All:
I read usaviation alot, but mostly post on flyertalk. I am posting this here because I want to get some reactions and feedback before throwing it to the wolves on flyertalk and starting conspiracy theories. I hope to get some facts here so I dont need to post there and ask.
Here goes:
I was flying PIT-PHL-SEA (really miss the nonstops!) Sunday night. I wont go into the delayed crew problem in PIT, the hold in PIT to fly to PHL, etc. I get to PHL literally at the last second to board the 820pm to SEA. I am sitting in 3D so I can see/hear everything going in the front of the plane. This is an "HP" (West) coded flight.
Nothing happening. It seems there is a delay brewing, and the West crew seems nervous (its also an HP painted - orange script letters still - plane. The pilot gets on at 835 and says "we're waiting for the weight and balance papers and until then we cant take off. Oh, and one of the maintenance guys came in to take a look at our log and hasnt come back with it yet". Pilot didnt seem thrilled about this (neither did FAs).
By 840 or so the last passenger gets on. Someone missed a connection and rebooked.
About 10 minutes later, maintenance guy comes back with 2 stickers which he proceeds to put on the touch-control board on the A320 above the crew seats by the Row 1 door (this is the one that dims lights, etc, and also notes lav status). There is one large red sticker, and one small blue sticker. The FAs look at him really oddly, and ask whats going on. He walks into the cockpit to chat with the pilots, I cant hear exactly what the maintenance guy says, but the pilot replies "youre kidding me, right? this is getting ridiculous." Maintenance guy walks back off, pilot comes out, fumes, and goes into forward lav.
When he goes back to the cockpit, he calms down a few minutes, then gets back on and says "well folks, we have a small maintenance problem. The levels in one of the lavs is off, and there is a 'bad transmitter' so they had to flush out the lavs and refill them all. The only access for this was via the rear cargo hold, and so they had to take alot of bags out to get in there, and they're taking their time re-loading the bags. But they're done with the maintenance fix, we're just waiting for the maintenance log, and for them to reload half of the bags, then we're out of here. Sorry, but we share your pain." Its still like 850 or so.
At 915 (25 mins later!) someone in the back hits the FA call button, she goes back then returns and reports (to her colleague, not over the PA) that a passenger in the back just saw her bag fall off the loader because it was thrown onto the loader and landed halfway off. I know bag problems happen, but it makes me realize: So theyre still loading half the bags - how long does this take??!
At 920 the maintenance log returns. At 930 the W&B papers arrive and we close the door. Wheels up at 950 (not too bad a wait in PHL!).
Chatting with the crew during the flight, it seems this kind of thing is happening all the time when they get to PHL (at the least, it has happened to this crew several times). They implied that many of the West planes/crews that come through PHL seem to get the white-glove test on the planes, and more often than not, maintenance issues are found.
So I am asking here - anyone else seeing or hearing about this? I am willing to concede that one ill-fated crew might be having an extreme run of bad luck, but I also note that this HP flight (PHL-SEA, #672) hasnt departed PHL anything less than 45 minutes late in the last week. It has ranged from 0:45 to 1:50 late departing. I also concede this is the last flight of the day to SEA, and flights may be being held - but I dont think PHL ops have been too far off kilter this week.
I'd really love to know. If there's any shred of truth in it, I as a passenger dont like being anyone's pawn in disgruntled labor feelings. I have better things to do.
Oh, and Dont shoot the messenger! I am reporting what I heard.
thanks.
I read usaviation alot, but mostly post on flyertalk. I am posting this here because I want to get some reactions and feedback before throwing it to the wolves on flyertalk and starting conspiracy theories. I hope to get some facts here so I dont need to post there and ask.
Here goes:
I was flying PIT-PHL-SEA (really miss the nonstops!) Sunday night. I wont go into the delayed crew problem in PIT, the hold in PIT to fly to PHL, etc. I get to PHL literally at the last second to board the 820pm to SEA. I am sitting in 3D so I can see/hear everything going in the front of the plane. This is an "HP" (West) coded flight.
Nothing happening. It seems there is a delay brewing, and the West crew seems nervous (its also an HP painted - orange script letters still - plane. The pilot gets on at 835 and says "we're waiting for the weight and balance papers and until then we cant take off. Oh, and one of the maintenance guys came in to take a look at our log and hasnt come back with it yet". Pilot didnt seem thrilled about this (neither did FAs).
By 840 or so the last passenger gets on. Someone missed a connection and rebooked.
About 10 minutes later, maintenance guy comes back with 2 stickers which he proceeds to put on the touch-control board on the A320 above the crew seats by the Row 1 door (this is the one that dims lights, etc, and also notes lav status). There is one large red sticker, and one small blue sticker. The FAs look at him really oddly, and ask whats going on. He walks into the cockpit to chat with the pilots, I cant hear exactly what the maintenance guy says, but the pilot replies "youre kidding me, right? this is getting ridiculous." Maintenance guy walks back off, pilot comes out, fumes, and goes into forward lav.
When he goes back to the cockpit, he calms down a few minutes, then gets back on and says "well folks, we have a small maintenance problem. The levels in one of the lavs is off, and there is a 'bad transmitter' so they had to flush out the lavs and refill them all. The only access for this was via the rear cargo hold, and so they had to take alot of bags out to get in there, and they're taking their time re-loading the bags. But they're done with the maintenance fix, we're just waiting for the maintenance log, and for them to reload half of the bags, then we're out of here. Sorry, but we share your pain." Its still like 850 or so.
At 915 (25 mins later!) someone in the back hits the FA call button, she goes back then returns and reports (to her colleague, not over the PA) that a passenger in the back just saw her bag fall off the loader because it was thrown onto the loader and landed halfway off. I know bag problems happen, but it makes me realize: So theyre still loading half the bags - how long does this take??!
At 920 the maintenance log returns. At 930 the W&B papers arrive and we close the door. Wheels up at 950 (not too bad a wait in PHL!).
Chatting with the crew during the flight, it seems this kind of thing is happening all the time when they get to PHL (at the least, it has happened to this crew several times). They implied that many of the West planes/crews that come through PHL seem to get the white-glove test on the planes, and more often than not, maintenance issues are found.
So I am asking here - anyone else seeing or hearing about this? I am willing to concede that one ill-fated crew might be having an extreme run of bad luck, but I also note that this HP flight (PHL-SEA, #672) hasnt departed PHL anything less than 45 minutes late in the last week. It has ranged from 0:45 to 1:50 late departing. I also concede this is the last flight of the day to SEA, and flights may be being held - but I dont think PHL ops have been too far off kilter this week.
I'd really love to know. If there's any shred of truth in it, I as a passenger dont like being anyone's pawn in disgruntled labor feelings. I have better things to do.
Oh, and Dont shoot the messenger! I am reporting what I heard.
thanks.
