very interesting....

[mwflyer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081015/ap_on_bi_ge/planes_rerouted


i find it a little strange that all the airlines involved are claiming no knowledge of the incident.

 

[Cptnchia]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081015/ap_on_bi_ge/planes_rerouted


i find it a little strange that all the airlines involved are claiming no knowledge of the incident.

Unless the crews flying the planes reported it to their dispatcher and/or CP, how would the company know?

 

[JoelT]

Most likely the crews had no idea why they were being rerouted.

 

[mwflyer]

i figured when atc told the pilot to report an "incorrect altitude" that the pilot would have reported that to their cp.

 

[Cptnchia]

i figured when atc told the pilot to report an "incorrect altitude" that the pilot would have reported that to their cp.

It takes a lot more than that to get me to enter that den of iniquity known as "The CPs Office." Now, the ALPA ATC guys, them I would tell.

 

[TripSix]

Most likely the crews had no idea why they were being rerouted.

Press Releases

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<TABLE id=rptPressReleases style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>FLYING PUBLIC USED AS GUINEA PIGS - DELAYS CAUSED AND FUEL WASTED TO FULFILL FAA SUPERVISOR'S TRAINING REQUIREMENTS


10/14/2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Last Saturday at approximately 4:10 p.m. EDT an FAA Supervisor at Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center ordered several air traffic controllers to issue new routes to four flights for the purpose of generating more traffic for a trainee undergoing a skills check – when a supervisor observes a trainee to see if he or she is ready to be certified to work that sector without direct supervision by a certified air traffic controller. ​

The new routings were issued to the four flights around <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1LACE w:st="on"><ST1:CITY w:st="on">Wilmington</ST1:CITY>, <ST1:STATE w:st="on">N.C.</ST1:STATE></ST1LACE> and it required four carriers (a Delta Airlines B757, a Virgin Airways B747 and two Southwest Airlines B737s) to fly in excess of 100 miles further and took them from a routing that was clear of weather and forced them to fly through thunderstorms. When questioned by the Virgin Airlines pilot as to the reason for the reroute, the supervisor ordered the controller to advise the pilot that it was due to weather. ​

Said <ST1LACE w:st="on"><ST1LACENAME w:st="on">Jacksonville</ST1LACENAME> <ST1LACETYPE w:st="on">Center</ST1LACETYPE></ST1LACE> Facility Representative Dave Cook: “While these skills checks are a normal part of the life of a trainee, forcing the airlines to fly further goes against the very grain of the service that air traffic control provides. Forcing air carriers full of passengers to fly through hazardous weather is needlessly endangering people’s lives – and the FAA Supervisor doing so to meet his training requirements is reckless.”​

Question for you, if you could be kind enough to take the time...​

If you, as a pilot, questioned a reroute, were told that it was for weather, and there was weather in the area - would you think anything of it?​

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