Why Major Flight Delays Are Getting Worse

Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:34AM EST

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Last week, a little ice in the air caused a few JetBlue planes to sit on the runway without taking off. By the end of the day, at least one of them had sat on the runway at Kennedy Airport for 10 hours with, and I hesitate to describe this, "toilets overflowing."

Wait a sec. This is 2007! Are we still supposed to be having issues with airplanes sitting on runways for half a day? While you might think technology would have offered up more options for communication between airplanes and airports, the opposite is actually true: The FAA discourages planes from heading back to the jetway, which causes airlines to avoid contacting anyone for help. The Wall Street Journal (by way of AZ Central) has the story. (You'll have to offer a zip code to get to the piece, but it beats paying for the WSJ's website.)

In JetBlue's case, the story of last Wednesday reads like a Shakespearean tragedy. It starts with JetBlue, which waited until 3pm to ask for help from anyone. JetBlue had managed to sneak a few planes off the ground in bad weather in previous years, and it figured it could do the same this time. No dice. Instead, planes full of passengers piled up on the tarmac, none headed anywhere. By the time the jig was up, JetBlue waited for hours to get passengers off the planes, despite the presence of empty gates at JFK.

Why are things getting so bad? I don't want to spoil all the fun of the article (there's plenty of finger-pointing), but the bottom line is that airlines have no incentive to coordinate with ground crews, and no penalty for stranding people on jets for the better part of a day. But with most airlines in or near bankruptcy (even JetBlue is fading from its glory days), who's going to push for reforms?

Still, the best solution (in my opinion) would be to require better coordination between planes and the ground, enact some basic rules (nothing insane, just some common sense) about how long a plane can sit on the runway without taking off, and develop a response for getting people off planes even if there are no gates available. Alas, change requires a lot of incentive (usually financial), and the airlines (like most big industries) have major support from the government to keep them up and running: Perhaps the best we can hope for is an open apology, like JetBlue sent to just about everyone who'd ever flown the airline.

There's some good news. Fortunately, a few airports seem to be developing responses for airline strandings, and there's even talk of legislation to prevent such atrocities from happening again (though such rules have never gotten far in the past). JetBlue seems to be taking this incident especially seriously. What would you suggest as fair rules against stranding passengers this way?

Then again, Mother Nature is never going to be cooperative no matter what we puny humans decide to do. A friend of mine spent three days in Denver's airport when it became snowed in. And you thought having to turn off your cell phone was an inconvenience...  

Comments on Why Major Flight Delays Are Getting Worse

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  • 46 Posted by cathyekay on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    On one of my recent flights from Sacramento to Santa Ana airport, a 50 minute flight, we were asked to sit on the runway for an undisclosed amount of time. I literally got "in trouble" for using the restroom which I was kept from doing whilein the air because of bad wheather causing a bumpy ride. I took the glares and rolled eyes and went to the restroom, earmarked as the trouble maker. I was waiting for the staff to tackle me and my troubled face to appear on the 5 o'clock news! While our wait ended up being only 40 minutes I felt trapped and completely out of control, held hostage if you will. I can't imagine what those people who waited hours upon hours felt! Where are we China? Something must be done about this, a plan must be put into action and soon. I can imagine plane loads of people rushing airline staff, exiting the plane and wildly running through the airport trying to escape while taking cover from police raids! (Ok ok, maybe it won't get that bad) But you get the picture.

  • 47 Posted by neparis2001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    When you use a TIMED statement to demonstrate length (like "waited till 3pm") - it's generally nice to have ANOTHER POINT IN TIME FOR SOME DEGREE OF REFERENCE... If they noted the problem at 9am or noon, then that's bad. If they noted the problem at 2:45pm then that's a different story. You forgot to tell us which...

  • 48 Posted by ecm3131 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    For every abuse you read about there are 10 more unreported. A flight I was to take was late and when it finally arrived, they sent it off to another city to keep that flight on time (that flight had also been delayed). That way my flight went from "late" to "pretty darn late" while the other flight was kept "on time". Stats ... that's all they care about. And because they get to blame the weather, there was no comp for the missed connections that resulted, no comp for the hotel, etc. I think they ought to go to a "first in, first out" priority on flights. All the hassle that occured in Texas on 12/29 was that flights were kept on time while those people sat there for ten hours.

  • 49 Posted by raiderblknslvr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    Listen for a commuter I bet this is not just an inconveience but probably messes with someone's ability to make a living. I do sympathize with someone who deals with this regularly. What does it say about Washington when a number of planes sit on a runway for multiple hours one day then almost the very next day they have a Passenger Bill of Rights drafted. Too bad Health Care or Social Security isn't that critical. Talk about f*#@ed up priorties.

  • 50 Posted by hlsj_99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    The reason it is bad and getting worse is that customers of the airlines tolerate the poor performance. What choice do they have? There are no options. Get a couple beers in the bar and go with it.

  • 51 Posted by junkmailspam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    The Solution is simple. If a plane has been held on the run-way for at least one hour: Let the people out on the run-way. There is no need to force them back to the gate. Send out a bus, with one of those movable stairways, and have them deplane right there on the runway. I have done the same at small island getaways, we don't need a gate.

  • 52 Posted by chrisp4996 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:24PM EDT Report Abuse

    As a travel agent for a major company flights were cancelled all day last week during the storm. Flights at NYC airports were being cancelled for the next day also, so how in the world are people thinking they will get off the ground.Flights are cancelled when there is low clouds. Yes, there was no excuse to leave people on Jet Blue for 9/10 hours. The control tower could of let that flight pull up to another terminal to let people out. Jet Blue should of known better to have people sit on the plane for that many hours. All the other major airlines give out refunds when a flight is cancelled not future credits even when the ticket is non refundable. I also do not get why people call the travel agent when they are at the airport and are right at the gate. The airport knows more information than we do.

  • 53 Posted by user401104 on Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:15PM EST Report Abuse

    As a related true story, last year I was stuck on a plane at Boston Logan airport for almost 4 hours while an on-airport issue was dealt with. I was on a flight to NYC which is under 1 hour from Boston. I knew that I could go back to my car, drive to NYC, and get there in time for my meeting, if I could only get off the plane. I demanded to the flight attendant (with a great deal of fellow-passenger support) that we be allowed back to the gate to get off the plane. Her response: "If I continued to 'cause trouble', I would get my wish to go back to the gate, and be arrested for interfering with a flight crew...". As airplane passengers, in this day and political climate, we are forced to sit and take whatever the airlines dish out, and accept it. The only recourse we have, is to withhold our business from those air carriers that perform the worst. Unfortunately, that is not always possible, as in this day of deregulated airlines, not all carriers fly all routes. Limited choices....

  • 54 Posted by jennybankers on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    They delays are because pilots/crew get paid to sit on the tarmac in the plane but they DON'T get paid to sit in the airport delayed. So...where do you think they would want to sit - they don't care where YOU want to sit!!

  • 55 Posted by allegro12001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    Uhhm. This blog was neither informative or interesting...just whining. I'm not defending the airlines - but do know their profit margins are less than a grocery store...1 or 2% is typical. I'm somewhat surprised no one has come up with a "no checked baggage" / by the seat / by the pound cost per ticket model. A huge cost of flying is the fuel - every pound in the air costs...so the next time you're seated next to someone who checked 2 big bags...carried on one more...plus a carry-on...plus is wolfing down a Big Mac...know they're getting a bargain...and you're paying for it! :)

  • 56 Posted by renaluisvb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am also an every week flyer. I have to agree customer service and remembering we are the customer needs to be improved with most airlines and airport personnel in general. However, I also cannot blame airports like Denver when a storm so bad it sets records doesn't allow for my plane to take off. What would you rather them do...take off and possibly run into the side of the Rocky Mountain or have you sleep in the warm but very uncomfortable terminal? Keeping people for 10 hrs on the tarmack is extreme and it needs to be addressed...but lets not over react.

  • 57 Posted by carolinecarver on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    My United flight to Oregon on Dec. 19 was sent back to San Francisco because of fog in Oregon, where we were all dumped at 11:30 P.M. with no hotel vouchers, no $150 vouchers, no luggage, nothing! It was amazing. We were on our own and told we could get another flight in 6 days. It may have been okay for folks who lived in SF, but for the rest of us, women with babies, old people, we were stranded without even an apology from United. "We are not responsible if it is weather related" was their response. They actually told us it was our fault for getting on the plane, as the pilot had told us there might be fog.. Airlines don't care about their passengers, and as long as we accept it, and face it, most of us have to fly, we will continue to be treated like cattle. I try NOT to fly United any longer, but other than that, what can a passenger do? CC Rider in VA

  • 58 Posted by laverne_ks on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    There is absolutely NO excuse for treating customers like cattle - it's bad enough just sitting in the back of the plane in seats made for very small people. (We do not have a big corporation paying for our business/first-class seating). The planes should stop worrying about their "on-time" ratings and think of their passengers' comforts first. We spent over three hours just waiting to take off, no snow or ice, and it was HOT inside the plane. We paid to get somewhere in relatively good time, arrived totally frustrated with missed connections, etc, etc, etc!! We're STILL mad!!

  • 59 Posted by skywavebe@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    Living near O'Hare with all the aggravation and noise, and having worked at the airport. There is really no reason with those plows that the planes could not take off. It is that they have knumbskulls managing things at the airport- and the mayor thinks more runways will help the problem. If they don't use the ones they have then how are more runways going to help? Planes can take off at airports with snow and they can also land although that is riskier. The toilets can be emptied by a truck on the ground with just a call to the ground control. I think if you have to wait on the ground for more than an hour, the trip should be for free. Watch how quick they fix it then.

  • 60 Posted by hitkpr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    Pity all you ground-bound travelers who have to depend on an airline when there is a solution right in front of you: learn to fly. For trips 300-400 miles, there's no better way to travel. And at the prices being charged for reservations less than 3 weeks ahead, it can be cheaper! Getting your private pilot's license opens up travel opportunities you'll never run out of. And if you have to across the country, or even go half-way, you'll know as much about the system as the "professionals" who apparently can't find the sky with both hands. Look into learning to fly. There are more than 650,000 licensed pilots in the uS already, and we KNOW it's better than commercial airline travel. What are you waiting for?

  • 61 Posted by elainerkelly on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    The airline's have lost thier romance and now are just a taxi. from A to B. and the new employee's don't have the same love affair with the co.

  • 62 Posted by polarex23 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    dont fly drive if you think its faster in bad weather what a bunch of cry babies....know one says boo about the safety or marvel at how those birds get up in the air

  • 63 Posted by harold_james@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    there is already a law against holding someone against their will, it is called kidnapping. once some district attorney files charges on an airline executive for illegal detention and kidnapping and a jury gets to convict one of those airline executives, then and only then will it change. no company or individual has the right to hold someone on a plane for hours against their will. i am surprised no D.A. running for office has not sent an airline executive to jail yet. the first one to go will be all it takes.

  • 64 Posted by alifatahi on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    I fly every other week... What jet blue offered was an insult and i would never fly with them again... a gift certificate is the biggest pile of crap i have ever heard.. and a certificate to fly Jet blue.. how about a full cash refund.. or better yet cash refund and full fair for next flight of equal or lesser value.. I dont understand what is so difficult about bringing some buses over to the plane to unload and take back to the terminal... im not airport engineer but like stated above if someone threatened with a bomb you can bet there would be hundreds of cop cars and Swat busses near that plane...

  • 65 Posted by steven9892 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I do not even know why they call it customer service anymore. It is no where near that. In fact if it was only one plane or two this all would be shoved under the carpet. The problem is that in large companies (even smaller) everyone is so disconnected. We as consumers have taken a backseat. Now rude employees, the I don't care attitude, and poor merchandise has replaced it all. As a customer I actually feel like I am bothering the company by asking for something. Wait, isn't that what I am supposed to demand? Now a days I actually demand good customer relations. I will not stop until I feel I have been treated correctly. It is not easy to get empoyees or even management to take ownership of the product. When TWA was in business I sat on the runway for 4 hours. The crew just could care less. For the first hour they refused to let anyone use the bathroom. When it was apparent they were going to have people losing it they bent. I wrote TWA for 3 straight weeks. My response, sorry you feel this way. We have no control over delays. They never even addressed the poor treatment of passengers (THIS WAS THE WHOLE REASON I WROTE). They sent a $100 gift card to be used within the year and it had to be on there airline. Just fed up with it all.

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