Rome Flight returns to PHL

[700UW]

For a mechanical the airline HAS to be put them up for the night if they cant make other arrangements to get them to their destination.

I would be filing complaints with the DOT.

 

[PHL]

According to flightaware, US #718 returned to PHL at 1022pm.

Interesting routing.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/USA718/...0045Z/KPHL/KPHL

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there another A330 RON in PHL for the SJU flight the next morning? Why not use that one?

 

[700UW]

Because it is usually in mtc to keep the ETOPS certification, getting its checks done at the line hangar in PHL.

ETOPS requires a lot of preventative maintenance.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

According to flightaware, US #718 returned to PHL at 1022pm.

Interesting routing.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/USA718/...0045Z/KPHL/KPHL

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there another A330 RON in PHL for the SJU flight the next morning? Why not use that one?

There are also a couple of 767's that RON in PHL.

 

[700UW]

The 767 is severely limited cargo wise to make it to FCO.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

The 767 is severely limited cargo wise to make it to FCO.

The Cargo can go the next day, what about the passengers?

 

[PHL]

Because it is usually in mtc to keep the ETOPS certification, getting its checks done at the line hangar in PHL.

ETOPS requires a lot of preventative maintenance.

Ok, fine. But that RON is normally ready for the SJU flight by 8am or so, right? When is the work actually complete that it could have conceivably been pulled out for these folks to make the trip - even if it were to be 3 or 4am? And, frankly if it takes all night to do the ETOPS check, then so be it. Point is, they could have yanked the SJU bird and sent those folks to Rome this morning.

Heaven help US if they only get 2 345's to run a long haul route(like China) that requires 3 to operate reliably.

 

[hharotz]

Called a friend of mine who works as a sup in PHL and got the lowdown on what happend...

The plane returned to PHL and was fixed by MTC. By the time everything was signed off in the logbook the plane was almost ready to push when the crew went illegal. This was just after midnight. All indications were that the flight was going to go, so there was no need to rebook pax early on.

The passengers were all given hotel vouchers and since it was well past two AM after over 200 MANUAL hotel and meal vouchers were issued(thank u AmericaWest!) the pax were advised to contact reservations to rebook from home since there were going to be no flights till the next afternoon anyways....also last night OCC was apparently trying to organize an extra section for today which would only have been loaded into Shares in the AM. The extra section never materialized and all the pax were rerouted through Europe today.

Apparently most of the pax were ok and understanding, but there was one 'high profile' pax who got on his cellphone to call out a newscrew to the airport at 2AM since a cancelled flight was BREAKING NEWS! ...There's one on every flight!

 

[Aryeh]

Have you ever used QIK/Shares, BB? I have. And it's actually quite easy to rebook pax on same, or different, airline...

Like someone else mentioned, the difficulty -- no matter which res system is in use -- is finding flights to Rome or connections to Rome, from PHL, at that time of night

I don't know what world you're living in regarding QIK/Shares being easy to book other airlines!
I do better than most with whom I work but finding OA flights takes several times longer and any success I have is spite of the system and a large helping of my perseverance. You'll find few or no solutions by limiting flights searches to the obvious, ie., PHL-LON on BA or to FRA on LH.
Success is only possible if one:
1. knows their geography,
2. is familiar with the many potential airlines that exist along with their routes and hubs,
3. has the imagination to make the most of the two above.
Then and only then am I able to find solutions on other airlines.
PHL-LON? Forget the obvious; consider PHL-ORD then British Midland via MAN, or try AC via YYZ or YUL, try via WAS on UA, LH via MUC.
There any a lot of unconventional routings and carriers but sometimes they'll work. But you have to dig and dig. This piece=of-junk system will never offer them to you.
SABRE did much better. And at least with SABRE I could, with two or three keysrokes, modify previous entries with different airlines or connecting cities. Now, each time I come up with nothing, I have to begin my search, over and over again, from scratch.

 

[700UW]

It all depends on which level of check and if they did not have the nav computer to fix the returning bird, they would not have the bird ready for the morning flight to SJU-PHL-LGW.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

It all depends on which level of check and if they did not have the nav computer to fix the returning bird, they would not have the bird ready for the morning flight to SJU-PHL-LGW.

Gee aren't the Pilots trained in Manual Navigation? How did they fly before computers were installed years ago?

 

[PHL]

Gee aren't the Pilots trained in Manual Navigation? How did they fly before computers were installed years ago?

It's more involved than that. First and foremost being a minimum equipment list(MEL) as prescribed by the manufacturer for safe operation. Certain things can go INOP in flight and allow the plane to continue, where other items require a diversion/return for landing. If they had made it out well over the Atlantic, or into the edges of Western Europe, then what? Continue? Land nearest airport?

Clearly they were able to navigate because they could turn around and find their way to PHL. So if it happened further out, they would have been left with no option but to navigate further. Keep in mind that these pilots are probably senior enough to remember flying the steam guages in 707s....

 

[ClueByFour]

Two 345s to China (or anywhere else of that stage length) will be a nightmare for reasons like this.

 

[N924PS]

Called a friend of mine who works as a sup in PHL and got the lowdown on what happend...



Apparently most of the pax were ok and understanding, but there was one 'high profile' pax who got on his cellphone to call out a newscrew to the airport at 2AM since a cancelled flight was BREAKING NEWS! ...There's one on every flight!

Tony Soprano and the entire "Familia" was on board. And boy somebody's stones are gonna get broken over that turnback.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Just saw the story on the 12pm news in Philly, They dont mess around in Philly when it comes to UsAirways..quick to call the media.

A US Airways F*&k up is equivilent to a drive-by in the PHL media. I.E. it happens all the time...

Later,
Eye