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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 23 2008, 1:57 PM EST (current) | jimglab | |
| Jan 23 2008, 1:57 PM EST | jimglab |
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from the flight deck
by Chris Cooke
October 2007
Here’s a look into the flight delays that frustrate airline passengers and personnel alike.
Having just arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Sydney, I was anxious to get off the plane, hustle through immigration and customs, and enjoy a few well-deserved days off. But as I approached the INS officer, I was informed that the computer system had gone down and wouldn’t be back up and running for a few minutes. I casually asked if they had a backup system. Yes, they did—but unfortunately, it was down as well. I asked if both the primary and backup had ever gone down simultaneously, and the reply was “never.”
After standing around for almost two hours in a customs hall stuffed to capacity, I asked to speak to the commanding officer and inquired if there were any contingency plan in place for the situation. No, she said, they had never experienced a failure of both systems concurrently. Less than six months later, the infamous fiasco at LAX resulted when the same customs and border protection computer system went down. Thousands of arriving international passengers were forced to sit on airplanes for up to 10 hours until the electronic malfunction was identified and repaired. Imagine the frustration of not being able to get off an airplane after 14 hours of flight time, not to mention missed connections. Regrettably, this is just one type of problem that can turn a pleasant travel experience into an absolute nightmare for both you and your pilot.
Our nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system can also trigger delays. In most cases, ATC operates with outdated and inefficient technology. Those weather delays we’ve all experienced can be attributed to an antiquated system that has failed to grow with the number of aircraft using our crowded skies. The American National Airspace System (NAS) consists of airways that function like superhighways in the sky, constrained by the same bottlenecks that automobile commuters experience on the freeway.
A ground stop for departures out of Chicago resulting from a line of thunderstorms 60 miles west is a prime example. In this case, all westbound departures would have to feed through one gateway instead of two or three, creating significant delays and inconvenience for the hundreds of aircraft (and their passengers) scheduled in that direction.
Such delays can wreak havoc with crew scheduling and are, in many cases, impossible to remedy. All flight crews have “duty” limits set by Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) for safety reasons, and compliance is mandatory. Breaking FARs may result in fines, loss of a license or both. Current duty limits are set at 16 hours, but if a pilot is scheduled for a five-leg, 12-hour day, a few delays might easily help exceed this maximum. It would be helpful for airlines to have pilots on standby at all airports, but that solution is unworkable in our current reduced staffing environment.
Airlines use sophisticated computer systems and state-of-the-art software to complete nearly 100 percent of planned daily flight schedules, and they do so with close to 90 percent average load factors. However, in order to achieve those numbers, carriers need everything to run seamlessly in near perfect weather. As all frequent travelers know, this is an unrealistic expectation.
As frustrating as flying can be for paying passengers, imagine the compounded impact on pilots who routinely fly an average of 15 to 18 days a month. Most pilots I know are type A personalities hired for their reliability, competence and professionalism. We expect to go to work, do our job well and accomplish whatever it takes to get the aircraft to the destination as expeditiously as possible, with the highest level of safety.
When we do arrive at our destination and need to wait a few minutes for a gate, take a deep breath and try to relax. Your pilot is probably even more anxious to get off the plane than you are, and we’re doing our best to make sure your trip concludes quickly and safely.
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CHRIS COOKE is a pilot with a major domestic carrier. He can be reached at editor@executivetravelmag.com.
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