Originally Posted by
Flying Wild
The diversion in itself may have been handled well, but the aftermath certainly wasn't. I would seriously question whether the situation has ever been wargamed by the airport and the based airlines/handing agents, as it was a shambles trying to get aircraft turned around once they were able to make it back to BHX. Not enough staff, Not enough busses available to service the remote stands. No joined up thinking like using a bus to take passengers to an outbound, then that same bus going to an adjacent stand to collect inbound passengers. There was plenty of time between the runway closing and then reopening for extra staff to be called in. Hugely frustrating experienxe all round.
A quote from a member of a BHX forum currently sitting on the 789 at Manchester (still not departed) and he was due to leave BHX for FUE yesterday afternoon.
Last night we started to board. I think swissport or BHX failed as they couldn't get enough coaches in time and the captain refused to accept us and then went out of hours. I'm sure the out of hours was correct because at the rate boarding was taking with 1 coach that took 20 minutes to load it would have. Taken at least an hour to complete boarding.
I believe the passengers went to the Ramada Coventry and then a 5am start for the coach to Manchester. Stripping out the rights and wrongs of this, it does seem an extreme solution to a problem but I suppose unless you are the one tasked to solve it the best way you can, it is difficult to judge without knowing the alternatives. Personally I would prefer to go home (not always possible for those travelling distances)and wait for availability for an aircraft at the airport I chose to fly from and to be fair Jet2 and TUI usually go down that route but obviously not always.
Pete