Problems in PHL Tonight

[Art at ISP]

I just got a couple of calls from our fellow FF SS255, who at the moment is still waiting for her bags from the LAX-PHL flight which was supposed ot arrive at 7PM.

She called me from the airplane after they landed--it seems their gate was occupied, the outbound departure delayed waiting for a crew, and all other gates in PHL which could accommodate a 321 were either iced over or occupied. She said later it was about 1 hour and 45 minutes on the ground before they got a gate, and that when the captain called ramp control, no one seemed to care that they were still waiting. Welcome to PHL.

So two whole days plus after a storm and there are still gates unusable????

Now she just sent me an email a couple of minutes ago that adding insult to injury they have waited 80 minutes or more for bags AFTER getting off the plane. She has said the passengers are causing a scene and demanding a manager to explain the delay.

And the company line is PHL is getting better???

To be continued...........

 

[BuffaloJoe]

You think they be on the ball with gates especially after all the media attention on JetBlue the other day. The web site shows it arrived at 8:56p. Landed at 7:22p. I know PHL always has ice around the ramp after storms pretty much, but PHL will always find a way to disappoint the customer.

 

[FM2436]

You think they be on the ball with gates especially after all the media attention on JetBlue the other day. The web site shows it arrived at 8:56p. Landed at 7:22p. I know PHL always has ice around the ramp after storms pretty much, but PHL will always find a way to disappoint the customer.

I'd bet the ramp is still pretty iced over. There are 2 major highways in eastern Pennsylvania still closed because of ice. Temperatures didn't exceed 26 degrees in PHL today. So unless your have every airport employee out on the ramp with ice picks breaking up ice PHL will remain a mess until a few consective days above freezing.

http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/KPHL.html

 

[Phoenix]

I just got a couple of calls from our fellow FF SS255, who at the moment is still waiting for her bags from the LAX-PHL flight which was supposed ot arrive at 7PM.

..
... She has said the passengers are causing a scene and demanding a manager to explain the delay.

....

A manager?

At PHL on a Friday after 3:00pm???

Sadly the folks who are the "managers" that have to face the wrath of the customers have not been given the authority to fix any part of the system that the managers above them have mucked up. I am afraid it is not their job to fix the problem, but rather only to :huh: mitigate the symptoms (the symptom being malcontent customers).

 

[BuffaloJoe]

I'd bet the ramp is still pretty iced over. There are 2 major highways in eastern Pennsylvania still closed because of ice. Temperatures didn't exceed 26 degrees in PHL today. So unless your have every airport employee out on the ramp with ice picks breaking up ice PHL will remain a mess until a few consective days above freezing.

http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/KPHL.html

Yeah that highway (I-78) is here in my County! That stretch where was jammed up is one of the most dangerous stretches of any highway.

Plow drivers and other personnel are working to remove ice and snow to make the highway passable. PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler says ice measures four to six inches thick on sections of the highway, making it too dangerous for travel. According to PennDOT, Interstate 78 remains closed from Route 100 to Exit 8 Route 22/Fredericksburg but hope to have it open by Saturday afternoon. Motorists who have questions about road closures in Pennsylvania resulting from this week’s winter storm should call toll-free, 1-800-VISIT-PA. (1-800-847-4872).

 

[Fly4Free]

Not only is it not US Airways' fault for the weather, they are doing their best facing the situation they are in.

Sometimes customers expect too much. I'm sure if the roles were reversed, they'd understand the work that is being put in to reaccomodate everyone, make sure people get home, and with their baggage.

I praise the people out there who are working to keep things running, no matter what Mother Nature throws at us, we can continue.

 

[hp_fa]

Crew Timeouts ARE in US Airways Control.

In this situation, not likely. As I said in another post, the reserves are all being used, are stuck somewhere, or are on days off and not answering the phone. As I also said, it takes days to get the operation back to normal.

 

[OldGuyinPA]

It's Pennsylvania in general...The highways are a mess. I have to give it to Maryland..the roads and the ramp areas are in much better shape..

Let's go get a brewski...

 

[LongTimeF/A]

Weather is not US Airways fault. How they respond to it is US Airways responsibility. I remain unimpressed. 1600 flights cancelled, many because of crew time outs. Crew Timeouts ARE in US Airways Control.

And on it goes.

wednesday, there were crews sitting out on the ramp for over 5hrs waiting to deice and take off.. Many of the flt attendants went illegal while waiting, still they worked the St Thomas,San Juan and other carribean destinations.. So when a crew goes illegal due to weather its not in US control..

 

[UWCactus]

Weather is not US Airways fault. How they respond to it is US Airways responsibility. I remain unimpressed. 1600 flights cancelled, many because of crew time outs. Crew Timeouts ARE in US Airways Control.

And on it goes.

Get in the business, see behind the scenes, have a good understanding of the operation and then speak up Piney. You are not the expert on every aspect of airline operations, even though you think you are!

 

[jcw]

I flew US during all this storm and thought they handled everything pretty well. It's amazing how frequent travelers can't seem to see ice all over the airport in philadelphia and not understand that somethings might not work. I"m a US1 and completely understand the challenges anyone would face in this situation. The bulk of the airport is covered with ice. Last I checked the city is responsible for removing ice from the taxi way's etc. US did a great job and I must complement all the employees for their hard work. For example, on my flight from CLT to PHL on Wednesday the captian asked several pilots on board to fly the flight so they could go fly another plane to JAX, without hesitation they did and 3 flight attendants volunteered to work the cabin so the cabin crew could go with the flight crew.

I think alot of people are not happy on this board unless they are complaining. Best advice is find another airline if its so hard for you fly this one.

 

[UWCactus]

I flew US during all this storm and thought they handled everything pretty well. It's amazing how frequent travelers can't seem to see ice all over the airport in philadelphia and not understand that somethings might not work. I"m a US1 and completely understand the challenges anyone would face in this situation. The bulk of the airport is covered with ice. Last I checked the city is responsible for removing ice from the taxi way's etc. US did a great job and I must complement all the employees for their hard work. For example, on my flight from CLT to PHL on Wednesday the captian asked several pilots on board to fly the flight so they could go fly another plane to JAX, without hesitation they did and 3 flight attendants volunteered to work the cabin so the cabin crew could go with the flight crew.

I think alot of people are not happy on this board unless they are complaining. Best advice is find another airline if its so hard for you fly this one.

Thank you for the positive feedback, I have to agree. I flew during the storm and friends flew on passes during the storm and in the midst of the chaos, they were handled beautifully as pass riders and had nothing but good things to say about the people they encountered while trying to on full flights, cancelled flights, iced over flights.

 

[Phoenix]

Not only is it not US Airways' fault for the weather, they are doing their best facing the situation they are in.

I understand that the weather has a huge impact on flight operations. The airlines that are being operated on a shoestring staff are more affected by weather.

When employees are systematically abused for so long that they are driven to the point that they are willing to travel on their off day to conduct picketing/protesting, then how on earth can we expect to rally them in a weather crisis to come in to work on their off day?

Don’t get me wrong. I have every confidence the employees that HAD to be at work were doing a great job. But events like this require everyone in the company, on duty and off, to come in and pull together.

I suspect the management at SouthWest would get a different response out of their employees on their off days, and frankly there is little to no difference between employees at SouthWest and US Air…

They all respond predictably to how they are treated, just like customers.

Cheers

 

[phasersonstun2]

You FF's are the reason we're still here. Thanks for your tireless dedication to us. Having said that, I have to defend the industry for a second. When there is an ice event and the temp never reaches 32, then there will be lingering problems. You are correct about the crew situation in that we are still trying to ram the jets through the day without thinking about crew bottlenecks concerning duty time. Sure, the planes can go, but crew duty day limits are like food expiration. Crew scheduling is taught to look forward only 48 hours at a time.
There needs to be a team that sets a recovery date about four or five days after a major storm and works the problem backwards to see what they need to do with crews and jets.

 

[Phoenix]

....
There needs to be a team that sets a recovery date about four or five days after a major storm and works the problem backwards to see what they need to do with crews and jets.

Yes there does. And I would venture to say that every employee recognizes that or could be easily convinced.

Obviously under the current staffing model your plan to alleviate this kind of disruption requires many employees to come in on their off days.

Who are we gonna call?

There were folks holding picketing signs walking back and forth in the freezing weather down in DC last week. Now there is a group of employees that are willing to go the extra mile for something they believe in.

Obviously the dedication they demonstrated proves they are the kind of people we want on our team.

Now, give them a call and win them over to your cause.

"Picket or Pitch in, you decide!" :unsure: