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Friday, June 29, 2007
With schedules packed, storms can decimate flight schedules
One of the best stories on this past week's round of delays and cancellations comes from The Star-Ledger of Newark. The paper puts the nationwide delay problem into perspective by taking a look at how airlines dealt with yesterday's storms at Newark Liberty International, one of the most delay-prone airports in the USA.
The paper's story –- a good read for those wanting more on the subject –- says "yesterday's flight operations at Newark … , where more than 200 flights were canceled, provide a stark illustration of an airline industry so overburdened that a mild summer storm –- or even the fear of one -– can wreak havoc across the nation. It was not yet even 8 a.m., as early forecasts indicated severe thunderstorm activity brewing along a wide swath of the Northeast, stretching from Boston straight down to Washington, D.C."
The Star-Ledger says that even "with the skies over Newark still a pale blue and the air sauna-like, the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration started taking steps to drastically thin out the volume of air traffic scheduled to head into Newark Liberty long before the weather hit." The paper notes that in ideal conditions, Newark can land as many as 52 planes an hour.
Throughout the day, the FAA lowered the number of landings at Newark to 38. Officials before anticipated that would eventually drop to only 30 -– meaning nearly half of the airport's scheduled flights would not be able to land. And, of course, the poor weather also slowed or grounded departures from the airport. "It's controlled chaos," one Newark air traffic controller tells the paper. "We're very frustrated in the tower because we can't get anyone off the ground. The pilots are screaming. ... It's a lot of pressure."
(Read below for media accounts on individual fliers who had their travel plans disrupted.)
Posted at 01:15 PM/ET, Jun 29, 2007 in Storm delays and cancellations | Permalink | Comments 3
Fliers share travel nightmares with the media
"Canceled flights, lost luggage and getting stuck in Chicago on your way to a dream vacation in Paris. It's nobody's idea of summer fun," that's from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which writes one of the many stories this week about what's shaping up to be a painful summer for air travel. And media across the country have had few problems tracking down fliers with tales of woe. Read on for numerous accounts uncovered by various newspapers.
Cancellation rebookings get flier labeled as 'high flight risk'
The Detroit Free Press writes that "numerous cancellations and rebookings on (Northwest passenger)Mike Hicks' itinerary on Saturday caused computers to label him a high flight risk, which led to further delays and luggage checks. At one point, he was rebooked on a trip home that would have had him traveling for 16 hours from California to New Jersey, Florida and finally Detroit."
The paper says "he was taken off the flight and rebooked on an overbooked flight from which he was bumped. He was sent to Delta without paperwork, only to be sent back to Northwest to get proof that he was legitimately sent that way. Eventually, he took a flight to Salt Lake City, where Northwest staff compensated him with a free ticket. 'Hopefully they'll get this situation straightened out,' he said. 'It does affect so many people's lives.' "
'I have to pay to stay overnight,' flier says
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Bob Snyder, a business traveler who was trying to fly home to Boston, arrived two hours early for his flight only to learn it was delayed two hours. After calling United Airlines' 800 number from the airport, he was told to take the delayed flight to Chicago, spend the night in that city and then catch a flight the next morning to Boston. 'Everything was full,' he said, as he pushed his luggage forward in a line that snaked through the terminal. 'I have to pay to stay overnight in Chicago. It's very frustrating.' "
NWA cancelations mar school trip to Vatican
The Indianapolis Star writes that "Maria Gallina expected her opportunity to be in the choir for a Mass at the Vatican to be 'overwhelmingly important and spiritual.' A canceled flight Thursday, however, dashed those hopes for the 15-year-old second soprano. In all, about a quarter of the 83 Indianapolis Children's Choir members selected to take the 10-day trip missed the first stop of a seven-stop singing tour through Italy today because of the flight problem."
"Their plans to fly from Indianapolis to Detroit, New York and then to Europe were thwarted when Northwest Airlines canceled the second leg of the journey because of poor weather on the East Coast and a logjam of flights. … The choir members' canceled New York flight was one of hundreds at Northwest the past week. Airline spokesman Dean Breest said a combination of air-traffic control problems, weather and unusually high absenteeism among pilots caused a cancellation rate of almost 11 percent of its average 1,400 flights a day over the weekend."
'I've never experienced anything like this,' DFW flier says after 3-day delay
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (free registration) writes "Rick and Jan Coyne have been stranded in north Texas since Tuesday. They have been trying to fly American Airlines from Detroit to their home in Fresno, Calif., connecting through Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. But persistent thunderstorms over the Metroplex have meant days of delays and cancellations that have had them scrambling for a hotel room, spending the night at the airport on cots and surviving with just the contents of their carry-on bags."
"The weather has added hundreds of dollars of expenses to their trip, caused Rick Coyne to miss three days of work at a shipping company, and pushed the couple's patience to the limit. 'I've never experienced anything like this,' he said as the couple passed the time Thursday, waiting for scarce standby slots in DFW's Terminal C. They weren't confirmed for a flight out until this morning."
Fort Lauderdale-New York trip takes 25-hours
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (free registation) says "a 2 ½-hour JetBlue Airways flight bound from Fort Lauderdale to New York on Wednesday turned into a 25-hour odyssey that finally ended Thursday afternoon, as a chain of problems left 150 passengers staggered by the mind-boggling delay. … Flight 62's takeoff at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday was delayed for three hours. The jet departed, only to be diverted by bad weather to Atlantic City, N.J., where passengers stewed on the tarmac for four hours. At 12:30 a.m. Thursday, they were allowed off the plane. It would be another four hours until they finally were sent to a hotel for the night. The flight ultimately arrived at JFK International Airport at 3:21 p.m. Thursday."
"JetBlue said it would issue a full refund to Flight 62 passengers and would also give them free round-trip vouchers. … Azim Khan, of Fort Lauderdale, said he felt abandoned by JetBlue's representatives (in Atlantic City). Kahn said that upon landing around 8:30 p.m. passengers were told that buses would soon arrive to transfer them to JFK. The promised buses never came. Passengers ultimately took taxis at their own expense to a nearby hotel where JetBlue had secured rooms for the night, he said. The taxi fares will be reimbursed."
As for JetBlue's efforts, the Sun-Sentinel writes airline "spokesman Todd Burke said Thursday's situation was very unusual. Storms had caused multiple JetBlue delays on the East Coast and led several planes to divert to Atlantic City, where it normally does not fly. With no ground crew or staff in Atlantic City, the airline's contracted representatives did their best to locate buses for the trip to JFK. But after calling several casinos and about 45 bus companies, they found none could do the job, Burke said."
Newark fliers admit defeat: 'It looks like we're not going to make it'
The Star-Ledger of Newark tells us of "Noelette McCarthy and Anna Bowen, both of Ireland, were trying to reach Lexington, Ky., where Bowen's nephew was scheduled to get married last night at 6:30 p.m. The best Continental could promise them was a 3:05 p.m. flight for Lexington, leaving little margin for getting to the church on time. The women had arrived in Newark from Shannon, Ireland, at about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday morning in plenty of time for a 3:05 p.m. connection to Kentucky, but then had to wait four hours to board the plane."
The paper says "they sat on the runway for another four hours as Wednesday's thunderstorms swept the area, before the flight was canceled. The two slept on the floor of the airport, trying throughout the day without success to get a flight out. A Continental agent told them there were no flights with seats available anywhere. Hours later, McCarthy admitted defeat. 'It looks like we're not going to make it,' she said."
Posted at 01:06 PM/ET, Jun 29, 2007 in Storm delays and cancellations | Permalink | Comments 1
AA accelerates jet deliveries
Reuters writes that American Airlines "on Thursday said it has moved up the delivery of six additional Boeing 737-800 aircraft into the first half of 2009. The carrier said in March it pulled forward the delivery of 47 Boeing 737-800 aircraft under a previously existing purchase commitment with Boeing." Reuters adds that AA "intends eventually to replace its 300 aging, gas-guzzling MD-80s. The MD-80 is no longer manufactured and consumes more fuel than the 737 models."
Posted at 12:02 PM/ET, Jun 29, 2007 in American, Plane news (Airbus, Boeing, etc.) | Permalink | Comments 7
'Who gets the seats?'
That's the question asked by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (free registration), which writes that "because airplane loads are so full this summer, when flights are canceled, hundreds of passengers must compete for just a few extra seats on later flights. Here's how American Airlines doles out those precious seats: Elderly and disabled passengers, and unaccompanied minors, have first priority. The most frequent fliers -- those who have achieved "platinum" and "executive platinum" status in American's program -- are next. Everyone else is then added to the list, ranked by how early they checked in for their flight. The last to check in are at the bottom of the list, and could wait days for an available seat."