Down on the Jetbridge

[WingNaPrayer]

I have a question for the experienced agents among you - once a plane has come to a full stop at the gate, how long (in minutes) does it take to run the jetbridge over and into position?

Are jetbridge operations fairly similar from hub to hub?

If an agent smacks a jetbridge into a plane, what happens . . . in a nutshell?

 

[eolesen]

I was a jetbridge trainer 20 years ago... can't imagine much has changed since then, but assuming the bridge is pre-positioned in the right spot, and the floor is at the right height, it shouldn't take more than a minute from the time the wheels are chocked to the time the auto-leveler and canopy is down.

There are exceptions to everything (i.e. waiting for a piece of ramp equipment to be moved out of the way).

The procedures should be identical from station to station -- there are subtle differences in control panels, but there are only three or four companies who build the things, so the variations aren't that big a deal. An apron drive is an apron drive, regardless if it's a FMC/Jetway, Hobart, Mitsubishi, or some other manufacturer. The fixed bridges are even easier -- you only need to figure out up/down/backward/forward.

Where I see differences from station to station is when the agent is at the controls. Some stations still believe it is from the time the aircraft is on the ground, while others it is almost always after they're on the lead-in line. Other major difference is whether or not they stick around after the bridge is pulled but the aircraft is still on the gate. Personal feeling is they need to be there until the pushout tractor passes the bridge... If there's a need to evac the aircraft while it's still on the gate, blowing slides into the ground equipment seems to be a really bad idea...

 

[aamechntx]

Don't forget ThyssenKrupp. Their bridges in YYZ (Toronto) can be operated remotely from inside the terminal. Thyssen's A380 bridges have outriggers that deploy to provide stability upon docking. Also, Doo engineering from Canada have bridges in Denver, which can dock to the A380 without an agent present. Its completely automated. Lots of advancements, but in places like DFW we use 34 year old equipment. Although there are subtle differences in bridges most operate and behave pretty much the same from bridge to bridge.
As for smacking a plane. I would think that an investigation would promptly follow any incident.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

So then exactly 2 minutes and 4 seconds wouldn't be unreasonable to expect an agent to put the bridge on? What happens to the agent if they rush it and smack the plane with the jetbridge? Is that like an auto-accident, is it reportable to some government agency?

2.4 is what MIA is being given. Anyone who doesn't make it in 2 minutes 4 seconds is written up for a 'gate miss'?
'

 

[eolesen]

2.4 is entirely reasonable, and probably overkill. ORD used to write up gate misses over a minute, but then again they've always believed in accountability... just look at the differences in bag mishandlings.


Smacking the aircraft happens from time to time, especially on the older chain drives. I've never seen any damage done to a Boeing, Airpig or MadDog, but it was a real problem with the Dutch Ovens...

I saw a 727-023 get pushed about a foot to the right of the lead in line one winter... Between the ice and glycol, the ramp was slicker than a newborn's diaper, yet the jetbridge was on dry pavement. No damage to the 727 or the bridge. No investigation, either.

 

[Mach85ER]

E,

From the pilot perspective, the "healthy" jetbridge mates seem to be a thing of the past.

They used to be fairly common, the jetbridge would hit with a thump, the cockpit would bounce around, and most Captain's would usually respond in the middle of the Parking Checklist with "Torpedo Hit, Port Bow"

 

[Boomer]

With regards to Agent response time: it depends on the station and the staffing.

At my location it can take between 10 and 30 minutes for the Ramp to become available for parking.

It can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes for a jetbridge to be placed on the aircraft because they are working other flights with another agent and will not leave a departure until they are told an arrival is actually being parked.

You can blame the delay on the ramp understaffing, agent understaffing or: blame it on Maintenance- as long as you can claim you actually saw an Aircraft Mechanic in the vicinity of the aircraft.

With respect to the "jetbridge bump"; it goes from the good natured qoute to an aircraft being ferried with external stringers and a scab-patch back to TULE. I've worked both.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

Thanks for all the opinions here. I liked the "jetbridge bump" and it made me wonder, just how much of a whack an aircraft can take from an over-zealous jetbridge hook-up?

I guess the thing that was throwing me here was the 4 seconds. It made the whole thing sound anal. Now I'm stuck wondering just how management heavy AA really is in that they appear to have management that can sit on their fanny all day monitoring jetbridge hook-ups until they come up with a "4 second" average.

As a pax, I wouldn't want an agent hurrying to hook the jetbridge risking aircraft damage that might trap me on board longer until they investigate the damage. Hell if you sneeze on an aircraft it seems to be cause for a BOI and I've been held up by more than a few of those in past travels.

Hope everyone had a great 4th!