JonnyGT From United States, joined Oct 2001, 240 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 9796 times:
Somehow I doubt this incident actually took place. I mean, if you look at the vitriol from some of the Airliners.net readers in the thread about the ad, I would believe one of our armchair CEOs sat at home one night and came up with this scene.
Still, it will be a funny urban legend that people will constantly forward to one another for the next 5 years.
EWRCabincrew From Canada, joined May 2006, 5329 posts, RR: 57 Reply 2, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9779 times:
Quoting Trav110 (Thread starter): Apologies for the choppy topic title, but I think you'll enjoy this
What a perfect reply. Classic.
If I had a dime for every time I heard, "I am talking to my ___ and they say it's not raining there..." or the like, I'd be rich. People still don't understand the the big picture or routings, diversions, weather enroute, etc. when weather is the issue at hand.
Killjoy From Finland, joined Dec 1999, 646 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9725 times:
Did these things really not happen before? You could easily have done the same thing with a portable radio, or even any of the other phones with web browsers that have been available for quite some time now.
Or is this just being reported because of the ad? (which I haven't seen, but I assume it's about something similar)
JonnyGT From United States, joined Oct 2001, 240 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9704 times:
I will buy someone a 1st Class membership if someone can produce some real verifiable truth this situation happened. Some aviation nut was upset at the iPhone ad, and came up with this fake story.
Mestrugo From Chile, joined Apr 2007, 138 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9668 times:
Quoting JonnyGT (Reply 8): I will buy someone a 1st Class membership if someone can produce some real verifiable truth this situation happened. Some aviation nut was upset at the iPhone ad, and came up with this fake story.
Actually, the post on the other thread mentioning this incident I mentioned before was written in first person. You should contact QXRamperMEII to verify the history.
Seabosdca From United States, joined Sep 2007, 1346 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9618 times:
What's sad is the comments on the linked article accusing airlines of systematic deception of their passengers and saying that the blockhead was reasonable to challenge the flight crew's actions.
Everyone who thinks they know better than their airline, and that the airline is engaged in some grand conspiracy to cover up the truth, should spend a particularly stormy day shadowing a dispatcher.
Most gorgeous aircraft: Tu-204-300, 757-200, A330-200, 777-200LR, 787-8
EWRCabincrew From Canada, joined May 2006, 5329 posts, RR: 57 Reply 12, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9603 times:
Quoting Seabosdca (Reply 11): What's sad is the comments on the linked article accusing airlines of systematic deception of their passengers and saying that the blockhead was reasonable to challenge the flight crew's actions.
It's what happens when non a.netters are let loose.
JettaKnight From United States, joined Feb 2007, 150 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9494 times:
Quoting Trav110 (Reply 9): Regardless of it's validity, it's a funny scenario to imagine. Lighten up
I enjoy a good laugh as much as anyone, and have no problem with funny stories and appropriate jokes being posted. However, if they're labeled as authentic, this site loses its credibility.
OPNLguy From United States, joined Jun 1999, 13092 posts, RR: 83 Reply 15, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 9443 times:
Quoting Seabosdca (Reply 11): Everyone who thinks they know better than their airline, and that the airline is engaged in some grand conspiracy to cover up the truth, should spend a particularly stormy day shadowing a dispatcher.
Amen to that--I'd welcome the opportunity!
ALL views, opinions expressed are mine ONLY and are NOT representative of those shared by Southwest Airlines Co.
Rampart From United States, joined Aug 2005, 1501 posts, RR: 9 Reply 16, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 9167 times:
Quoting Seabosdca (Reply 11): What's sad is the comments on the linked article accusing airlines of systematic deception of their passengers and saying that the blockhead was reasonable to challenge the flight crew's actions.
I think the captain's response was clever. Depending on my mood, had I been the complaining passenger with the I-phone, I would probably have thought it funny, too. Or I could have been peeved. While justified, the captain did risk some alienation from the passenger and any other passengers who agreed, even though his response was correct. I do know a thing or two about weather, and can make reasonable estimations, but I'm less informed about airline operations. I could have wondered about the weather delay if I'd seen clear weather at the destination, but the captain's explanation of all the other factors would have been eye opening.
That said, how do all you airline folks explain some of the delays that seem mysterious and suspect to the general passenger, someone like me? I'm asking an honest question. Have there been some flights that are blamed on weather that are actually mechanical, or lack of staffing? Are there airline staffing or mechanical delays that have been blamed on weather? If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, for any number of times, including once, you all are suffering a credibility problem.
If airlines can communicate the real reasons better (as the captain in the alleged incident did, maybe with the same humor), we'd all feel at least a little more informed.
Tjwgrr From United States, joined Mar 2000, 1770 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 8999 times:
Quoting Rampart (Reply 16): Are there airline staffing or mechanical delays that have been blamed on weather? If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, for any number of times, including once, you all are suffering a credibility problem.
If airlines can communicate the real reasons better (as the captain in the alleged incident did, maybe with the same humor), we'd all feel at least a little more informed.
Ah yes- a number of years ago, I recall "weather" as the reason a flight I was on being cancelled. The following week, the airline nationally placed full page newspaper ads apologizing for the massive disruption in travel caused by the blue flu so many of their flight crews were afflicted with.
Direct KNOBS, maintain 2700' until established on the localizer, cleared ILS approach 26 left.
Lowrider From United States, joined Jun 2004, 2496 posts, RR: 10 Reply 20, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 8725 times:
Quoting Rampart (Reply 16): Are there airline staffing or mechanical delays that have been blamed on weather? If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, for any number of times, including once, you all are suffering a credibility problem. a
Frequently, one causes another. A delay can result in a crew timing out or being out of position for the next flight. While not being able to staff a flight may initially sound like a staffing problem, it was actually started by a weather problem. You can have weather, which can cause an ATC delay, which can cause a staffing problem. Then the gate may no longer be available and you may have a mechanical too. Usually staff will either take the root or simplest delay, rather than repeatedly try to explain a convoluted series of events. Of course, many passengers thing there are extra crews and planes lying around all over the country, waiting to be used, but that is not the case.
FlyLKU From United States, joined Apr 2006, 358 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 7607 times:
I don't know if the iPhone story is true but an old US Air Captain friend told me personally that one day an FA called him on the intercom to say that they could not push because the passenger in 23C would not sit down as he was not satisfied with his seat assignment. My friend, known around our parts as the "Airport Bully" got on the PA to announce that the flight would leave as soon as the guy in 23C sat down. He sat down.
Abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 2935 posts, RR: 25 Reply 22, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 7493 times:
Quoting Seabosdca (Reply 11): What's sad is the comments on the linked article accusing airlines of systematic deception of their passengers and saying that the blockhead was reasonable to challenge the flight crew's actions.
Everyone who thinks they know better than their airline, and that the airline is engaged in some grand conspiracy to cover up the truth, should spend a particularly stormy day shadowing a dispatcher.
= The problem is that many have little faith in airlines because there has been several instances of agents (ground, flight, etc.) lying to passengers about weather related stuff for a variety of reasons - including not wanting to give out compensation. Given how cynical people are in the U.S. about the airline industry (and a LOT of various people can take fault in that - aviation and non-aviation), do you really blame if such an incident were to occur?
Go through this forum ... I remember posting live from a TED flight stuck at LAS bound for SFO when the later was closed. I remember following what was going on via A.Net, ATC, etc. to keep me abreast ... even the pilot would come in to check because his company dispatcher wasnt responding as frequently as he would have liked.
Lrdc9 From United States, joined Sep 2007, 310 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 7325 times:
Quoting FlyLKU (Reply 21): My friend, known around our parts as the "Airport Bully" got on the PA to announce that the flight would leave as soon as the guy in 23C sat down. He sat down.
Nice! At least it wasn't a middle seat!!
Loved the pilot response. If I was on that flight I would of laughed really hard and then complimented the pilot on the way out!!
Bok269 From United States, joined May 2007, 2063 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 6791 times:
Kudos to the pilot for having the balls to do it (if it indeed occured). People like Mr. iPhone in this case piss me off to no end. I know Patrick Smith mentioned this story in his latest article.
IAirAllie From United States, joined May 2004, 2510 posts, RR: 13 Reply 25, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 6358 times:
Quoting Seabosdca (Reply 11): What's sad is the comments on the linked article accusing airlines of systematic deception of their passengers and saying that the blockhead was reasonable to challenge the flight crew's actions.
Everyone who thinks they know better than their airline, and that the airline is engaged in some grand conspiracy to cover up the truth, should spend a particularly stormy day shadowing a dispatcher.
Quoting Rampart (Reply 16): Have there been some flights that are blamed on weather that are actually mechanical, or lack of staffing?
NO not once in 6 years have I ever heard an airline employee blame a delay on weather if weather was not involved. Now we don't always have time to give an indepth explanation of all the factors involved with and related to the delay so the passenger usually gets the short answer "weather". Weather can cause delays for aircraft not directly involved. Incomming aircraft delays impact flights later in the day and sometimes when the mess is really bad it can take several days for the system to fully recover. Crews timing out or missconnecting and burning through reserves at a faster rate than normal in a weather situation can lead to crew shortages. Equipment, gate and ground personel shortages can happen when you have diverted or delayed aircraft on the ground.
Enough about flying lets talk about me!
26 Aveugle: That gave me a good laugh. I would appreciate some more detail if anyone could provide it to verify authenticity.
27 JayDub: AMEN! Shadow my day just today and tell me we are trying to cover things up. Just a little over an hour ago I used every tool in my arsenal (RAMTAF,
28 IAD51FL: LOL.... this is how the pilot iPhone commercial should have went: NOTICE: NSFW due to language. Chris
29 Warszawa: This story sounds bogus, definitely never happened. I'm sure everyone spent their flight laughing at the guy 20 aisles down that they couldn't see I'd
30 Afay1: The point is most people have been on a flight with a totally bogus delay...
31 Abrelosojos: = It happened to me in March of 2007 flying a certain airline for whom I was consulting. GA mentioned that flight was cancelled due to weather. I cal
32 JayDub: What you have to realize is that it is not the big, bad airline lying to you. And really, the gate agent, in most cases, isn't lying either. Theyre ju
33 Mir: I would not be at all surprised if it did happen. Even if it didn't, it's only a matter of time before it does. By being upfront with the passengers
34 Tercer: The question is to general to answer but I can tell you that at the four airlines I have worked the delay or cancel has always been called what it is
35 Rampart: If you've not seen a deferred excuse in 6 years, I say you are both young and lucky. And I never said that "big bad airline employees" are out to get
36 Oakjam: You know regardless of the story being true. Service on US carriers is just playing horrible. For the captain to embarass a person like that is just u
37 Abrelosojos: = Perhaps the difference is that in 2 of your examples (ATM, Restaurant), the answer of the fees and the inability to serve is done BEFORE the contra
38 Maverick623: Passengers are the single largest source of revenue, of course the airlines care about them.... and their money. What the airlines with poor service
39 WNCrew: In the past week the average delay for flight 3058 OAK-SAN was something like 17.6 minutes. As far as playing it off as someone's birthday, I'm not e
40 Oakjam: Well prior to Sept. 11; from OAK you had the option of taking AS, UA and maybe AA to San Diego. Now a days WN is the only carrier to SAN. Before WN wo
41 JoeCanuck: On a 45 minute flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi, (every airline), they have time to do a full service which includes a sandwich, muffin, sweet, juice an
42 Davescj: I think this is true. I also think that the gate agent is unlucky enough to be "the face of the airline" and so get all the flack. Sadly, the gate ag
43 Ceph: Totally agreed!! Dislike people like this who think their equipment are much better
44 Abrelosojos: = What is up with U.S. based crew thinking 45 minutes is not enough time?! Ok, its one thing to have a company policy to not serve say under a certai
45 Davescj: Thank you!! I'll get flamed, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. That said, all carriers do their own guidelines. I choose carriers with more service.
46 Abrelosojos: = Well, you read my recent report on DL-J with an amazing crew from an American carrier. I took the risk of getting flamed by U.S. FAs for my comment
47 Rampart: I really feel for the face people up front. They take it from both sides. I have a fantasy that some union will start a labor uprising in support of
48 IAirAllie: Not alway possible. Easy enough for a pilot with all the latest info stuck on the plane with the pax or a long period of time. Not so easy for an ove
49 Rampart: Which sometimes means, the customer service reps have been told nothing, which means they make something up, which is often perceived as "not being t
50 Abrelosojos: = Wait a minute. Doesnt CSR/GAs have access to the flight info screen on their computer which TELLS them the FAA mandated reason for the delay? Cheer
51 Davescj: Oh so true. That's easy -- tell congress to pass the pax bill of rights. They have it in the EU. Is it good or bad? That depends on who you ask I sup
52 IAirAllie: That they may but it doesn't always tell the whole story.
53 Luvfa: Cabin service of some type is scheduled on all of our flights. This includes RSW-MCO, the shortest in our system, usually 20-22 minutes of flight tim
54 JoeCanuck: I don't know about the 137 but I can certainly vouch for the 3 f/a's in economy on a 320 to do a full service in 25 minutes.
55 Oakjam: I had peanuts; 2 drinks and was asked if I wanted more on a short 30-35min hop from Mexico City (MEX) to Acapulco (ACA) on MX ; the flight to between
56 3201: Huh? I'm totally on the airlines', and their employees', side on all these debates (why people get so personally hurt when they don't get their snack
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