Stranded RST Pax....A Different Spin

JEP

Does It Really Matter....?
Staff member
Mesaba might have an opening real soon.....


Feds: Mesaba rep, not crew, to blame for stranding passengers

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune
Last update: August 21, 2009 - 11:06 AM

Federal investigators today are blaming a Mesaba Airlines representative at the Rochester airport for refusing to let 47 passengers off a nearly full regional ExpressJet airliner about two weeks ago, stranding them on the nearly full plane for about six hours.

According to the U.S. Transportation Department's preliminary investigation, the representative for Mesaba, the only carrier staffing the airport at that time, "improperly refused the requests of the ExpressJet captain to let her passengers off the plane, telling the captain that the airport was closed to passengers for security reasons."

On the evening of Aug. 8, the flight from Houston to the Twin Cities was redirected to the Rochester airport because of severe weather at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. It arrived about midnight, and passengers weren't allowed off the 50-seat plane in Rochester until 6 a.m. the next day. Continental Flight 2816, operated by ExpressJet, didn't reach its Twin Cities destination until midmorning.

Link Christin described his experience on board as a "nightmare," saying that he and the other passengers had virtually nothing to eat during the wait 80 miles short of their destination and that the toilet and babies on board began to smell.

The local representative of Mesaba was "the only carrier in a position to help the stranded plane" but rejected the crew's effort to let its passengers in the Rochester terminal "because there was no one from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) available to screen passengers."

However, the department said, TSA procedures allow passengers to get off a plane, enter the terminal and reboard without being screened again "as long as they remain in a secure area."

Mesaba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. A spokeswoman representing those airlines has been asked for comment on the federal findings. The airport's manager not only said the ExpressJet passengers should have been admitted to a secure area, he also noted that a Delta flight that also was diverted to Rochester that night allowed its passengers to deplane at 3:30 a.m.

The completed preliminary investigation also found that while the crew repeatedly tried to get permission to deplane the passengers at the airport or onto a bus, more senior personnel within Continental or ExpressJet should have become involved in the effort to allow the passengers to get off the plane.

"You know, learning more about the facts of this incident hasn't done a whole lot to temper my anger at the way those passengers were treated," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote this morning on his department blog." I mean, there was really a complete lack of common sense here. It's no wonder the flying public is so frustrated."

Members of the Transportation Department's Aviation Enforcement Office interviewed passengers, the flight crew, airport personnel among others. Investigators also listened to audio recordings from the aircraft and the dispatcher.

"This is one of the most thorough investigations ever conducted" by the enforcement office, LaHood said.

As for what consequences Mesaba may face for this incident, department spokesman Bill Mosley said that the enforcement office "is considering the appropriate action to take against Mesaba" after the full investigation is complete "within a few weeks."

The passengers' plight prompted other Washington officials to call for action. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said that the passengers' "unacceptable" treatment warranted a "swift response" by the Federal Aviation Administration. Klobuchar is a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has oversight for air travel.

The Senate sponsors of a passengers' bill of rights said the incident underscored the need for Congress to quickly pass the pending legislation.


Specifically, the bill requires that:
• Airlines provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms during a delay.
• Airlines offer passengers the option of safely deplaning once they have sat on the ground for three hours after the plane door has closed.
• Airports and airlines develop contingency plans for delayed flights to be federally reviewed and approved.
• The U.S. Transportation Department create a consumer complaint hotline that passengers can call to alert the agency about delays.

The provision is opposed by the Air Transport Association, which represents most major air carriers. The association has said a hard and fast timeframe for returning to the gate could have unintended consequences for customers, including the likelihood of more cancellations and other inconveniences.
 
A serious question, how is this Mesaba's fault? You're asking an agent from another company to take responsibility for another companies passengers? That would be like me running out of gas in front of a BP and asking the cashier to help push my car to the Exxon down the street.

The dispatcher dropped the ball when selecting that airport.
 
A serious question, how is this Mesaba's fault?
The dispatcher dropped the ball when selecting that airport.

It's not Mesaba's fault.

According to the articles, Mesaba sure didn't help, but there were numerous options besides sitting on the plane until dawn.
 
A serious question, how is this Mesaba's fault? You're asking an agent from another company to take responsibility for another companies passengers? That would be like me running out of gas in front of a BP and asking the cashier to help push my car to the Exxon down the street.

The dispatcher dropped the ball when selecting that airport.

I don't know how they determined that. I wonder if Xjet doesn't have any sort of agreement with Mesaba. I don't think that Xjet staffs RST so maybe there is some rule; in the absence of 'X', < insert carrier 'X' ><insert carrier="" y=""> is required to handle this. :dunno:</insert>
 
I wrote this in the airline pilots sub forum on the same thing

One other thing to consider which relates to an experience that I had while working on the ramp, is that the ramp personnel are not trained nor really authorized to handle other airlines equipment. At BGR we serviced Comair, ASA, Pinnacle, Mesaba, and XJT airplanes. One night (March 16 2007) a CAL mainline 737 diverted from BOS. As the agent with the most seniority I got in a steaming pile of poo for unloading the luggage from that flight, and helping the passengers with accommodations etc. even though we handled all the COex flights to BGR solely because it was a mainline flight. I did not work at Comair within three weeks of that event (I had to use all my sick time first) even though someone else from the station won a company award for being a sleezebag that night. Not that I'm trying to justify the agents actions, but after working the ramp in situations like that before, I can easily see what their thought process was that night.

It would have been a hell of a lot easier had the ERJ had integrated airstairs. I'd almost guarantee you that Mesaba doesnt have a set of ERJ stairs at the airport. I've jumped out of an ERJ before, and its not that bad, but I was 21 at the time not 71 like some of the passengers probably were.
 
The Passengers Bill of Rights might get passed if next time an airplane gets stranded like this one of the passengers gets claustiphobic and loses his mind and goes postal on everyone. :) But not until then, laws are usually reactionary in nature.
 
It was brought up in the other forum regarding this topic, but what would have happened had a pax just opened the door and jumped out? I mean would they arrest the person?
 
It was brought up in the other forum regarding this topic, but what would have happened had a pax just opened the door and jumped out? I mean would they arrest the person?
Yes, arrested for entering a secure area. I think I read the fine is as high as $25,000. And its rare for someone who does that to NOT get in trouble for it.
 
To all Captains:

Think outside the box. Don't become media fodder trying to follow the best interest of security regulations. When your passengers' health and wellness concerns grow as a result of regulations that are intended to protect health and wellness in the first place, it's time to admit that there isn't a procedure for every scenario.
 
Yes, arrested for entering a secure area. I think I read the fine is as high as $25,000. And its rare for someone who does that to NOT get in trouble for it.


I know this sounds crazy but could the airline be seen as holding people under direst and against their will?
 
A serious question, how is this Mesaba's fault? You're asking an agent from another company to take responsibility for another companies passengers? That would be like me running out of gas in front of a BP and asking the cashier to help push my car to the Exxon down the street.

The dispatcher dropped the ball when selecting that airport.

I'm hoping someone familiar with the E145 and Express Jet OpSpecs might chime in here. Granted RST was not the best choice, but what else might have worked for them? If you're going IAH to MSP that's pretty long leg for a 145 to begin with, and alternate selection was probably range-limited. It could be that RST was the only choice to set down in. Just playing Devil's Advocate here.
 
I know this sounds crazy but could the airline be seen as holding people under direst and against their will?
The lawyers interviewed in the story I read said they don't even take those cases. The law is clearly on the side of the airline.
 
The way I read it, the Secretary of Transportation is full of Horse Basterd.

It was the fear of the lousy TSA that caused Mesaba to decline assistance in the first damn place. If there had been TSA officers around while Mesaba was still operating at that time of night, the passengers may have been assisted off the airplane. Let me reiterate that: The system was initially broken because there was a fear of reprisal from a government agency.

Also, is Ray LaHood really so naive as to think there isn't a prevailing culture that punishes anyone that does more than their official job description? If the jet were damaged or a passenger fell down the airstairs, does he think almost any airline would have supported the RST station manager in such a heavily rule-oriented environment if they didn't have to?
 
Supposedly XE Dispatch called XJ ops in RST prior to the divert and arranged for services, wich was part of the reason why they went there in the first place! I guess XJ didn't quite hold up their end of the bargain.

An ERJ with no door-stairs really needs a jetway or airstairs of appropriate height....it is a 6 foot drop from that door to the ground, and out of 47 people someone is just about guaranteed to break their ankle making that jump.
 
Supposedly XE Dispatch called XJ ops in RST prior to the divert and arranged for services, wich was part of the reason why they went there in the first place! I guess XJ didn't quite hold up their end of the bargain.

An ERJ with no door-stairs really needs a jetway or airstairs of appropriate height....it is a 6 foot drop from that door to the ground, and out of 47 people someone is just about guaranteed to break their ankle making that jump.
no pertinent comment on this thread, but are those your empties in the avatar? Sure looks like 7.62 x 51 empties.

edit: actually on closer look the case looks a bit long
 
no pertinent comment on this thread, but are those your empties in the avatar? Sure looks like 7.62 x 51 empties.

edit: actually on closer look the case looks a bit long

Haha, no, just a pic I liked off google...but I did shoot about 350 rounds of 7.62x51 this weekend, and that is 7.62 nato in the picture, just not mine. They're nowhere near that polished after being spit into the dirt by my M1A.
 
Haha, no, just a pic I liked off google...but I did shoot about 350 rounds of 7.62x51 this weekend, and that is 7.62 nato in the picture, just not mine. They're nowhere near that polished after being spit into the dirt by my M1A.
Well I should take a picture of the thousands of empty 7.62 x 51 I have, waiting for me to un-lazy and reload. I feel kind of left out :D

edit: the nerd in me just grabbed a case, the proportions of those cases are wrong to be 7.62 x 51
 
I'll say it again. Mesaba is not at fault, we did nothing wrong, it was in fact those XJT swines fault and we are currently encircling them with our tanks! They are cutoff! There is no XJT plane in RST, complete propaganda. I ask you all to look for yourself, we will go there by bus in one hour!

07-minister.jpg
 
Well I should take a picture of the thousands of empty 7.62 x 51 I have, waiting for me to un-lazy and reload. I feel kind of left out :D

edit: the nerd in me just grabbed a case, the proportions of those cases are wrong to be 7.62 x 51

Eh :dunno:

I just got the pic here: The Link

Wonder what kind of brass it is....
 
Back
Top