Southwest. Different operation, different contract, different work conditions, different work environment, different load variables, different expectations, different management, different procedure, different staffing etc. etc. ad nauseum...
US/WN/YV; apples/oranges/prunes. It is my opinion, that within our operation in PHX, the only one for which I can comment on, that any manager that's resorting to "helping out" on a specific gate is doing so only because he or she has failed in fulfilling his or her managerial role, for if he'd calculated and provided the proper resources (bodies/data/equipment) to the people doing the job, i.e. us, then he wouldn't have to break a sweat doing work he's contractually forbidden to do...
Whether or not SWA kicks our butts is not solely dependent on the workings of US fleet service. We are getting flights out on time...
SWA can get away with this because their operational/procedural configuration is conducive to it (obviously). But I'd imagine that turning a flight at WN and turning a flight at US are quite different affairs. Why can't we turn a flight in 30 minutes? Because we'd be pushing flights out with only half of their passengers and bags. Having a more robust CONX operation we have to allow time for pax and bags to connect. We move more freight than does WN. More of our flights require security sweeps. We have more high-capacity narrow-bodies than they. We have an international operation. If US wants a 30 minute turn standard, the ramp is the least of their challenges in achieving this. Given management's reluctance to competently staff gate agents, and their commitment to "streamlined boarding", and the number of gate-checked bags we contend with, it's not unreasonable to conclude that management is satisfied with the amount of time they allot for the turns, especially with our on-time performance....
Truly, SWA deserves all the accolades and respect they've received and will continue to for having perfected their very unique operation. SWA is a consistently profitable point-to-point domestic short- and medium-haul carrier. US is a schizophrenic networked international quasi-LCC whose fortunes seem to rise and fall with the fortunes of the greater industry, or at least similarly-structured airlines. Inasmuch as this data may invalidate Janitor's claims they do not correlate in any direct or meaningful way to the issue of ground turn times, at least any more than any of the other great many aspects of airline operations that SWA has mastered...
Point being that US Fleet Service can only be held to the goals and responsibilities as they are set by US management. We're not flipping flights in 30 minutes or less (late flights excluded) for the simple reason that US management does not consider that short of ground time to be suitable for our operation. US Fleet Service has no control over the amount of ground time allotted to flights. Our ground time requirements being as they are tied to the various aspects of the operation of the airline, one would need to re-engineer a whole lot more than ramp procedure to reduce this to 30 minutes; that is to say one may as well overhaul the entire US network and flight schedule and business model. This in turn highlights the greater point that SWA can do what it can by virtue of their being SWA, and US cannot perfectly emulate any given sizable aspect of SWA's operation because US is not SWA.
So proflofflegates ChockJockey.
CJ,
Normally speaking I agree with you on most posts (as we are the same person according to some wags, right?), but you are completely incorrect on so many levels within your post for which I needed to abbreviate.
First, SWA and US are not that much different in the vast majority of the flights. Are their B737's smaller than ours? Are you saying that SWA B737's are smaller than an US A319? Even the larger B737-700's are comparable to the A320's in terms of passenger load. Also consider that since SWA does not charge for the first two bags, which airline do you think would be handling more bags in the bins? This is why SWA flights commonly handle 100+ bags on the up and download... remember those days before US or America West charged for every bag?
Second, don't fool yourself about SWA cargo... they handle just as much if not more than US. Go check out their facilities sometime. I have heard US management make the same claim, then I asked around and realized it was another management excuse as to the lengthy turn times.
Third, you think international flights and sweeps are a major compontent to the ground time? What percentage of the US flights are international? Must be less than 3%. You think that explains the padded ground time for domestic A319's, A320's and B737's?
Fourth, you rightfully believe that the larger the plane, the more time will be required to turn the plane... fair enough. However, I will ask a same question again in a slighty different way... You think that explains the padded ground time for
domestic A319's, A320's and B737's?
Fifth, you think that SWA's "focus cities" aren't really hubs by another name given they have banks for connecting passengers just like US? Sneak on over to the SWA gates and watch from the boarding area how many CONX bags they are handling.
Sixth, you are correct that in order to turn a plane faster, it will take more than ground operations, but even if other parts of the equation could do it in 30 minutes, do you think US ramp agents as a whole could handle 2 man teams making quick turns handling 6-7 flights a day? I'll start buying life insurance on most of the US ramp agents then.
Seventh, less than 30% of US fleet are A-321 or larger and they usually fly longer routes, thus less landings and turns per day. So disportionally speaking, the smaller narrow bodies certainly have more turns per a day for the simple reason that the segments are usually shorter. My point being that even if one was to include all US planes into the equation, those planes larger than SWA B737s would have a minor impact upon the average ground time. So to ask again.... You think that explains the padded ground time for
domestic A319's, A320's and B737's? (Source of fleet size: http://www.planesregister.com/airline/US%20Airways.htm)
Eighth, you gloss over the issue of ground time when someone on the board groused about being paid less than SWA ramp agents for which I reminded them as to the number of turns, number of bags and ground time, instead you blame management for not having 30 minute turns. My point being that even if US paid its fleet service agents $100/hour, I'll take bets on the first one to gork on the ramp after the 7th flight of a 2-man team during a 115 degree PHX summer day.
Ninth, so when supervisors "failed in fulfilling his or her managerial role" in providing adequate staffing due to irregular ops or quick turns, you think it would be prudent use of financial resources to have agents standing around just in case? That's about the only time I have seen management help-out, and I would rather them give me a hand tossing the bags onto the beltloader instead of demanding as to why we did not get the plane out fast enough during that shortened ground time after the push.
I think you are getting my many points.
So Counts Jester.
