Rescue Supplies denied

[eolesen]

Question regarding cubing out. Was it ever common practice to deny a revenue pax an open seat (standby rev pax for instance) soley because their bags were not going to get on a cubed out flight?

If we knew the bag couldn't be loaded, we'd give the customer the option of going without it, and mark the bag as a voluntary-separation (meaning the customer was on the hook for reclaiming vs. AA delivering it).

For confirmed customers, practice to the Caribbean prior to the embargo was to have customers with excess bags identify which bags they wanted as must-rides, and which could be kept back if there wasn't room. I don't recall ever having a cube-out on the free-allowance bags alone with the A300 or DC10 (wouldn't be at all surprised if it's happening with with the 757 and 737 today..)

Backlogs got forwarded as space permitted, and when it was really backed up, SOC would throw in a "pilot trainers" on JFK-SJU-SDQ-JFK or another routing where it was OK to carry freight, bags, mail but no passengers... But that was back when fuel was cheap, and we were taking delivery of new aircraft just about every week.

 

[Barfbag]

The transaction was handled in a manner which satisfied the corporate rules, yes.

The AA rep handled herself and represented the company well, yes.

Whoever these people were proclaiming they had some sort of cure-all in their bags, no one will never know for sure.

I guess, no other country, in the amost 110 member countrys rescue force already in Haiti failed to bring what these guys were carrying in their bags.

 

[eolesen]

I just picked up on the fact this group was traveling five days *after* the earthquake.

I'm not a MD, but what I'm reading off the CDC's website says treatment for crush syndrome needs to begin within 12 hours of the injury. If someone was crushed under a building for six or seven days (reasonable time it would take them to get from SAN-SDQ-PAP), they're already beyond the point of treatment.

Godspeed to all those willing to go do work like this in a time of need.

Hopefully, just as many people are going to be willing to head there six months from now, because Haiti's problems are going to continue long after the news cameras are gone...