Game Show Question
- Thread starter manniax
- Start date
flynryan692
Well-Known Member
Had a situation like this recently. Captain wanted to delay over night and refused to fly the flight because the weather in Hunstville was bad and he thought it was unsafe. Turns out he was looking at a different Hunstville that was getting rocked by thunderstorms. After somebody in flight ops got him to check on WSI he sent me an ACARS saying "looks like the weather improved we are boarding now".
DogwoodLynx
Well-Known Member
The most frustrating part of working as a Dispatcher (and now currently as an Ops Agent) is that a lot of crews will not keep Ops/Dispatch updated.
Time and time again it’s time to push off the gate, but there’s no movement. Why aren’t we pushing? Is there MX? Still need fuel? Why don’t you guys answer the radio? Pax service has closed the flight but where the hell is the gate agent? Oh, now you want to hold boarding or deplane? Does anyone know WTF is going on?
I know everyone is busy but I can’t help/coordinate if I don’t know what is going on.
Not to mention I’ve got to be accountable to my boss so they can code the delay (the biggest airline pissingmatch) but in order to do that I need information about what’s going on.
Time and time again it’s time to push off the gate, but there’s no movement. Why aren’t we pushing? Is there MX? Still need fuel? Why don’t you guys answer the radio? Pax service has closed the flight but where the hell is the gate agent? Oh, now you want to hold boarding or deplane? Does anyone know WTF is going on?
I know everyone is busy but I can’t help/coordinate if I don’t know what is going on.
Not to mention I’ve got to be accountable to my boss so they can code the delay (the biggest airline pissingmatch) but in order to do that I need information about what’s going on.
crjdxr
Whale watching over SCUPP
All of this one.
McCrosky
Well-Known Member
First let me preface this by saying 5% of the coatings are 95% of the issues. I have minimal to no issues with most crews I’ve ever worked with.
That being said:
Ask for more fuel to hold (note, we aren’t shy with holding fuel in our office when known or anticipated) .. then when actually put in a hold try to go to alternate without holding,,,,
That being said:
Ask for more fuel to hold (note, we aren’t shy with holding fuel in our office when known or anticipated) .. then when actually put in a hold try to go to alternate without holding,,,,
This.
All of this!
I learned a valuable lesson by “Your company wants you to return to the gate” doesn’t necessarily mean “Everyone in operations has come together and decided that you need to return”, it’s sometimes someone pretty far down the food chain that made the call, told no one else except ground control and it’s always best to contact dispatch and ask “WTF Mate?!” because it may be the first time he’s heard anything.
manniax
Well-met in the Ka-tet
Yeah, I have mentioned this one once before...on one flight I had a crew inbound to DEN - which had thunderstorms in the vicinity - with lots of extra fuel and a solid alternate (GJT) well away from the weather. They called, not before they left, but about 30 minutes out, requesting an alternate change to COS which also had VCTS. Had they been given holding? "Well, no, but if we DO get holding then we'd rather go to COS and that way we can hold longer..." not seeming to understand that increased their odds of having NO good alternate to divert to. And they wouldn't let up on it, until I kept saying the word, unsafe, repeated times. They then sent a message requesting an alternate change to CYS, which I sent an amendment for since it was away from the weather - although it was not as good of an alternate as GJT for various reasons. They ended up getting into DEN without being held. So, I spent about 20 minutes on this one flight's issue - which really should never have been an issue. I know that we are there to be a resource for crews in situations like this, of course, but it was frustrating to have to point out a potential safety issue with their desired alternate repeatedly before they dropped the request.
bbmikej
Well-Known Member
"Returning to gate like company said."
You wot mate? Which company said to return? It wasn't ours.
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Turns out it was someone in local ops that didn’t understand the promotion didn’t mean he was a captain or a dispatcher.
thewaffles
Well-Known Member
Capitan: I'm adding 3000lbs because of weather
Dispatcher: No need for it, the weather won't impact until hours after you arrive.
Capitan: Well I'm still adding it, that's why I'm here and you're there.
Dispatcher pulls the strip and involves the Chief Pilot.
Dispatcher: No need for it, the weather won't impact until hours after you arrive.
Capitan: Well I'm still adding it, that's why I'm here and you're there.
Dispatcher pulls the strip and involves the Chief Pilot.
LOL... Captain asks for additional fuel and the dispatcher pulls the strip and calls the Cheif Pilot??? That's a weird company
manniax
Well-met in the Ka-tet
It would probably take more than this for me to involve a chief pilot - although the captain definitely could use an attitude adjustment. I have been known to prevent load planning from sending final weights if the crew adds fuel without contacting me first - mainly it's to verify the fuel on board. Conversation will sometimes go like "We have the fuel already!" "Yes, but load planning won't be sending your final weights until I verify the amount directly with you." "Oh..."
bbmikej
Well-Known Member
If I'm not mistaken, you couldn't get weight and balance numbers at my old place unless the fuel was over by less than that which required a new release. So if the captain added 2000lbs on a regional jet, the weight and balances numbers would return a message saying to contact dispatch instead of the actual numbers.
autosave36
IROP Food tester. You're welcome.
Asking if there is atc flow into gsp is a good start. Following up with "do we need more fuel" is a nice second step... and then magically being overfueled by the amount you wanted after i said no to the fuel should tip me over the edge
z987k
Well-Known Member
All you people and your fuel. At Every Day is the First Day Air, we just add what the Captain wants and tell no one. You'll get it in the ACARS block out.
I don't think I've ever flown a flight here where we weren't 1-5% over the dispatch release.
Every time I've ever queried this ingrained company culture to always take more fuel all I get back is OMFG you want to run out of GAS!!!!
I don't think I've ever flown a flight here where we weren't 1-5% over the dispatch release.
Every time I've ever queried this ingrained company culture to always take more fuel all I get back is OMFG you want to run out of GAS!!!!
manniax
Well-met in the Ka-tet
Honestly, I don't mind the fuel adds - I do find some of them to be a bit of overkill but they don't really bother me. Up to a certain amount, crews can now add fuel from their iPads without having to call us, which is just fine with me - we automatically get a notification when they do this. There is one part of the world, though, where they seem to think it's fine just to tell station ops about it without contacting us in any way - why they prefer this to using their iPad or sending us an ACARS message, I have no idea. As these particular stations do not have agents that speak English as their first language, I don't think it's unreasonable to verify directly with the crew how much fuel they would like or have on board already. I will say, it does seem to have improved from a few years ago (being able to add via iPad probably has helped.)
IamNegan
Well-Known Member
I agree - they may see something, I am not seeing but some of the reasons why are a little overkill...
gopherdx
Well-Known Member
I agree on the adding fuel.. and more so on how sometimes it's overkill. Take today for example, I had a flight destined for JFK as to when they arrive it doesn't require.. but I put EWR on anyway as a precautionary since the TAF is calling for SCT010 BKN030 and this is a couple of hours after the LIFR conditions in the NE. So I come to find out that the captain wants me to change the alternate to something other than EWR (mind you EWR is wayyy over the C055 requirements.. SCT010 BKN035 IIRC) or add 3k lbs. I do neither and the capt ends up adding 3,000 lbs.. Landed with all of that extra fuel into a VFR JFK.
Mainline_or_bust
Airplanes fly on PFM, Change my mind
Supervisors/Duty Mangers/Anyone other then me and God, talking to my crew via ACARS/SatCom/HF or If it’s smoke signals... move over I’m fanning those flames Jim.
If it’s not me, I’m in rage mode.
If it’s not me, I’m in rage mode.
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