End of month flight cancellations

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I don't know how much of an impact that this had, but I am going to throw it out there.

The local news in CLT reported that there were 17 days in July were a Thunderstorm was reported at the CLT airport, a normal July sees only 9 days with thunderstorms. This is only at the airport, not in the vicinity, nor enroute on any approaches, which I am sure would increase the total more. The report was this is the second highest July total on record. No business can profitably keep staffing around in case something so rare happens. It kills your productivity overall, for that extra staffing would normally not be used, but would still be receiving pay and benefits.
 
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On 8/2/2003 4:40:01 PM N628AU wrote:


I don't know how much of an impact that this had, but I am going to throw it out there.
 
The local news in CLT reported that there were 17 days in July were a Thunderstorm was reported at the CLT airport, a normal July sees only 9 days with thunderstorms.  This is only at the airport, not in the vicinity, nor enroute on any approaches, which I am sure would increase the total more.  The report was this is the second highest July total on record.  No business can profitably keep staffing around in case something so rare happens.  It kills your productivity overall, for that extra staffing would normally not be used, but would still be receiving pay and benefits.

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Well, you'd better get used to unusual and extreme weather, because with global warming more and more a reality, we're going to get more and more weather problems in unpredictable patterns.

Airlines have to have built in redundancies. Hey most big jets could make it across the Atlantic on only one engine, but wouldn't you rather the company used two engines....

Oops, someone at CCY is scratching their head now thinking "How much money could we save it we just used one engine?"

I'd better keep my mouth shut or I'll give them ideas!

-Airlineorphan
 
Once upon a time in the air travel industry, the Airlines flew the birds and the "Travel Agencies" sold the tickets. Along about that time, a senior Station Manager made a comment about "What a great job this would be if it wasn't for those dang
airplanes". Well, history tends to repeat itself. Perhaps the folks at CCY feel the same way about those "dang airplanes". It appears they are positioning to sell the tickets and take home their bonuses while letting the WO's and Express carriers worry about them dang airplanes.
 
If the weather were a once in a year fluke, I'd say fine, maybe we'll get luckier next year, but how many times have we seen flight cancellations due to crew time outs month after month? In Dec-Mar its the "unexpected" snowstorm that closes the Eastern seaboard for a day or two. Or the hurricane in Jun-Oct or the tstorms (when was the last summer that PHL/DCA/CLT DIDNT have tstorms?). I'm not saying we need thousands of more people, but if you're scheduling things so close that 8 extra days of "maybe affected" weather situations causes crew problems at the end of the month, then I'd say there's a problem that needs to be addressed. Seems like we go round and round on certain things that never get addressed that DO AFFECT the bottom line whether anyone wants to admit it or not, while other things (need more cuts/need more cuts, etc) get discussed ad nauseum while glaring inefficiencies and areas that should be of concern to SOMEONE get blown off as flukes.
 
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On 8/2/2003 5:36:00 PM ITRADE wrote:

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On 8/2/2003 5:08:07 PM ual06 wrote:

One year does not "History" make.

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Thank you, Yoda.

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Thank you, Sifo-Dyas.
 
Dio,

Gee, I just love your insightfulness.

A very well taken point...and I'm still waiting to marry you.
2.gif
 
Chip, I am a little late jumping into this discussion, as I have been out for the last 4 weeks living the nightmare of flying without proper staffing. Wx is an easy excuse, as was the Oakland fires...it has very little to do with it. PIT went from around 42 reserve Captains in Jun to under 26 in Jul. It is possible now for a reserve pilot to work every day of 19 on duty and not even get his time in due to management blunders. The Passengers ARE important, and to write them off simply because "everyone is flying on the cheap" cheapens our very profession. I am still thinking about the two familys I rode with on a van in PHL, kids in tow, who had just spent the night at the Hilton on U's tab. VERY nice people, happy that U put them up, but will NEVER fly U again at any price...as their bargain flights were cancelled due to lack of crews. I will introduce another reason to the mix, one those not in the pilot seat may not comprehend. U management is currently stealing 30 to 45 minutes of pay per month from each pilot due to changes in its ACARS software... pilots are NOT getting paid for work done. Hence, pilots might be overcompensating for this theft with overfly exceeding the amount stolen. Just a thought. And again...Passengers are the key here. I cannot believe you Chip, of all people, are writing off their impact on our future. Best.
 
If you notice, Chip has not responded on this thread since he inadvertently overstated what the problem was, mispoke, and placed his "foot in his mouth", without thinking that foot does not belong in mouth.

No matter, got to love a guy with such an innocence.
 
Looks like it's 'Back to the Future'! Remember when Schofield blamed the year's losses on a hurricane? This gave rise to some questions applicable to this situation. What did the other carriers do during this weather? Fly around it? Mounted an umbrella on top of the fuselage? It rains on the just and the unjust alike.

CLT, along with most of the Southeast, has suffered thru a monsoon this summer. That monsoon generally passes thru ATL enroute to CLT. How did DL cope - I'd guess better than U.

Just as we can't afford over-redundancies for every possibility, we can't afford to assume blue skies 365 days a year. The right "somewhere in between" is the art of management. And while we're paying for Renoir, we're getting kindergarten finger paintings.
 
Regardless of the endless excuses that you will hear, it doesn't change the fact that we cancelled 150 flights in 5 days due to the lack of cockpit crews. That is inexcusable. You will hear the excuses of weather, mtc, a/c damage, inspections, Pilot vacations and training issues with regard to the 50 June furloughs. All of those things are just that, excuses. It is time to hold the bean counters, crew planners and others involved in the staffing models accountable. Inconveniencing over 15,000 customers because we don't know how to staff for irregularities is reprehensible. There is no such things as a perfect operating day. There will always be more days with ATC, WEX, MTC, etc then without. Why we continue to plan for the regular days when all we have are irregular days is beyond me.

Dave sharpen the ax and rid yourself of more of these people that need to get out of the office/cube a little more.
 
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