Weight restrictions on airbuses

crusher

Senior
Jan 28, 2003
492
4
DCA/BWI
Has anyone else noticed the ever increasing problems we are having with weight restrictions and balance problems on airbuses that we have never had before? This has only happened since more "west" sytems have been adopted. A 319 fully loaded with pax and bags have never previously had this problem , now it is a regular occurence and we constantly deny boarding to cover the weight problems. What is going on? Or is this just another poorly thought out choice,by the morons in the Sand Castle? Their pathetic decisions are destroying us. Is it any wonder we have been voted "The Worst Airline in the World".
 
Has anyone else noticed the ever increasing problems we are having with weight restrictions and balance problems on airbuses that we have never had before? This has only happened since more "west" sytems have been adopted. A 319 fully loaded with pax and bags have never previously had this problem , now it is a regular occurence and we constantly deny boarding to cover the weight problems. What is going on? Or is this just another poorly thought out choice,by the morons in the Sand Castle? Their pathetic decisions are destroying us. Is it any wonder we have been voted "The Worst Airline in the World".


Another example of a fine on point post, by a great hardwarking US Airways employee who is held back only by the stooges in Tempe!
 
We have figured it out as a cost savings with high fuel costs. Let them slide into their destination on fumes to get lower rates in certain cities with cheaper fuel.
 
Just another glaring example of HP influenced operational incompetence. When east got the AB , one reason was that they could make it coast to coast NONSTOP , fully loaded. Now we can not do DCA to LAS/PHX without a fuel stop in ABQ. The only difference between then and now is HP management and their continued operational idiocy. Tempe is truly a Confederacy of Dunces.
 
If I wanted to stop I would make that choice. When I book a flight PHL-SFO nonstop, I expect it to be nonstop. I understand that the winds cause the effect, but when its just that the airline doesn't want to fill up the tank so that it could do it nonstop, who does it inconvienience, the Customer. They are charging the average Flyer extra for the flight, so they should accommidate. Medical diversions is one thing and that should never ever be compromised, but when its just company trying to save a buck or two, then that becomes misleading. False Advertising. I know its not the Pilots fault, they have their hands tied. Its the upper management to blame. OK Here's another thing, does a fuel stop require the Airline to pay a landing fee to that airport? I
 
I would think that a fuel stop uses more fuel than the fuel needed to carry the extra weight of a few pounds more fuel needed to make the non stop.
 
Has anyone else noticed the ever increasing problems we are having with weight restrictions and balance problems on airbuses that we have never had before? This has only happened since more "west" sytems have been adopted. A 319 fully loaded with pax and bags have never previously had this problem , now it is a regular occurence and we constantly deny boarding to cover the weight problems. What is going on? Or is this just another poorly thought out choice,by the morons in the Sand Castle? Their pathetic decisions are destroying us. Is it any wonder we have been voted "The Worst Airline in the World".
I was actually wondering the same thing and it has been happening ALOT as of late. I know that HP used to have this happen fairly often but I thought it was because they didn't have the same load planning. I find it completely strange that Airbuses that used to fly transcon nonstop are having issues flying a 2 hour flight.
 
On the west we noticed a sudden reduction in lift capability the day we went to SABRE/FOS.

One of the managers, who was in the pilot lounge for the week of the transition, said that the company was not pleased with the reduction in capability.

SABRE/FOS is supposedly a less expensive performance service than our previous vendor but because it is less accurate it has a larger weight buffer. (The SABRE flight plan always has us carry more fuel. We now always carry some holding fuel regardless of WX and traffic where in the past we would often carry none.)

From what I have seen on line it is indeed a performance calculation issue and not a weight measurement issue. The actual aircraft weights appear to be as accurate, or inaccurate as the case may be, as the old system was.

The airbus can calculate its weight once airborne and at present there is a way for the flightcrew to look at this data. Often is is within 1000lbs of what our final W&B data indicates.

I have, however, seen it as much as 12,000lbs off. I will usually only check it if the airplane is not flying the way I think it should. (Speeds off, Vmo and Vso too close at cruise etc.)

The USAir solution to potential overwight conditions. Make the data inaccessible to the flight crew. Pure genius.
 
I'm confused. How is it the "West" fault when we now use the "East" dispatch and weight & balance systems and methods? The restrictions are due to hold and alternate fuel needing to be added for either current or forcated weather. Shouldn't affect the 319 though.

Yes, a fuel stop uses more fuel. But it doesn't work that way. If a flight goes PHL-SFO, and it doesn't have the fuel to make it, it (obviously) needs more fuel. Take off with enough fuel to get to say DEN, land in DEN, then fuel for DEN-SFO. An A320 hold 42,200 pounds of fuel. If PHL-SFO needs 44,000, PHL-DEN may only need 36,000 and DEN-SFO 15,000. Making up numbers of course, but it's suitable for examples.
 
Within the last 3 weeks we had a weight restriction on a dca-lga shuttle flight. We took vols and gave db's. The shuttle carries few bags and 12-16,000 lbs of fuel. Again this has only been happening since HP load/mtc systems were put in place. Although making money is nice , what good things has HP management given us? The worst res system in modern aviation , a useless maintenance computer system , now weight issues that we have never had before. USAirways where (thanks to Tempe) Incompetence reigns supreme!
 
Ever since West went on the East system for dispatch and the trim sheet, we have had more weight restricted flights than before(west), so I think its a combination of reconfigurations, PIT dispatch and winds are pretty strong right now.
 
Has anyone else noticed the ever increasing problems we are having with weight restrictions and balance problems on airbuses that we have never had before? This has only happened since more "west" sytems have been adopted. A 319 fully loaded with pax and bags have never previously had this problem , now it is a regular occurence and we constantly deny boarding to cover the weight problems. What is going on? Or is this just another poorly thought out choice,by the morons in the Sand Castle? Their pathetic decisions are destroying us. Is it any wonder we have been voted "The Worst Airline in the World".


Wow let me think...what things change every winter?
 
Wow let me think...what things change every winter?
The problem is the exra seats...you can only weigh so much..you have to balance fuel, bags and people. Once you get to a certain point one of those items has to get off the plane...if they choose fuel..it means a fuel stop ..the winter jet stream has extremely high winds..as it did this week.. took off 5 pax added fuel still a close call Clt-San....BusFlt321
 
Thank you for reminding me about that other brilliant west decision to reconfigure all the AB's and add seats ,thus reducing range and increasing weight. Seems to me I heard a while back that Airbus had told the compnay NOT to reconfigure them since this is what the result would be. I guess Tempe really does think they know better .,.NOT!
 
The problem is the exra seats...you can only weigh so much..you have to balance fuel, bags and people. Once you get to a certain point one of those items has to get off the plane...if they choose fuel..it means a fuel stop ..the winter jet stream has extremely high winds..as it did this week.. took off 5 pax added fuel still a close call Clt-San....BusFlt321

How many total did you take?