DrDawkinstein Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 apparently people were stuck on planes for 10-11 hours the other day! what a nightmare! this had to suuuuuuck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneonta Buffalo Fan Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 apparently people were stuck on planes for 10-11 hours the other day! what a nightmare! this had to suuuuuuck!! Good thing I'm not going anywhere soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 They found a way to make planes safer. Don't move them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daquixers_is_back Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 They found a way to make planes safer. Don't move them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 at least theyre getting refunds/free flights. one time flying back into atlanta on Airtran, we waited 45 minutes after landing for a gate to open up. it was a morning flight and i was trying to get to work. i mentioned something at the gate when we got off and 3 days later i got a $75 voucher for a future flight. not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneonta Buffalo Fan Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 They found a way to make planes safer. Don't move them. Ok. Now that's funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 at least theyre getting refunds/free flights. one time flying back into atlanta on Airtran, we waited 45 minutes after landing for a gate to open up. it was a morning flight and i was trying to get to work. i mentioned something at the gate when we got off and 3 days later i got a $75 voucher for a future flight. not bad. JetBlue has the kind of customer service that every airline should have. These customers surely had a sh------- day, but they'll be taken care of and believe me, JetBlue is going to take a hit for this. I will take one bad day over the situation I had with British Airways last month, where they lost my luggage en route to India, delivered it to the house I was staying two days after I left that house (8 days into my 2-1/2 week trip), and my wife and I saw our luggage a day before we left, and it was mildewey and needed to be laundered on our last day in the country. In the meantime every contact number they gave us was out of service and their entire operation was clueless. I'm still trying to get reimbursed for everything. We have it comparatively good here, JetBlue customers especially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 A few years ago, returning from Seattle, there were storms in the Twin Cities so we were diverted north to Duluth. We sat on the tarmac for 3 hours waiting to take off. It was cramped, stuffy, hot, and nobody was giving us any update as to what was happening. I thought I was going to go crazy. This was on NWA, and we got nothing out of it I can't imagine 8 hours or longer stuck in a non-moving plane. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Interesting that everybody looks to the Airlines when there's a problem such as this. Jet Blue is a "Low Cost Carrier!" They keep their costs low by paying their agents $10 an hour and then understaffing the $10 per hour people. These untrained "crew" members are supposed keep everything moving and keep everyone happy but when weather moves in they are simply overwhelmed. To keep costs low NO JetBlue aircraft have their own airstairs. This prevents them handling flights anywhere but at a gate. Gates cost money, and in bad weather are all occupied. They can't move off the gate, to be deiced and on their way because the FAA can't handle the volumes and glycol only has an average :15 holdover time between the time it's applied and the time the plane should be moving down the runway on its takeoff roll. The only way they could work at a remote parking location is by supplying stairs to the plane-another high cost item, so that's when gridlock sets in and people get trapped on planes for hours. Since everyone bitched so much about "airplane food" all the catering trucks that were capable of resupplying aircraft, even off the gates, are gone. Even if they were still around, this is another cost item. JetBlue is not catered by trucks so when they get stuck, and there are no stairs, there's no way to resupply. It's also an FAA rule that they can't refuel, without stairs or a jetway so as to provide a fire exit. This prevents them from getting some fuel so that they could move to another airport for more complete service. Lavatory service is one area where technology is unchanged. As long as they can find someone to drive the Lav Truck to the plane, they can be dumped and refilled with fresh flush water, assuming someone plugged in the tank heater to keep it from freezing, but JetBlue relies on their "business partners" to do that so the short-staffed, inexperienced "crew" members may not have been aware that remote Lav Service was even a possibility. When the weather's good, no Air Traffic delays, no mechanical problems etc. the airlines can operate but short of that you play your cards, take your chances, and maybe get your mug on the news to tell all the other frequent flyers what a "terrible" experience you just had. But you also "saved a bundle" on your ticket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Daughter had an experience with Northwest going to Ukraine. Weather made her return to Detroit. Suitcase was broken and they did nothing to fix it, her entire cd collection was stolen while in possession of Northwest, they wouldn't help her with hotel. Just a litany of bad and poor service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Wide Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 The equipment used to tow the planes froze to the ground Funny, I don't ever recall my car freezing to the ground and we've had worse weather than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 at least theyre getting refunds/free flights. I don't see how that makes up for being stuck in a plane that long. Besides, after that experience, why would I want to chance flying with them again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 I don't see how that makes up for being stuck in a plane that long. Besides, after that experience, why would I want to chance flying with them again? well then what would you want? it already happened, they couldnt/cant change it. at least theyre not pulling a Delta and ignoring it. theyre pro-actively trying to do SOMETHING which is pretty honorable. keeping passangers on planes isnt just JetBlue's policy. EVERY airline does it, but most of them wont do anything to try to make you happier afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Interesting that everybody looks to the Airlines when there's a problem such as this. Jet Blue is a "Low Cost Carrier!" They keep their costs low by paying their agents $10 an hour and then understaffing the $10 per hour people. These untrained "crew" members are supposed keep everything moving and keep everyone happy but when weather moves in they are simply overwhelmed. This sounds like a pitch for the big (government funded) airlines. Are you suggesting that paying some lazy union slob $30/hr to do a $10/hr job is going to make the customer service better? This is hardly the first time people have been stuck on planes for hours on the tarmac and it certainly isn't an issue that is limited to 'low-cost' airlines. Here's just one example Regardless, if I were Emperor these airlines would be fined $1MM per plane per hour anytime they made you sit for over an hour on the tarmac. There's no excuse for it except bad management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted February 17, 2007 Author Share Posted February 17, 2007 the Big airlines are the worst. the worst airline as far as customer service goes is USAir. without a doubt. the stories i have from flying Atl->Buffalo and Buffalo->Atl for xmas this past year are ridiculous. just a quick section: my flight from atl to philly was late getting in and we only had 5 minutes(after we had been "personally guaranteed" by the guy at the counter that we would land with 20 minutes to spare) to get across the airport, catch the shuttle and find our plane. as we were getting off they told us to see the Customer Service Agent at the gate for instructions. When the 8 of us walked up to her, her instructions were (i kid you not) "you've got less than 5 minutes, i suggest you run." we all stood there thinking she was joking and was going to tell us something more helpful. she just stared back at us and finally said "you guys better hurry"... that was just 10 minutes of the whole ordeal. Buffalo-Atlanta is a 1hr45min flight on Airtran. it took USAir almost 10 hours each way... never again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I don't see how that makes up for being stuck in a plane that long. Besides, after that experience, why would I want to chance flying with them again? Fly only in the summer time. No chance of freezing over then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 This sounds like a pitch for the big (government funded) airlines. Are you suggesting that paying some lazy union slob $30/hr to do a $10/hr job is going to make the customer service better? This is hardly the first time people have been stuck on planes for hours on the tarmac and it certainly isn't an issue that is limited to 'low-cost' airlines. Here's just one example Regardless, if I were Emperor these airlines would be fined $1MM per plane per hour anytime they made you sit for over an hour on the tarmac. There's no excuse for it except bad management. No airline has been "government funded" since 1978. The "government funding" was in place to provide air service to small cities and to carry the mail. The "lazy union slob" is now retired along with all your neighbors from the steel mills, auto plants, etc. and guess who's paying their underfunded pensions???? You, the Taxpayer are! My point is, you get what you pay for! Airlines will never be mass transit because the FAA can't handle the traffic, nobody wants any more airports or runways in their neighborhood, and when you introduce severe weather it's all over but the shouthing! . All the good management in the world will not make up for lack of: gate space, ground equipment and experienced people to properly utilize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 No airline has been "government funded" since 1978. Really? The "lazy union slob" is now retired along with all your neighbors from the steel mills, auto plants, etc. and guess who's paying their underfunded pensions???? You, the Taxpayer are! No sh--. Which I why I am against gov't bailouts of companies that have bankrupt themselves on union contracts. My point is, you get what you pay for! Airlines will never be mass transit because the FAA can't handle the traffic, nobody wants any more airports or runways in their neighborhood, and when you introduce severe weather it's all over but the shouthing! . All the good management in the world will not make up for lack of: gate space, ground equipment and experienced people to properly utilize it. Then how about allowing the free market drive the industry? When United and American drive themselves into bankruptcy, let them go out of business like any other entity would do. Let the price of air tickets accurately reflect the cost of the service. If airlines actually had to survive on their own and tickets were priced accordingly, there wouldn't be such overcrowding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Fly only in the summer time. No chance of freezing over then. Yeah, then you deal with thunderstorms (that's what happened when I had to sit on the tarmac in Duluth, MN for 3 hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted February 17, 2007 Author Share Posted February 17, 2007 there are plenty of "lazy union slobs" still out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts