PHL problems and solutions (equipment)

[AstroLounge]

It would be good to book away from USAirways for the peak of the Holiday Season.

Booking away from the airline is ridiculous........rerouting AWAY from PHL is the answer. Until that place can prove its operational worth on a lean day, STAY AWAY, A-V-O-I-D.....think Plague.

 

[libertybell]

Just an update folks no promised equipment has yet arrived in Philly. Guess the execs are to busy counting there bonus money!

Anyone wanna take a guess on how many bags miss in the coming weeks?

 

[libertybell]

Still waiting!

 

[MarkMyWords]

No holiday snags at airport
Everything was reported as smooth on the second-busiest travel day. Optimism prevails for tomorrow, the busiest.


http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13259403.htm

Great job by all in PHL.

 

[MarkMyWords]

The last few days have been quite cold in PHL, but no deicing event that I am aware of.

The bottom line is many in this thread predicted a total meltdown in PHL on Wed and it didn't materialize. You are going to kick that in the teeth? The PHL team pulled together, did the job and should be congratulated for their hard work. When we get to a deicing event and the associated problems, we shall see what happens.

 

[Art at ISP]

OK Rather than start a whole new thread on this, let me ask a question...

Today I flew ISP-PHL-ORD. PHL was unusually quiet for a holiday weekend. Everything looked kind of normal except that there were many fewer buses going between F and the other terminals-there was actually a long line and a wait for a bus FROM F!

I stopped by the club and there was only one familiar face--the bartender!!! They must have mostly new agents in the club, but I am sure they will be every bit as nice as those we know so well.

Now for the question...I board 637 to O'Hare, and 10 min before departure, the door is closed, and suddenly the rampers stop loading bags. There is a cart and a half of bags, most of which are clearly tagged for ORD (a fellow passenger noticed that as well, and sighed out loud, "welcome to Philadelphia"), which just don't get loaded!

Also at this point the rampers just disappear..they roll the loader back and poof they're gone. They leave the bags on the carts right at the gate, which leads me to believe they are NOT due for the next flight to ORD.

So my question is, is there a reason for these bags to be left, or is it just the same ole same ole at PHL--forget bags but the flight must leave on time? It actually left 5 min early.

I am not trying to be a rabble rouser, I am just trying to ask a logical question, and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that there was a valid reason for leaving so many bags.

Otherwise a great flight arriving almost 30 min early in ORD, and an excellent in flight crew, with whom I had the pleasure of chatting for a while.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated...

my best to you all....

 

[libertybell]

I am not trying to be a rabble rouser, I am just trying to ask a logical question, and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that there was a valid reason for leaving so many bags.

Art ever hear about weight and balance? When the loads are high on fuel and passengers the cargo can get wthheld from loading so the plane will fly. That may have been the problem and with holiday loads it might be very likely.

Or the crew assigned to work that flight might have had a crew change. We used to be assigned a gate all day to work but now the ramp crews are moved around like musical chairs. If its 2pm for example and your on a flight you move to your next assigned area. When you dont have enough people you get what you might have seen.

Over all please dont blame the ramp crews they are following there work assignments.

 

[Art at ISP]

Libertybell,

I am also a pilot, so I am well familiar with weight and balance. And as I said before I did not bring this up to blame someone, I asked an open question. Although its possible to be a w/b issue, I doubt it, as the flight was operated by a 737-300 flying less than half its range. The flight was mostly full, and bags could have been loaded both fore and aft. Of course they could have been tankering fuel, but I doubt it.

If in fact it was a crew change or related issue responsible, which I think is more likely, then this is an issue which still needs to be addressed in PHL. While I may understand the issues involved what about the people who also noticed the bags in the cabin and mentioned it out loud? What about the people who didn't get their bags?

Like I said before, the question was asked not to point a finger or blame someone, but to bring light to a possible situation. Let's hope that these things get addressed soon.

 

[Dog Wonder]

Art ever hear about weight and balance? When the loads are high on fuel and passengers the cargo can get wthheld from loading so the plane will fly. That may have been the problem and with holiday loads it might be very likely.

Or the crew assigned to work that flight might have had a crew change. We used to be assigned a gate all day to work but now the ramp crews are moved around like musical chairs. If its 2pm for example and your on a flight you move to your next assigned area. When you dont have enough people you get what you might have seen.

Over all please dont blame the ramp crews they are following there work assignments.

No one blamed the ramp crew. Do you know why the bags were not loaded?

 

[700UW]

Were that a lot of missing bags when you got to ORD?

 

[Art at ISP]

700UW

I have no idea if there were missing bags or not--I know better than to check any, so I didn't wait around baggage claim.

 

[PHL Flash]

700UW

I have no idea if there were missing bags or not--I know better than to check any, so I didn't wait around baggage claim.

Art -- May not be the case any more, but in the past, all the ORD flights left from the same gate. Those bags left behind MAY have been for the next flight. Just a thought.

 

[Art at ISP]

Flash,

I don't think that is the situation any more. My flight left from B16, the next one left from B1.

I guess it may just come down to Philly Phactor.

 

[allstrike]

My prediction is you won't see baggage problems until it gets cold and the number of "No-Starts" goes through the roof along with the increase in travelers and their bags. A potentially deadly combo.

Bob,it got cold all the way into sunday morning ether was in the air.Melted all start cables and all the mean and nasty things you dont want to know about happened on a subtle level.

But PHL stayed toughmost evryone worked together and the ones who hadnt lived with the cold were shown how.This is a damn good crew of people in PHL,dispite not one new tug coming we got it done.Thanks to everyone who was there,be proud we stuck together....and did it.

 

[john john]

OK Rather than start a whole new thread on this, let me ask a question...

Today I flew ISP-PHL-ORD. PHL was unusually quiet for a holiday weekend. Everything looked kind of normal except that there were many fewer buses going between F and the other terminals-there was actually a long line and a wait for a bus FROM F!

I stopped by the club and there was only one familiar face--the bartender!!! They must have mostly new agents in the club, but I am sure they will be every bit as nice as those we know so well.

Now for the question...I board 637 to O'Hare, and 10 min before departure, the door is closed, and suddenly the rampers stop loading bags. There is a cart and a half of bags, most of which are clearly tagged for ORD (a fellow passenger noticed that as well, and sighed out loud, "welcome to Philadelphia"), which just don't get loaded!

Also at this point the rampers just disappear..they roll the loader back and poof they're gone. They leave the bags on the carts right at the gate, which leads me to believe they are NOT due for the next flight to ORD.

So my question is, is there a reason for these bags to be left, or is it just the same ole same ole at PHL--forget bags but the flight must leave on time? It actually left 5 min early.

I am not trying to be a rabble rouser, I am just trying to ask a logical question, and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that there was a valid reason for leaving so many bags.

Otherwise a great flight arriving almost 30 min early in ORD, and an excellent in flight crew, with whom I had the pleasure of chatting for a while.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated...

my best to you all....

If the bags were left behind because of an O.T. departure for managements stats what about the pawb’s stats. This is how the meld down starts you cannot reroute those misconnect bags on RJ’s because that can’t take the bags of the people already on board. You allow misconnect bags and chalk it up to weight and balance the industry is OK with. The snowball starts<<<<<<<<<