Continental flight traps 47 in Rochester, MN

[bavaria]

But did you bring your clean underwear with you, Duds?!






WAIT!!! Don't answer that! There is some information which does not need to be shared amongst friends

 

[bavaria]

NLD, the reality is that almost everyone on a plane has some kind of issue. Sitting in that tight space will make almost everyone antsy, and a quick survey may well show that at least half have some type of medical issue, I would guess.

I have been since a very small child incredibly claustraphobic, and it takes a great deal for me to travel by plane. I battle myself every single week yet I fly 100-200,000 miles a year or more by plane, and countless hours on metros, trains and busses. When I am really struggling, I visualise Marge Simpson running up and down the aisle shrieking 'letmeofftheplane,letmeofftheplane,letmeofftheplane' It really helps me because I don't want to be that person! And my iPod has been a wonderful way for me to remove myself from situations.

I also have other issues (and I too used to smoke) So I completely understand, and while the vast majority of people here may think that I don't understaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I do. I really do.

The only reason why in that case I finally got up to say something and request to get off was because I didn't want my fellow passengers to be further inconvenienced if paramedics were called to board the flight. That would potentially delay the aircraft even further (we hadn't taken off at this point, by the way) So I asked to deplane so that I wouldn't cause more delay.

I don't like to share personal information, and even writing this is difficult for me to share, but so many people have told me in rather unpleasant ways that I cannot have any concept what it is like for a 'regular' person to fly. I am a 'regular' person too, and I get it.

But like Duds says, there isn't much you can do except make the best of it. One of my very first flight memories was at MUC in 1972 during the Olympics. I have a great knack for finding trouble or natural disasters, and on that horrible day we were delayed hours on board a hot plane. I vomited and there was no carry on and no change of clothes, so I sat in vomit stained clothes for 18 hours or more. Even today the smell of vomit brings me back 37 years and I can see my yellow dress which matched the Lufthansa colours.

If you find yourself in that situation, you will get through it. Not being in control is I think at the root of many fears, so if you accept that you don't have control instead of fighting that reality, it may be easier. You won't have much choice, so do what you can to make it as easy on yourself as you can.

 

[dudspizza]

But did you bring your clean underwear with you, Duds?!

Had plenty of changes of clothes since I was flying carry on only! So there. I could have changed every hour and still had clothes when I got there!

To NLD: It is only a crisis if you make it a crisis. Really, sitting on the plane when it is on the ground isn't any different than if you are in the air. Treat it as such. Relax and all will be fine.

Duds

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

The reality is that 7 hours isn't that long - some long haul flights are 12 hours or more, and 7 hours is actually an extremely short flying day for me. Plus the airline doesn't announce a 7 hour delay - it just extends and minutes tick by.

This is comparing apples to oranges. 7 hours in an A380 or 747 is completely different than 7 hours in a Canadair 50 seater. Planes that small carry no provisions for a flight that long. Even a short flight is awful on a plane that small when it is full.

And unlike many people here, I did not get upset nor did I ask for or expect compensation. Weather happens, and nobody can control that. Sometimes weather shuts down an airport for a day or more, and the reality is that it can take days for an airline to recover from that. They do their best, although many people here don't want to believe that.

I disagree that it is out of their control. The airlines hire the best weather forecasters available. Every pilot that takes off knows whether or not his destination airfield is at or near minimums, and has (or very well should have) alternates available.

One thing I will concede is that it is not entirely the airlines fault. Every airport should have some system in place to handle diverts that includes a secure area where passengers can disembark without having to be rescreened. It is wrong for an airport to refuse service to an airline divert simply because your available gates are taken.

 

[bavaria]

This is comparing apples to oranges. 7 hours in an A380 or 747 is completely different than 7 hours in a Canadair 50 seater. Planes that small carry no provisions for a flight that long. Even a short flight is awful on a plane that small when it is full.




I disagree that it is out of their control. The airlines hire the best weather forecasters available. Every pilot that takes off knows whether or not his destination airfield is at or near minimums, and has (or very well should have) alternates available.

One thing I will concede is that it is not entirely the airlines fault. Every airport should have some system in place to handle diverts that includes a secure area where passengers can disembark without having to be rescreened. It is wrong for an airport to refuse service to an airline divert simply because your available gates are taken.

Where did I say that I was on an A380 or a 747?! I was 7 hours on the tarmac on a smaller aircraft. I know, I was there. I usually have trips of multiple segments followed by long drives, and last year flew on a 747 once, and an A380 never.

This board loves to blame the airlines/airport/crew for everything. It is a very whingy place when it comes to irregular ops. Some of us have learned that there is only so much that can be done, and make the best of that. I have often posted my experiences during irregular ops here, including VERY irregular ops. For that I am often called names, or people surmise that I must work for an airline.

I don't understand how being reasonable and sensible and understanding limitations makes one stupid.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

I don't understand how being reasonable and sensible and understanding limitations makes one stupid.

First off, I want to clarify that I don't see anywhere on this thread in which anyone has accused you of falsehoods or called you stupid. However, I never have, and never will, personally attack someone because I disagree.

Where did I say that I was on an A380 or a 747?! I was 7 hours on the tarmac on a smaller aircraft. I know, I was there. I usually have trips of multiple segments followed by long drives, and last year flew on a 747 once, and an A380 never.

Any 'long haul flights (of) 12 hours or more' is on a larger plane. You never said, in this thread at least, what size plane your 7 hour delay was on.

This board loves to blame the airlines/airport/crew for everything. It is a very whingy place when it comes to irregular ops. Some of us have learned that there is only so much that can be done, and make the best of that. I have often posted my experiences during irregular ops here, including VERY irregular ops. For that I am often called names, or people surmise that I must work for an airline.

Let's change the scenario a bit. If you catch a taxi from the airport for a normal 20 minute ride across town, then the taxi driver pulls onto the road, stops, and gives you excuse after excuse of why he can't get you to your destination for 7 hours, tells you that you can't get out of the taxi, or he'll call the cops, you can't use the bathroom, can't eat, and can't stand up at all, I think the average person would be a little more than upset. Why are airlines given the benefit of the doubt, but nowhere else in life would a person put up with this treatment?

I think it's safe to say that I am not one that would just 'make the best' of my 7 hours on a tarmac, with an overflowing toilet, no food, watching the flight crew exit to get their rest, the whole time being told by the same flight crew that I can't get off or even stand up, lest being charged with 'interference of a flight crew'.

My point is, and has been, that the airlines and flight crew know the situation before they back away from the gate, it doesn't just 'pop up' during the 5 minute taxi to the runway. IMO, it is pressure to make the on time departure target, combined with government rules being enforced too strongly, that causes this situation time after time. Weather is just the kickoff, it's the chain of decisions humans make after that which causes this imprisonment of passengers. And, these decisions are what need to be changed.

Thus, the PBOR.