My plane is sitting right there! Why won't you let me board?!
Sometimes I like to answer questions that I receive about airlines via email. Recently I found an email in my inbox that I would probably classify as an “angry rant.” As I posted before, I get a lot of letters from angry passengers who feel they have been greatly wronged by the airline and want their story heard. Even though I do not agree that this person experienced a huge life hardship, I think there are some clarifications of his situation, that I want to share.
Long story short, this person’s original flight was cancelled. He was working with a gate agent who explained that there was a flight that he might be able to make if he ran for it and that he did.
When he arrived at the new gate he was told that the flight was closed and he couldn’t make the plane. Then he noticed that the airplane’s door was still open and felt the gate agent should let him on the plane. I can understand that it is a hard thing to see that your plane is sitting right there, not moving and you could just easily jump on.
The gate agent explained again that he is not able to allow the passenger board his flight, which caused him to have a seven hour delay before catching the next flight (I know, I told you it was going to be horrific). Although the passenger felt that the gate agent was playing some power game with him, that is not the case.
This scenario is not uncommon and if you haven’t experienced it, chances are you might have seen a passenger yelling at a gate agent about being let on to the aircraft. Heck, even Kevin Smith (of the “I am too big to fly on Southwest” fame) had some issues with this not too long ago with Virgin America. So why won’t the mean old airline let you on your flight? There are a few reasons…
First off, running an airline is very complicated. A small delay on one flight can snowball and affect passengers, crew and airports for hours and even days.
The FAA will not allow an airline to push back their flight until everyone is seated, each bag is stowed and the cabin door is closed. Before the cabin door is secured, the gate agent must get an accurate count of the passengers and physically hand that to the pilot before returning back to the terminal. Last minute calculations on weight distribution and fuel need to be done before the plane is ready to go.
Just because the aircraft’s door is open doesn’t mean it would be easy to open the gate door and let an extra passenger on board. Remember that there are many people that are already on the plane waiting to take off on time and they need to make their connections at other airports. Why should they all be delayed waiting for the flight crew to redo their counts?
Believe me, airlines and those that work for airliens (well a HUGE majority) are not evil people. Their goal is not to make your life a living hell. They need to run their business and to do that, sometimes, some people will be inconvenienced. It can be lame, but it is just the price of living this thing we call a modern society.
Thumbnail from each of my Flickr photo sets in 2011. Lots of good stuff. SUPER DOOPER bonus if you can tell me what each of these thumbnails represent -- without going to my Flickr page.
First of all, a Happy New Year to everyone. 2011 was another great year for the blog. Without your readership, airlines wouldn’t be willing to let me go on these adventures and share them with you, so I am highly appreciative for all your support.
In 2011, I was able to rack up over 81,000 miles flying for the blog (compared to 50,000 in 2010). Out of all the stories, photos and experiences which were the most popular to me and you? Well, this year it wasn’t so easy. All these “Tops” come directly from the blog at AirlineReporter.com and do not take into account of the readership on the Seattle PI or Reuters (even though are very important as well — but I just don’t have good data from those). Here are Top 5’s in different categories:
Top 5 Viewed Blogs
Rarely does time spent on a story relate directly to the amount of traffic seen. Many times, having access to a few sweet photos or a video and taking three minutes to post it will inevitably see more traffic than a story I work on for weeks. Traffic is traffic of course and it is always interesting seeing the most popular stories. These are the top viewed stories for 2011:
* Airbus A380 wing hits building at Paris Airshow
* Interior photos of ANA’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner
* JAL livery revealed on 787 Dreamliner
* Photo of Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental outside, unpainted
* Taking a look at Delta’s Economy Comfort vs United’s Economy Plus
Top 5 Experiences
Lots of miles and many great experiences this last year, but these are my five favorite (in no particular order):
* Flying on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the first time
* Hitching a ride on a Beechcraft Starship
* Experiencing Singapore Airline’s A380 Business Class
* Delivering a RwandAir Boeing 737
* Watching the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental take her first flight
Top 5 Cities Reading the Blog
This is the first year that Seattle (where I am based) moves down to number two in readership behind New York. Also, all five are US cities, where last year London made the list. Here are the cities that read my blog the most in 2011 (in order of most to least):
* New York
* Seattle
* Los Angeles
* Chicago
* San Francisco
I feel lucky that I was able to fly over 81,000 miles for the blog in 2011. Hoping to break the 100k mark for 2012.
Top 5 Photos On The Blog
I am not a professional photographer, nor do I want to be one. I have enjoyed learning a lot about photography in 2011, but being around people who are truly amazing photographers, I won’t ever get to that level — but I am okay with that (less stressful for sure). Sometimes I like what I take, sometimes I do not. These are the Top 5 photos I enjoyed that were taken for the blog. Not saying they will win any awards, but here they are:
* Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at Narita
* Boeing 747-8I at Boeing Field (taken by Nick Smith for AirlineReporter.com)
* Singapore skyline at night
* Rear view of the Beechcraft Starship. The plane has so many amazing angles, but I really enjoyed this one.
* Inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with tinted windows
Top 5 Most Commented Blogs
This year has seen many more comments on my stories and I LOVE IT. Not surprisingly there tend to be more comments on some of my more controversal topics. Here are the top commented stories (in order from most to least) of 2011:
* Received My First Body Scan and I Am Okay With It
* Airline Livery Opinion of the Week: American Airlines Livery Stinks
* PHOTOS: Airbus A380 Wing Hits Building at Paris Air Show
* CONTEST: How Many Boeing 737s Are Still Flying?
* Was United Airline’s Computer Outage That Big of a Deal? I Say Nay.
Previous New Years Posts:
Top 5 of 2010
My 6 favorite blogs of 2009
So what did your airline-related 2011 look like? Fly anywhere cool? Take some good photos? Where are you hoping to go in 2012?
Boeing 787 Dreamliner JA805A landing at Paine Field on December 23rd.
I am just getting word directly from All Nippon Airways (ANA) that they did complete the paperwork on the 30th of December for the delivery of their third 787 Dreamliner. Although ANA will not take possession of the aircraft until January 4th, the airline considers the signing of the paperwork as the “official delivery date.”
The aircraft will be JA805A (L/N 31), configured for long-haul international service.
Boeing had hoped to deliver five to seven Dreamliners in 2011, but additional delays hurt that timeline. They delivered their first 787 (JA801A) to ANA on September 27, 2011 and their second (JA802A) on October 15th, 2011.
Image: Jame Polivka
About mid-December, Boeing revealed a 777-300ER for Air New Zealand with special All Blacks (rugby team) livery. The livery looked amazing, but unfortunately the shots that Boeing shared where taken at night. On Friday December 30th, the 777-300ER (ZK-OKQ) took off for the first time, giving ample opportunity to get a better look at her. Here are some photos I wanted to share:
Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKQ) taxiing at Paine Field on December 30th. Photo by Kristopher Hull.
Air New Zealand's Boeing 777-300ER with All Blacks livery (ZK-OKQ) had her first flight at Paine Field on the 30th. Photo by Liz Matzelle.
Undershot of the 777-300ER (ZK-OKQ) at Paine Field. Photo by Kristopher Hull.
Some additional great photos of the All Blacks Boeing 777-300ER:
* Another shot of the 777 from Liz Matzelle.
* The All Blacks 777 Taking off for the first time by Kris Hull.
* ZAK-OKQ landing back at Paine Field by Kris Hull.
Celebrate Good Times! Sir Richard Branson and Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnethelps cut the ribbon at San Fransisco on December 15th. Photo by Nick Smith / AirlineReporter.com.
On December 15th, Virgin America celebrated their inaugural service to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP). The airline is offering daily non-stop flights from San Fransisco (SFO) and seasonal flights from John F Kennedy International Airport (JKF) with just one stop (in SFO), but no plane change required.
If you know Virgin America, they can’t just start a new route without some fun — this was no exception. AirlineReporter.com Correspondent Nick Smith was able to join in on the fun, starting in SFO, then taking the inaugural flight to PSP and a bit of fun while relaxing at the Riviera Palm Springs (note that the costs for the flight from Seattle to SFO to PSP and the hotel were taken care of by the airline and hotel).
“The Virgin terminal immediately turned into a party,” Nick explains. “Rat Pack impersonators set the tone of early fifties high class style that awaited down in Palm Springs. Crowds gravitated as Dean, Sammy and Frank occasionally broke into into a solo while holding martinis (which Virgin made available to everyone waiting to board).”
SFO’s new Terminal 2 had a party atmosphere and after a few short talks and a ceremonial ribbon cutting, it was time to board the plane; one of Virgin America’s stylish Airbus A320s (N623VA).
Sir Richard Branson walks down the aisle. Photo by Nick Smith / AirlineReporter.com.
Although the flight was short from SFO to PSP, there was still great adventure to be had. Drinks were on hand and Nick was able to hob-knob with David Cush, President and CEO of Virgin America and Sir Richard Branson.
“Sir Branson began his day in Australia but didn’t show any signs of fatigue,” Nick explained. “He made plenty of time for everyone’s questions and brought everyone’s spirit higher than the aircraft could have by itself. He clearly holds a lot of excitement for the new route and, like I, had never visited Palm Springs. ”
Special flights like these are always different. Most people are up and out of their seats and interacting with others. It is like a social shin-dig 30,000 feet up and this one was no different.
The Rat Pack on board the aircraft (at least people that look like them). Photo by Nick Smith / AirlineReporter.com.
“My favorite part of the flight was walking up and down the aisle talking to those who made this inaugural journey. Not a single passenger didn’t carry a smile and everyone had a story.”
Once the plane landed, it was welcomed by a water cannon salute and local media. There were lots of poses on the red carpet before Branson was whisked off in a helicopter (he is one busy dude) and other invited guests headed to the Riviera for some great food and drinks.
The feeling of the hotel really mirrors the energy from the surrounding area. “I asked Geoff Young, General Manager, a little about the history and style of this place, which encapsulates the spirit that made Palm Springs so popular in the heyday of early 1960’s Hollywood vacationing style,” Nick reported back. “He, as well as each member of the staff, showed absolute professionalism and commitment to service. It’s been a while since I actually felt special at a resort; this place did it.” This is about the time where I really start regretting sending Nick and wishing I was able to make the trip on my own — oh well.
What would Palm Springs be without Palm trees? Photo by Nick Smith / AirlineReporter.com.
Palm Springs is the 16th desitnation that Virgin America flies to and it most likely won’t be the last. They have over 50 planes on order and big plans to continue growing. Although they hit a snag withing having to cancel their flight to Toronto and that pesky issue with not always making profit, they are still an airline that many in the business have started to watch closely. Palm Springs seems like a good fit for the airline and the city is excited to have them.
’œThe Virgin brand is a perfect fit with our destination,’ said Scott White, President and CEO of Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVA. ’œFrom our stylish hotels and resorts to our international festivals and 360 days of sunshine, the Virgin America guest will be able to find and experience their personal oasis! Virgin America’s new nonstop and through flights from SFO and JFK will also lower fares and improve service in our market, allowing more travelers to enjoy all that our unique region has to offer.’
