godfrog 2 #1 October 17, 2012 1.5 hours late getting into Salt Lake, they said they can't give a voucher because it was weather related....BULLSHIT! Pilot told us that only one runway was operational and only one plane at a time was allow to come down at a time so we were held on the Elko runway for 45 minutes until we could get clearance to take off. They satated they wanted to clear the airspace over Salt Lake somewhat before we were allowed to depart Elko. missed my connection and no voucher because it was a weather hold! And to top it off I have now missed my ride home tonight and my wife don't drive and my destination airport is an hour and a half from my home!Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #2 October 17, 2012 DELTA = Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport Did they at least say ~ Sorry about your situation, sux to be you...here's a Coke & a cookie now leave me alone! I got THAT one from SouthWorst a while back! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godfrog 2 #3 October 17, 2012 Nope nothing.....told them I was a pilot and checked the weather before I left....no reply to that either....Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #4 October 17, 2012 I've heard exactly the same bullshit from Southwest, United and American. If it's 'Weather Related' they don't need to do anything about it - offering hotels overnight etc, and it's up to the person putting the data into the computer what the reason is... surprise surprise - almost everything goes in as 'Weather Related'. It must look better on their record. Last August I landed in San Diego and was held on the runway for over an hour as the pilot was telling us 'there isn't room at the gate for us'. I missed my connection and was told I'd have to get the flight out in the morning and that I could 'sleep in the airport' because the delay was 'Weather Related'... in San Diego. After we'd landed. It was fucking 85 degrees and clear out. I'm still furious. They all pull the same shit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
angrypeppers 1 #5 October 17, 2012 Quotesurprise surprise - almost everything goes in as 'Weather Related'. It must look better on their record. In the airline world, weather is an "uncontrollable" delay or cancellation...which improves their operational stats. Missing/un-qual'd crews are an example of a controllable delay/cancellation. For example, an a/c has a radar problem and there's weather enroute or at the destination. There are no parts/techs to fix the radar, so the airline cancels the flight. Management will enter that as a weather cancellation since if the weather wasn't an issue, the a/c could have completed the flight. Drove me nuts the way my airline gamed the system, though honestly, they all do the same thing.Burn the land and boil the sea, You can't take the sky from me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theplummeter 15 #6 October 17, 2012 Gate Hold, Expect Departure Clearance Time, and other airport delay programs are issued by air traffic control or relayed by ATC from airport authorities and not the airlines. Often times weather delays at a hub airport cause a backlog of departures at another as multiple late flights have to go into another hub in sequence. It stinks, but it's better than having dozens of aircraft holding with minimum fuel waiting for their turn at the runway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #7 October 17, 2012 Quote Nope nothing.....told them I was a pilot and checked the weather before I left....no reply to that either.... Not trying to defend the crowd killers but... Weather related doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the airport you're at. I've sat in airplanes all over the world for extended periods because the weather at the destination was bad an hour ago and they're are stacked to capacity for the next several hours...won't waste fuel sitting in the packed pattern. I've landed in LA because the capacity in San Diego was limited due to bad weather in New York delaying multiple airlines and causing them all to reach SD about the same time which was two hours after planned. Was given a bus ticket to sandyeggo! My better 1/2 is a 767 driver for a major in Newark, we live in Texas so she commutes cross country, It's amazing to watch her figure out what flight will get her to work on time...if there is a storm delay in Los Angles! I'm not saying the weather excuse is a good one, just tryin to explain how they get away with it. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godfrog 2 #8 October 17, 2012 I checked the weather on the entire route on NOAA, it was flyable enough, they had only one operational runway at SL, so they were holding em' and bringing them in one at a time, as for fuel we sat on the runway for 30 min. running, couldn't have been cheap, well maybe the pilots were logging tach time.Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adagen 0 #9 October 17, 2012 Quote There are no parts/techs to fix the radar, so the airline cancels the flight. Got a citation for that? I've got a longstanding argument over being stuck somewhere for 2 days because the airline didn't have a qualified mechanic and didn't have parts to fix a fault. They got the parts then discovered they didn't have the mechanic and had to bring both from a 5 hour flight away.Anne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #10 October 17, 2012 I've spent a week stuck in a frozen hell hole because they couldn't fix a window heater on a C-17. Germany is a LOT less fun when on courier orders with TPI and there's only 2 of you there!"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rookie120 0 #11 October 17, 2012 *** DELTA=Don't expect luggage to arrive. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 210 #12 October 17, 2012 Commercial air sux...always has...always will. There is a solution, but it takes money and training. And, I'm not defending anything, but how much did you pay for your flight?Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rookie120 0 #13 October 17, 2012 *** Only 5 hours? Hell I have flown to Italy, Germany, Ireland, Hell all over Europe to fix planes. It's not only mechanics, it's mechanics who are qualified to fix the problem and be able to sign the work off too the company standards. Sucks if your on the delay end but shit happens.If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #14 October 17, 2012 They all suck. But, if you have to go to Elko, you kinda have to fly Delta! (that, or drive, which also sucks)Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theplummeter 15 #15 October 17, 2012 QuoteI checked the weather on the entire route on NOAA, it was flyable enough, they had only one operational runway at SL, so they were holding em' and bringing them in one at a time, as for fuel we sat on the runway for 30 min. running, couldn't have been cheap, well maybe the pilots were logging tach time. I doubt they care about logging, but getting paid block or better makes a difference. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr_Polite 0 #16 October 17, 2012 If youre a pilot you should have flown yourself Really though I think you are crying a little much over a typical travel day with the airlines. Get over it, shit happens. People have sat in an airport for days, those people I feel sorry for! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EatSleepFly 0 #17 October 17, 2012 Not defending Delta/SkyWest, but having been based in SLC several years back (not for either of them, thankfully), it was my observation that they had by far the worst ATC that I've ever dealt with in the U.S. (excluding center- they are ok). No offense to anyone here who might be a controller there. I know it's a tough job and you're not exactly getting the cream of the crop these days, but SLC just stands out to me more than any other. Someone needs to send some NYC-area controllers out there to whip them into shape. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #18 October 17, 2012 ...well maybe the pilots were logging tach time. Quote If the cabin door is closed, they're 'on the clock'. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortyj 0 #19 October 18, 2012 Quote ...well maybe the pilots were logging tach time. Quote If the cabin door is closed, they're 'on the clock'. true we would rather sit on the taxi way and for a time slot bc were getting paid flight time.Playtime is essential. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,027 #20 October 18, 2012 If I had your attitude towards a 45 minute delay I'd have run out of airlines to fly on many years ago. (However, I did buy my own plane)... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adagen 0 #21 October 18, 2012 The location of the mechanic and the part was a 5 hour flight away but the actual delay was two and a half days. My contingency for that flight allowed 24 hours delay and I could still get back to work as scheduled, but I ended up losing 2 days work.Anne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godfrog 2 #22 October 18, 2012 I do expect problems, it is how they treat you at customer service that sucks. Coming out of Alaska I got snowed into camp, couldn't make my flight, got my tickets rebooked, the original flight horizon canceled the flight out of Seatle because of weather and still sent me $250 voucher for the flight, told them I had rebooked for the next day and they said it was mine any way, thats customer service.Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #23 October 19, 2012 Quote It's amazing to watch her figure out what flight will get her to work on time.. Beautiful and smart...but such sketchy taste...go figureYou are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #24 October 19, 2012 Quote I checked the weather on the entire route on NOAA, it was flyable enough, they had only one operational runway at SL, so they were holding em' and bringing them in one at a time, as for fuel we sat on the runway for 30 min. running, couldn't have been cheap, well maybe the pilots were logging tach time. Theplummeter is right. Whenever demand is projected to exceed capacity at a major airport, a whole list of initiatives get activated, from airborne metering delays, calls for release and expect departure clearance times to nationwide groundstops. I've done them all. With only one runway an airport's acceptance rate plummets. Add even a little weather and it drops further. Frustrating, but not much you can do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #25 October 19, 2012 Quote Got a citation for that? I've got a longstanding argument over being stuck somewhere for 2 days because the airline didn't have a qualified mechanic and didn't have parts to fix a fault. They got the parts then discovered they didn't have the mechanic and had to bring both from a 5 hour flight away. One of my daughters lives in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, up on the Canadian border. This summer she flew to Salt Lake City to meet us for a family party. Her Delta Link flight out? Mechanical delay, 4 hours. Missed the afternoon flight out of Detroit, got put on the late flight that gets into SLC at midnight. Well, that flight had a mechanical delay, got into SLC at 2:30 am. Fine, at least my little girl made it to the party. Sunday morning flying SLC to Detroit, no problem. Valinda, I and some of the kids are in the minivan heading back from SLC to Seattle when I get a call from my daughter. Her flight from DTW to Sault Ste. Marie has been cancelled due to mechanical for the 2nd day in a row. Her boyfriend was making the 6 hour drive down to come get her. Delta was not helping her at all. We coached her to go get a voucher for a hotel room, which they did. They refused to give her a refund but I told her no worries. I called customer service and unleashed pissed-off-middle-aged-guy on them and got her a refund and a flight voucher. Mechanical delays or cancellations on 3 out of 4 flights? There's gotta be something wrong with Delta. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
