What The Heck Happened

[tadjr]

but I've never, repeat never, had a 4 hour delay going to PHL. Doesn't mean that they don't happen, just that they weren't nearly automatic every time PHL had Wx issues.

[post="250598"][/post]​

Well from a CS standpoint and having to reroute customers, I can tell you sometimes 2-4 hours is an every afternoon occurance, especially in the summertime. It doesnt happen every day, but when the storms are bad up North, it can be hours, looooong hours with boarding lounges full of PHL folks. Our 4pm flight with INTL conx very often isnt given clearance until 630-7 or later. Luckily it appears that they have FINALLY moved the connections on most flights to give more than 50 minutes to International, but we shall see what the summer brings this year. The good thing too with the rolling hub is that not every connection on every flight busts now, even with an hour or so delay and if they do, there is usually another flight (if available) within an hour or so of arrival so they dont have to sit in PHL for hours waiting for another connection.

 

[Mtnman928]

Only one comment, MMW. Admittedly I don't fly in/out of PHL every day but I've never, repeat never, had a 4 hour delay going to PHL. Doesn't mean that they don't happen, just that they weren't nearly automatic every time PHL had Wx issues.

The 2 hours is about the most I've ever seen.

Jim

[post="250598"][/post]​

Being based in PHL for the last 3 years I have seen the delays get longer and longer. I don't know how many times my last trip into PHL has been delayed and impacting my commute home. Lately it seems the delays are running into the 3+ hour range.

Interesting enough, last Sunday I was in CLT headed to BOS and had a 5+03 hour delay but that was do to snow in BOS. It still made for a long night and arrived shortly befoe 1 am.

Mtnman

 

[BoeingBoy]

I was at the barber getting a haircut and it hit me we may have a difference of perspective problem here. For example....

Plane scheduled A - PHL - B - PHL - C - PHL - D - PHL - E

If PHL is having a wx day, by the time the plane gets to D it can be 2-3 hours late. Then ATC gives a 90 minute delay (or EDCT time, as we call it). To the passengers, CSA's, etc, the delay is now 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours measured from the original scheduled departure time. However, to me in the cockpit, I've just gotten a 90 minute ATC delay.

Earlier, when I said I'd never had a 4 hour delay that's what I meant - ATC had never issued an EDCT that was that long after I would have been ready to depart. That is definitely different than how far behind published schedule the flight might be operating.

Jim

 

[MarkMyWords]

That's not the case.....in all seriousness, when the GDP's are issued, delays for one flight can be issued at 240 minutes. That doesn't take into account any residual delays from previously delayed flights. The only way to reduce those delays is improvement in the weather resluting in improved arrival rate, or cancelling flights to reduce demand.

 

[BoeingBoy]

I guess I've just been lucky then. And I'll keep my fingers crossed that the luck continues....

Jim

PS - I can see how an arrival rate of 38 flights per hour isn't working in PHL on a day like this with an east operation and ceiling/vis low enough to preclude using 17/35. If ATC is perfect, there 3 miles separation on short final - one plane touching down, the next 3 miles out (or nearly so). That last three miles is at a groundspeed of 2 to 2-1/2 miles a minute, so touchdowns are 1:12 to 1:30 apart. Now that gives 40-50 arrivals per hour if ATC is perfect, if there no extra separation due to aircraft size differences (heavy's), if there's no disruption to the flow due to runway plowing, etc. Given a heavy or 757 mixed in here and there, mixing the turboprops into the mix, imperfect ATC - 38 per hour is the max you could expect with no other problems. Shut down the runway for 10 minutes to plow, there goes 6-8 of those 38 arrivals - they're pushed back to the next hours allotment, pushing some of those back, etc.

 

[tadjr]

To help clarify the PHL problem today. Its 450am and I just got off my 2am shift (Last flight skd from PHL at 110am on a good day.)

Also can anyone verify if they had problems with a snowplow on the runway about 3-4pm today? Were told one tipped over and that they might end up canceling a lot of pm flights but they seemed to get the airport open by about 4pm. Did this happen or was it just regular snow removal that shut it down?

 

[MarkMyWords]

Tad....

It is true.

 

[PSA1979]

Did a "quick" round trip to PBI last night. Thank goodness for our wonderful dispatchers. We were only a couple hours late into PBI. But the flight back, which was scheduled out at 1920, had a wheels up time of 0345. Considering it was around 2045 when we were informed of this, you can imagine the dismay.

Unfortunately we were legal until 0545. But like I said thank goodness for our dispatchers. They combined 2 flights and got us a wheels up at 2150. Landed last night at 0005, but an airplane got stuck in the snow being towed off it's gate right in front of us. Blocked in at 0045. Not too bad, all things considering, only 3 hours late for that "quick" round trip.