewhere (or back to LGA, which is really inconvenient).
For those of you on the front lines, you know how I feel about you--thank you for all you do. Unfortunately yesterday was one of those days, but it seems like EVERY day in PHL is one of those days. I am getting to the point where I am going to practice A P A A C (Avoid Philly At All Costs).
I was scheduled on 4223 ROC-PHL, connecting to 3700 PHL-ISP. I arrived very early at the airport since colleagues were leaving 2 and a half hours earlier heading back to the west coast (they actually got home before I did). The agent at the ticket counter told me PHL had problems all day, and offered me the 2:45 on CO Connection which connected in Albany (I declined because I am not real confident in B-1900's right now).
I expected about a 30-45 minute delay on the first flight, since the inbound AC was late out of RIC. We finally departed right about 1 hour behind schedule, which if we got into PHL quickly would have worked since they were projecting a 30 minute delay on my connection.
When we landed at PHL, it was about 5:35PM. It took almost 15 minutes to get from a 27R arrival to terminal F, with many stops due to ramp congestion. At around 5:50 we pulled up to the gate and shut the engines. We sat there for 8-10 minutes before an agent showed up to move the jet bridge, and we began to deplane. However there was no carryon luggage--about 30 passengers waited in the jetway for ALMOST ANOTHER 15 minutes before they brought the carryons up!!
I ran to my connecting gate, and SAW the airplane as the tug was disconnected, and just beginning to start the engines. I was getting mad--and asked the agent for the "off" time of the flight--she told me the computer couldn't tell her that, and she had no way of finding out (great training). I asked for a supervisor, who told me it showed off at 5:47 (30 minutes before). As I knew this to be impossible, I thanked her and proceeded to the club for one of the new $11 wraps and a cocktail.
The club crew was great--they told me the status of the inbound making up the flight and every time something changed Elizabeth came back to tell me what was going on. At about 7:30, plenty of time for a 7:44 departure, I went down to F3, and there was no airplane. It showed up at around 7:38. They deplaned, and I fully expected to see a quick turn and a flight to ISP where the crew would be finished for the day and the aircraft would RON. NOT TO BE!!!
The crew, with ONE LEG remaining, decides they need to take a break, and they delay the flight for "crew rest"!! Now I know the A/C had taken a significant maintenance delay earlier, and they had plenty of down time. They just disappeared, not caring that they were inconveniencing over 20 people booked on the flight, and they did not come back for 45 minutes!!!!!!! No apologies, no explanations to the passengers, and they wouldn't allow us to board for 10 to 12 minutes more!
Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think this rest period is an FAA regulation, more so a union one, and it bothers me that the crew could be so indifferent to the passengers (and the agents I might add, who could not believe they did this).
The bottom line is that I got home almost 4 hours after I was originally supposed to, for reasons PRIMARILY related to operational errors and arrogance. In the past 12-14 flights I have taken, NOT ONE has operated within 30 minutes of schedule!!
I had a very long conversation with a friend in consumer affairs today who documented everything I relayed (including potential false reporting in FLIFO). She said this is a normal occurrance at Express. She also told me that the flight record for the connection showed 30 minutes for crew rest and 19 minutes for a "mechanical" problem, which is total fiction.
Please do not take this as a rant, my friends, as most of you know me better. But if MarkMyWords or anyone has any additional information, I'd appreciate hearing from you--this was an avoidable and unacceptable situation, and could very well contribute to my being forced to look elsewhere (or back to LGA, which is really inconvenient).
For those of you on the front lines, you know how I feel about you--thank you for all you do. Unfortunately yesterday was one of those days, but it seems like EVERY day in PHL is one of those days. I am getting to the point where I am going to practice A P A A C (Avoid Philly At All Costs).