ASMVPGOLD From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 45 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 2686 times:
I am sitting on AS39 (MSP-SEA) at the moment(at MSP) and i have to give a thumbs up to the AS crew. The plane came in early and they were trying to get everyone on board and get us out of here... but as the pilots did their walk around they found a bolt sticking out a drain hole on the tail (not sure if its the stab or the tailcone... but regardless it's obviouly not a good thing.) They aren't sure where the bolt came from (it's a newer 738 so it could have been left over from production) so we are going to sit on the ground until they figure it out... but... the captian was honest about what was going on and they left the door open... told everyone they were free to get off and hang out in the terminal., just take your boarding pass. The captain then cranked the AC for those of us that wanted to stay on the plane. Just thought i would call this out... since all we hear abuot are people trapped on hot planes for hours without food, etc. I am sitting here quite happy... and they just started serving us drinks. Sure.. i'd rather be in the air but stuff happens.
MSYPI7185 From United States of America, joined Oct 2007, 699 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 2493 times:
Glad to hear this, however what the Captain did was not that uncommon. We have had to do similar things like this for various reasons, throughout my career. Now if your were off the gate and everything was going to hell due to weather, ATC, no gate space..( add other here) then I would be impressed.
AS739X From United States of America, joined Apr 2003, 5819 posts, RR: 23 Reply 2, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 2471 times:
Did you happen to catch the Captains name?
"Some pilots avoid storm cells and some play connect the dots!"
Tango-Bravo From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 3725 posts, RR: 31 Reply 3, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 2139 times:
Given the weather regularly encountered by Alaska Airlines in its day-to-day operations they, of all U.S. airlines, would surely have found a "reason" by now to have kept pax unduly detained on aircraft for hours at least once or twice (or more often) as others have... which tells me they're just that much better prepared and more committed to preventing such an occurance from happening than those who have made headlines with incidents of pax stuck on planes going nowhere for hours.
Twice I have been on an Alaska Airlines flight on which issues developed after boarding and pushback; in one instance we had even taxied nearly to the runway threshold...on both occasions, within 1 hour from the time the issue developed, pax were allowed to deplane at a gate and advised to "return to the gate in __ minutes for an update."
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19700 posts, RR: 56 Reply 4, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 2092 times:
Quoting Tango-Bravo (Reply 3): Given the weather regularly encountered by Alaska Airlines in its day-to-day operations they, of all U.S. airlines, would surely have found a "reason" by now to have kept pax unduly detained on aircraft for hours at least once or twice (or more often) as others have...
It's not an issue of weather - it's an issue of airspace capacity and overcrowding. Since AS doesn't fly to the Northeast (where overcrowding is an issue - it isn't in SEA) that much, you would expect that they would be less likely to encounter those sort of situations, not more.
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16814 posts, RR: 57 Reply 5, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 2045 times:
Quoting MSYPI7185 (Reply 1): Glad to hear this, however what the Captain did was not that uncommon.
Fortunately no. He took care of his passengers, which is his job. However, kudos also goes to the ops people who didn't force a full plane to push back knowing that it needed repairs and would sit there.
Quoting Mir (Reply 4):
It's not an issue of weather - it's an issue of airspace capacity and overcrowding.
No, it's an issue of incompetence and criminal negligence. When passengers spend a night sitting on the ground like that CO-Ex flight, it has nothing to do with overcrowding.
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19700 posts, RR: 56 Reply 6, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 2030 times:
Quoting DocLightning (Reply 5): However, kudos also goes to the ops people who didn't force a full plane to push back knowing that it needed repairs and would sit there.
Why would you push a plane that needed maintenance? You can't fix it on a taxiway. You either have to fix it at the gate, or tow it to a hangar (which would mean getting the pax off anyway).
Quoting DocLightning (Reply 5): No, it's an issue of incompetence and criminal negligence. When passengers spend a night sitting on the ground like that CO-Ex flight, it has nothing to do with overcrowding.
That case did not, true. But there are those that do.
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 14323 posts, RR: 26 Reply 7, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 1943 times:
Quoting ASMVPGOLD (Thread starter): the captian was honest about what was going on and they left the door open... told everyone they were free to get off and hang out in the terminal., just take your boarding pass.
They did the same thing when my NW flight from MSP to MKE was delayed with a bad bleed.
Also, (I've told this story before) I've had a experience with AS not unlike yours. I was on a SEA-SFO flight, but the inbound flight attendants were delayed coming from one of the other concourses. Another crew of FAs that had just gotten finished volunteered to come to our aircraft so we could go ahead an board on time. Then our crew showed up, they closed the door, and we left. Not every airline would do that for their pax.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16814 posts, RR: 57 Reply 8, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days ago) and read 1884 times:
I think it goes to show that being honest and up-front with your passengers and remembering that it is your job to take care of them until you deliver them safely to their destination goes a long way.
There are jaded people in positions of power within the industry to view passengers as an inconvenience. Those people are why these debacles like Co-Ex happen. It seems to me like AS has done a good job of indoctrinating its crew that this is not an acceptable attitude.
SW733 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 6072 posts, RR: 10 Reply 9, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 1794 times:
Quoting BMI727 (Reply 7): They did the same thing when my NW flight from MSP to MKE was delayed with a bad bleed.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 14323 posts, RR: 26 Reply 10, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 1774 times:
Geg2rap From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 838 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 1751 times:
kudos to AS they are a breath of fresh air...literally this time
Sure hope and pray they don't merge with DL or anyone else
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From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 45 posts, 
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