First Eastern Winter Storm of Season

[ebwgs]

OCC in PIT got real good over the years with managing the operation in storms like this. Now they are being directed by people who have never seen a snow plow. :blink:


yet we are still....

I'm hoping Tempe has the good sense to listen to the old school OCC folks. I think they were/are some of the best in the business. 🙄

 

[surfnfly]

Looking at catcrew for airbus f/o for 12/19 only one reserve available between DCA,CLT,PHL, and LGA. Looks like we need to furlough.

 

[BoeingBoy]

I meant EWR, of course.

It made sense to me - NeWaRk - NWR...

Jim

 

[PHL]

The snowfall predictions have been increased due to the way the system is moving. Now predicted in the neighborhood of 18" for PHL, and its falling pretty hard in the DC area now. The low off the coast is going to mix with the low coming in from NW PA and just dump a boat load onto South Jersey/metro PHL during the day tomorrow (Sat), at times predicted to be 2-3" per HOUR. They're even predicting the rare "THUNDERSNOW".....

At least PIT has a bunch of empty gates to divert to. They're supposed to get less than 6"....

 

[Dog Wonder]

Less than 6 inches is a walk in the park in PIT.

Might need some excess management to come in and work though.

Hope they remember how to work.

 

[SpinDoc]

Less than 6 inches is a walk in the park in PIT.

Might need some excess management to come in and work though.

Hope they remember how to work.

Hey. I resemble that remark. Depending on planned operations, PIT can handle maybe 3 or 4 diversions. The problem is we only have 10 leased gates and 2 pay per use gates. The only thing management has to do when diversions occur is figure out staffing to make sure the aircraft can be parked and serviced. Even though PIT is a huge airport and the majority of it is empty, OCC can only send aircraft there that can be put on a gate, and with 10(12) US gates available, the options are much smaller than they once were.

 

[flybynite]

The FAA ATC website states delays in PHL at 6 hrs 11 mins.

Yikes!!

 

[Poug Darker]

Looking at catcrew for airbus f/o for 12/19 only one reserve available between DCA,CLT,PHL, and LGA. Looks like we need to furlough.

The 'acceptable losses' principle comes into effect in this situation. Just like cutting to the bone on fuel loads. Hey, 1% of the time someone will have to divert for gas, but the company saves money not hauling around extra 'comfort' fuel 99% of the time. So be it. This weekend is the 1%. Don't sweat it, Tempe has it accounted for and has already saved SO much during the rest of the year that this couple days of reduced revenue won't mean a thing.
Enjoy the snow.
Cheers

 

[Al Legheny]

The FAA ATC website states delays in PHL at 6 hrs 11 mins.

Yikes!!

The Weather Channel says that this storm is on track to being the worst in DC since 1922. The radar and forecast models are holding for record snowfall. So what is US Airways doing? Attempting to operate.

We are going to go to gridlock in PHL and DCA and we will anger our customers much more than we would if we simply decided to cancell. We will strand crews and aircraft and make the mess much worse. Even though a crew is in a hotel their clocks are running. We will burn up crew time, have aircraft out of position and burn up the airport customer service agents as we strand passengers.

What are other airlines doing? It has been reported that Delta and Continental cancelled all DCA flying last night and got the message out on local media so they don't strand pax at the airports. The get the aircraft out of town so they can be used elsewhere and be ready for a quick recovery when the weather clears.

Not good old US Airways. We will attempt the impossible and grind to s slow halt, while causing the maximum amount of damage to our already low reputation for customer service. This is not a swipe at the employee group it is purely a management function. It is Saturday, and the weather is fine in Tempe. It will reach a high of 73. Dougie and the others are out on the golf course or tennis court or if they are monitoring the system it is from over a thousand miles away.

This is a time when leadership is needed. Our line employees need direction from senior management on how to deal with a major storm. Do we make the early decision to cancell? That time has come and gone. Not making a decision to operate or not is in fact a decision to go into gridlock.

If you want to stand and fight there should be more people on deck at the airports to deal with the added workload, standby flight crews, ramp and agents, etc. Of course team Tempe knows that the spread sheets don't allow for that. They have calculated the manpower to the last decimal place and excel cell.

Oh, and when it is all said an done, they will find some way to blame the employees.

Here endith the ranting.

 

[Travelpro72]

Here is my positive dose for the day. This GD company is the worst in the business. Management is an embarrassment to all who work hard. I have been glued to the TV all morning and no word of US on any channel. US is huge in DC and nothing, zip, zilch. I can't WAIT to see the proactive response this company does to help guide its passengers through this mess. Just you wait and see. 🙄 Top that off with the wonderful schedulers in Pittsburgh "trying" to give direct work orders for people to go to work. They have been trying it all morning with flight attendants. One was told they googled her area and she was fine to go to work. THIS is the fine schedulers in OCC. I know management reads these boards and I'm gonna tell ya what, Ya can all go pound salt. I don't' care if you drove an airplane right to my door and picked me up. You'd get the finger at this point. People work hard and in times like this storm you get treated like absolute crap. MORONS. 🙄 Can ya tell I'm pissed? GOOD! ! !

 

[Bear96]

So now snow = bad LCC management. OMG you all are a miserable bunch of whiners.

I would never work for a boss or management team I hated as much as you seem to hate yours. Do yourselves and the world a favor and leave if things are that bad. You and LCC's customers will be much happier.

 

[BoeingBoy]

So now snow = bad LCC management.

No - poor planning for snow = bad LCC management.

Ask yourself Bear - if DCA and PHL are going to have problems even with the equipment they've got to keep a few miles of runway open, what are the streets and roads of those cities going to be like? Possibly bad enough to cause problems for employees getting to work?

Yesterday afternoon/early evening, after it became apparent how bad it was going to be to anyone paying attention, could management have done something like putting reserve crews and say 10% of today's ground employees at DCA and PHL in hotels near the airport so they could get to work?

No, not poor weather at all but poor planning for the poor weather - that's management's problem.

Jim

 

[End of USAPA]

No - poor planning for snow = bad LCC management.

Ask yourself Bear - if DCA and PHL are going to have problems even with the equipment they've got to keep a few miles of runway open, what are the streets and roads of those cities going to be like? Possibly bad enough to cause problems for employees getting to work?

Yesterday afternoon/early evening, after it became apparent how bad it was going to be to anyone paying attention, could management have done something like putting reserve crews and say 10% of today's ground employees at DCA and PHL in hotels near the airport so they could get to work?

No, not poor weather at all but poor planning for the poor weather - that's management's problem.

Jim

The authority on everything speaks... The bush continues to crackle. Is anyone listening?

 

[Bear96]

Jim, whatever LCC did to plan for this storm, you know there would be the usual collection of nattering nabobs of negativity on here criticizing whatever decisions were made.

Between the never-ending employee and customer complaints about LCC, one would think no one would ever want to work for or give their business to this company. Yet people continue to show up for work every day and collect paychecks from it, and give money to purchase tickets to fly on it. Go figure.

 

[longing4piedmont]

Is anyone listening?

Most likely not. You and the merry band of fleas from the desert don't seemed to have learned that skill set.

Here is tip for you. This man began his career before most of the kids from the west were a twinkle in your moms eye. You would do well to listen and learn....

l4pi