Nwa747-400 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1337 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 5540 times:
NW flight 71 is scheduled to turn around in 90 minutes in NGO. This is a 747-400!
I have been on NW DC9s that have turned in less than 20 minutes.
Been on CO flights that take about 30 minutes, as do most of the NW flights I have been on that do quick turn arounds.
Other airlines do a much slower job at turning planes. Have been on AA, DL, and UA that take close to an hour to turn around a 727 when NW does it in around 30 mins.
Red Panda From Hong Kong, joined Jun 2000, 1521 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 5514 times:
Wow, never heard that it only needs 20mins to turn around. Is that a standard turn around time, or is it just that there is very light load for that particular flight?
CX can turn around an A343 in 90mins. I heard that CX can turn around their planes in 75 mins.
Nwa747-400 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1337 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 5507 times:
I think NW schedules between 45mins and 1hour, but when a flight inbound is late they usually do it in 30 minutes.
20 minutes or less have been with light loads, around 30-50 people.
I think in a delay situation NW ground crews get: (as muchas I can remember from my friend who is a gate agent for them...I could be wrong so forgive me)
30MINUTES:
Avro RJ 85
DC9-10/30/40/50
40MINUTES:
727-200
A319/A320
757 (that must be tough to do, but I have seen it done at NW and CO)
60 MINUTES:
DC10-40
Obviously though they try and do it as fast as possible to minimize the delay.
Afitch7881 From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 812 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 5481 times:
In the United States, it is easy to say that Southwest is the quickest in terms of timetables, they usually only leave 30-35 minute for each plane on ground while others leave 45-60. This doesnt mean it always works out that way like people mentioned above, however I do think SW is the fastest in the nation on a regular basis, they sure do like to travel down those taxi--ways fast!!!
Servisair From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 37 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 5477 times:
Ryanair flights can be turned around in as little as ten minutes depending on pax loads, no. bags etc. The norm for a full 737-200 is about 20-25 minutes.
BostonBeau From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 459 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 5467 times:
It obviously depends on the type of aircraft, length and passenger load on the previous flight, length and expected load on the coming flight, whether the aircraft needs refueling, etc. A B737 operating on short sectors where the only service is a drink and some nuts can be turned quickly. A B747 arriving from a 2-meal long distance flight, and leaving on a similar flight, takes a couple of hours.
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7713 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 5454 times:
From what I know, WN tries to aim for a 15-20 minute turnaround for their 737 fleet regardless of airport. They've carefully choreographed a routine that has enough ground crews to completely unload and reload a 737 very quickly. I believe UA does something very similar for United Shuttle operations at SFO and LAX.
As for larger planes, especially those catering to premium passenger traffic, they can take as much as three hours turnaround. Both BA and VS 747-400's take about 180 minutes to completely turn around their planes at SFO, not surprising considering the need to meticulously keep the cabin clean and also the very large food/beverage catering needs.
Airsicknessbag From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 4723 posts, RR: 37 Reply 11, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 5450 times:
No frills have very short turn arounds for these reasons:
a) no newspapers/leftovers from meals have to be removed.
b) no drinks make people urinate less => the toilets are cleaned faster
c) no assigned seats =>pax board faster in order to get attractive seats
d) destinations are at small airfields ("Frankfurt"-Hahn, "Hamburg"-Luebeck, "Duesseldorf"-Moenchengladbach...) where they don´t have to taxi for half an hout to get to the gate.
N509JB From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 0 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 5448 times:
without a doubt...i do this for a living. 3 times a day.
we have 30 mins to turn a 162 seat A320, and the pax have assigned seating.
just last week we did 134 off and 162 on in 19 minutes. our (myself and the other agents) record is 13 minutes with 85 off and 76 on (kinda light). our record with 162 off and 162 on is 24 minutes. (this has been done a lot, so that might be the absolute fastest possible).
Nwa747-400 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1337 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 5419 times:
That is why I think big unionized airlines like NW making quick turns is more impressive. More service items (drink carts, meals etc), assigned seating, and work groups that do not work outside of their work groups because of unions. For example, I doubt you would ever see a NW pilot help board a flight because all the gate agents would turn around and say it was violating the contract or something.
Maniac From United States of America, joined Apr 2001, 111 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 5399 times:
In my experiance, the low cost airlines have the quickest turn around times. I have read several articles on Delta Express and Southwest, they both have some great time saving ideas. One pilot at DLEXPRESS came up with the idea to shut off the starboard engine after landing so that it would have spooled down by the time the plane arrived at the gate. This would give the rampers instant access to the cargo hold, which is often one area that slows departures. How many times have you been sitting on the tarmac when the captain comes on and says, "Well folks, we are ready for departure, but we have to wait for the last of these bags to be loaded."
WN boy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (12 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 5390 times:
Southwest aims for a 20 minute standard turn, though some flights are scheduled for longer. This is up from the original 10 minute turn Southwest regularly performed during the 1970's and 80's. More connecting passengers has dictated this change. But I do miss the mad scramble to turn a plane in 10.
To clear up a few misconceptions, though I am as anti-union as anyone on this board, unions have nothing to do with a quick turn. Southwest is the most unionized airline in the industry, yet its pilots regularly help clean the plane and even will help with pre-boarding in order to speed departure.
Also, I might agree with Airsicknessbag as far as his listed factors except for one thing: lav dumping does not add appreciably to the turn around time. Southwest serves drinks (and quickly, too, as I can attest after downing four beers on a 55 minute flight from SAT to DAL--now that's service!), but still does the fastest turns in the industry. If, indeed, its lavs are less full, it is because its flights are so short--anyone can hold it for an hour. I doubt, however, that less matter in the lav system has anything to do with it. The lav can be dumped within a few minutes and Southwest has a man designated for that task, separate and apart from the rest of the ramp crew (at least at DAL and HOU). Therefore, someone is not diverted from loading bags to dump the lav.
Red Panda From Hong Kong, joined Jun 2000, 1521 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 5380 times:
Wow, thx a lot. very detailed info from you guys. Well, I think it is not just how fast the pax agents load and unload the pax, the cargo is a key as well. I think the co-ordination is very critical. Some pax agents would make the last boarding call 20-30mins earlier to load the pax faster.
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11 Reply 18, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 5382 times:
Our minimum turn time on a B737 is 30 minutes. B727 is about 40 minutes. B757 are given 45 minutes. A few reasons that WN is able to pull off quicker turns are :
-No meals to load
-No Interline bags to deal with
-No Pre-boarding for First Class
-All their gates are in close proximity, so minimal time is needed to transfer connecting bags.
-One aircraft type, so only one type of aircraft to learn for employees.
-No-Hub and Spoke System to louse things up
-High employee morale
NWA ARJ From United States of America, joined May 2001, 547 posts, RR: 2 Reply 19, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 5371 times:
NWA has the best turn around time. Where i live they turn around in about 40min or less with decent size planes
Nightmare 68, Fargo Tower, Runway 36, Fly Runway Heading, Mantain 10,000, Cleared For Takeoff, Change To Departure
Nwa747-400 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1337 posts, RR: 5 Reply 20, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 5376 times:
Right, but the unions dictate what an employee can and cannot do. For example, if a gate agent was to help load bags that would be in direct violation of the contract. More libereal and flexible unions do make quick turns easier because they allow work groups to task share.
WN boy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 5374 times:
You are correct, NWA. I just wanted to clarify the fact that it is not the union per se that prevents the employee cooperation needed quickly to turn an aircraft. Rather, it is the confrontational relationship between an individual union and management that results in a contract that ties the airline's hands. Fortunately, Southwest's unions have never taken a stand that would so dramatically diminish the airline's aircraft utilization, and, consequently, its profit margin. Let us hope that this remains the case.
LGW From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (12 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 5320 times:
I flew SFO-LAX and my aircraft (B733) was turned around in 15 minutes!
LGW
25 Srbmod: When I worked @ AirTran on many occasions we pulled 15 minute turns on a DC-9 and on a 737-200. And once we did it with only three people (1 to run tr
26 Aussie_: I flew ryanair recently and scheduled turnaround was 15mins. However I noted that schedules were such that the planes (if they left on time) usually a
27 Ben88: Do you really WANT a 15 minute turn around? I know I don't.
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