AOPA Airline Delay Checklist

Nick

Nick

Well-Known Member
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2007/070828excuses.html

Blame the weather (i.e., too hot, cold, rainy, windy, sunny, etc.).

When a massive storm line running north-south over eastern Pennsylvania blocks all exits and entryways in and out of NYC, PHL, BWI, DCA/IAD etc., I believe the airlines are not out of line blaming the weather.


Blame a computer (after all, one laptop controls all flights at each airport).

I agree.


Blame airports (be sure to remind everyone that when you over-schedule, they should build more gates).

How long are airlines supposed to wait for the government to update airports? Deregulation is decades gone and the airlines are growing as fast or faster than our population. Airports have not kept up and are at least part of the problem.


Blame runways (they should accommodate you when you schedule 58 departures in an hour).

I see AOPA's point here and I agree that more rolling banks of arriving and departing flights would help prevent delays that are results large spikes in arrival and departure rates.


Blame pilots (they should be glad they still have jobs. Everyone else got laid off).

Maybe it's just me but I think it is not good form to word it this way. If GA downsized itself as a result of huge increases in cost and half of AOPA got laid off, I don't think they'd like airlines and corporate aviation telling the ones sill working that they should be glad they still have jobs. And besides, all but one major airline is recalling the furloughed pilots.


Blame private planes. (Try this game: Have the passengers try to spot one private plane during their five-hour wait on the tarmac. Hint: Because private planes rarely use the crowded hub airports, they will never see one. It's a good way to keep them too busy to realize that you didn't provide them with food.)

I agree and disagree.

They don't use the big airports as much but they are using the airspace nearby. Examples are EWR and nearby TEB/MMU, LGA and nearby HWD, etc.


What are your opinions on AOPA's Airline Delay Checklist?
 
Nick said:
What are your opinions on AOPA's Airline Delay Checklist?
Click to expand...

It was meant to be sarcastic and not over analyzed...ie what you did :).

P.S. It's funny 'cause it's true!! Management will blame everyone but themselves.
 
That is too funny!!! So true in regards to the fact that you rarely see GA planes landing at crowded airports. I wish that little checklist was in every seat on the planes!!
 
Nick said:
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2007/070828excuses.html

Blame the weather (i.e., too hot, cold, rainy, windy, sunny, etc.).

When a massive storm line running north-south over eastern Pennsylvania blocks all exits and entryways in and out of NYC, PHL, BWI, DCA/IAD etc., I believe the airlines are not out of line blaming the weather.


Blame a computer (after all, one laptop controls all flights at each airport).

I agree.


Blame airports (be sure to remind everyone that when you over-schedule, they should build more gates).

How long are airlines supposed to wait for the government to update airports? Deregulation is decades gone and the airlines are growing as fast or faster than our population. Airports have not kept up and are at least part of the problem.


Blame runways (they should accommodate you when you schedule 58 departures in an hour).

I see AOPA's point here and I agree that more rolling banks of arriving and departing flights would help prevent delays that are results large spikes in arrival and departure rates.


Blame pilots (they should be glad they still have jobs. Everyone else got laid off).

Maybe it's just me but I think it is not good form to word it this way. If GA downsized itself as a result of huge increases in cost and half of AOPA got laid off, I don't think they'd like airlines and corporate aviation telling the ones sill working that they should be glad they still have jobs. And besides, all but one major airline is recalling the furloughed pilots.


Blame private planes. (Try this game: Have the passengers try to spot one private plane during their five-hour wait on the tarmac. Hint: Because private planes rarely use the crowded hub airports, they will never see one. It's a good way to keep them too busy to realize that you didn't provide them with food.)

I agree and disagree.

They don't use the big airports as much but they are using the airspace nearby. Examples are EWR and nearby TEB/MMU, LGA and nearby HWD, etc.


What are your opinions on AOPA's Airline Delay Checklist?
Click to expand...

Are you in favor of GA paying user fees above and beyond fuel taxes already payed?
 
Despite the satire, there is a lot of truth to what is said and what the Alliance for Aviation Across America is trying get across.

I see it every weekend in Boston at the Airways Express gates. They schedule way too many flights in such a short period of time. I can't count how many times we've come in on a Saturday or Sunday and have had to wait 30 minutes for a gate, thus delaying our next departure. Just ridiculous. And LaGuardia is ten times worse then Boston. There are too many flights getting jam packed into these airports. Smaller aircraft and three times the amount of depatures.

And the most ridiculous part is, this past "holiday" weekend - we carried a total of 26 Pax on Monday during our 7 leg day between BOS-ISP and ALB. They could have cut it to 4 legs and maybe made some money.

I wish the airlines would quit blaming everyone else, grow a pair, take responsibility for the mess they are causing and do something about.
 
It's a catch 22. What they DON'T mention is that if airlines roll back flights, sure they won't be delayed as much anymore, but there won't be as many flights, leading to more oversold flights and higher fares due to reduced supply. It's a vital piece of the puzzle that's left out.

Now, I don't support user fees at all. With user fees, GA (including the training environment where most commercial pilots come from) is gonna go downhill FAST. That being said, I don't think EITHER side (the airline or AOPA) is being 100% honest in the arguement. Part of the reason you don't see 172s and Warriors flying into MEM or MCO is the insane landing fees and fuel prices at those places. Plus, there are much better reliever airports (such as OLV in Memphis or ISM in Orlando) that don't have the fees or the sky high fuel prices. IMO, that's a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Most GA would prefer those reliever airports, which is what they were designed for. On the flip side, I think AOPA is using the public's skewed perception of what a "private plane" is to better their cause. Normally, they'll be one of the first to point out that Citations, Lears, Hawkers etc are part of GA. In this case, it kind of HURTS their cause, though. So, they use the term "private planes" to sort of invoke the perception of single engine piston airplanes.

Finally, the government shares in this, too. It's not the airlines' fault that airports are grossly inadequate for the marketplace. Wal-Mart's never had the problem of not being able to open a store to generate more $$$ flow b/c the government couldn't build a structure, and it's not like Delta can go out and build an airport like Wal-Mart can build another store. The government has serious drug their feet since taking the reins off the airlines back in 1978. Most of the problem has been who's gonna pay for what and what part of the FAA's budget to upgrade their 1970s tech is gonna be cut out this year. Instead of upgrading the flight service stations (a system which more or less worked pretty well), maybe they shoulda sunk that cash into improvements to navigation facilities, airports or ATC systems. There's plenty of construction going on. MSP and DTW both have runways shut down. Too bad it's not to expand capacity but to fix things that broke down, like pavement that had been slammed by jets too many times. It's not like the governement didn't see the expansion of the airlines coming. It was one of the stated advantages to de-regulation.
 
jrh said:
I think you missed the whole point. It's written as satire.
Click to expand...

I understand the style they wrote it in is satirical and includes some exaggerations. But just beneath that is what AOPA actually does believe in and a watered down version of checklist would mirror the agenda of an AOPA lobbyist.

I assure you I did not miss the whole point; I just threw it out there for people to read. I agree with some of it and disagree with some of it.
 
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