Lies, Lies and Statistics

[wallywombat]

Heard the other day at Luton: an aircraft of the "Spotty M" variety requesting push back onto an adjacent stand from the ground controller. ATC naturally wanted to know why, and the Captain piped up and said:"Bit of game playing really, our company likes us to push back on time!!" Seems to me that pushing back and waiting 45 minutes for your slot time to come around like the rest of us us is not quite an on time departure, no matter what you call it. Oh well, at least their on time performance statistics are good!

[JB007]

If you look around LGW, a number of A/c holding on remote stands, usually BA, waiting for the slot time...but the stats say on-time departure!!!

That way they can safely advertise 95% on-time performance.

An old trick...but in most cases some poor blokes Profit Related Pay depends on these STATS been good !!!!

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Regards JB007!
[email protected]
Flight Ops,Crewing and Dispatch Moderator

[M.Mouse]

I think you might find the reason is a little more mundane for BA. The policy of 'push and hold' is due to lack of stands. Sometimes we are allowed to wait on gate but most of the time the stand is needed. Try spending a day with the department that deals with stand allocation and you will learn the extent of the problem. T4 early morning is a nightmare.

The problem will soon be resolved though when we get T5 in 2007.

[Notso Fantastic]

Nothing unusual! It also engenders a mindset of 'ontime departures please' amongst the groundstaff preparing the aircraft for departure, the crew and the passengers. It also makes it quite clear to all that most of the delays are down to ATC delayed slot times, but if they are brought forward, you are ready to go with no more poncing about. Good policy!

[FlapsOne]

My company doesn't do it but, to be fair, i think we should.

It releases ground staff and equipment for other duties rather than 'nurse-maiding' 60 tonnes of metal waiting for Brussels to 'extract the digit'.

[Jetdriver]

Rather a strange observation wallywombat.
The only times that are recorded are the time the doors are closed, the time the aircraft first moves under its own power, and the time it actually takes off. The time it is pushed back is not normally recorded nor is it therefore relevant.

As for slot times they are not normally in the gift of the Airline ( if only they were !!). ATC slot delays are not the fault of any airline, unless of course other circumstances resulted in a missed slot.

Pushing back on to another stand would not result in an on time departure in the circumstances you describe. It would however make the original stand available for another aircraft, or possibly free up tug equipment for later departures. I think that is the more sensible explanation.

Hope this puts your concerns to rest.

[BOEINGBOY1]

at "spotty m" all ad-hoc flights are charged on block to block and billed accordingly. as in the case outlined, an extra 45mins can be charged for. all departure stats are calculated on "off blocks" aswell. it is worth mentioning though and i have never really been able to understand why, but in our company we call off blocks when we move under our own power, and the agents call off blocks when the a/c is physically pushed back. as we are all aware there can often be 5-10 mins between the two.

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IT'S BETTER TO BE ON THE GROUND, WISHING YOU WERE IN THE AIR - THAN IT IS TO BE IN THE AIR, WISHING YOU WERE ON THE GROUND !

[WeeWillyWinky]

Just for the record on BA ACARS equipped aircraft (almost all now) the Off Chocks time is automatically recorded after brakes release with all doors shut. On Chocks is door open with park brake set.

[autobrakemedium]

I think that you wil find that it was the tower asking the Spotty M to push back to a remote to free up the stand.

[wallywombat]

Autobrakemedium, no it wasn't!!! The tower were just as surprised as everyone else, that's why they asked Spotty M what they were doing it for.

Regards,

Wally.