Wrong Flight
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Wrong Flight
Serious question here folks please. On boarding a flight home the other day there was a bit of commotion further down the cabin about seats already being occupied when embarking passengers had the tickets still in their hands. We were checked on to the aircraft by 2 separate CC BUT and it is a big BUT, we were on the WRONG flight!!!!
Awhole train of people were then asked to disembark in order to board the correct flight further away. How could this happen and what is your take on it?
Thanks.
BTW it was a well known UK airline.
Awhole train of people were then asked to disembark in order to board the correct flight further away. How could this happen and what is your take on it?
Thanks.
BTW it was a well known UK airline.
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You think this is rare?
Two passengers for SUMBURGH were recently put on the STORNOWAY flight from EDI.
This happens somewhere every other week I'm sure because in my experience staff do NOT do their OWN job properly, as their mindset is "someone else will double check it".
Pay peanuts. Get monkeys.
Two passengers for SUMBURGH were recently put on the STORNOWAY flight from EDI.
This happens somewhere every other week I'm sure because in my experience staff do NOT do their OWN job properly, as their mindset is "someone else will double check it".
Pay peanuts. Get monkeys.
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Were any of the passengers transferring? If so they could have boarding cards with the code share flight numbers on when checked in by the other airline. The crew may have taken on trust the flight numbers as they were seeing so many.
If it was a short haul flight which would probably make up part of a multiple sector day the crew could become confused with flight numbers. Another factor could be the way crew are rostered these days. By adopting CAP 371 as a rostering bible and not as intended, a set of minimum/maximum rules to prevent fatigue, crew are increasingly worked to the max. It's a common problem amongst the crew fraternity, in that working like that will lead to errors. Can I honestly say that I have recognised and digested every one of the 400-600 boarding cards I may see in one day then multiply that by 5 or 6 for the week, no.
It also depends on where you boarded the aircraft, if it was from the rear doors there is the likelihood that junior crew were manning the doors at the rear. It may sound odd but they may not actually know the flight number of that flight. Simply because if you are doing a lot of sectors you may have only taken real notice of your first sector by which you can gauge what time you need to turn up for work. That does happen.
Essentially the gate staff should direct the right passengers to the right aircraft, particularly if more than one flight is boarding. In their defence, the customer service teams have been cut back in many airlines and there are times when there are not enough up at the gate to do the job.
There is slight complacency that the people who turn up at your door are indeed going to where you are! We are expecting the odd one that may slip through at the gate, but not a whole herd!
It seems a series of mistakes would lead to this and I would imagine some very serious questions are being asked of the relevant people. There is the very real possibility that people will lose their jobs. Which is a shame if one of the factors is people working to hard.
Should it of happened? Absolutely not. A wake up call for all concerned.
If it was a flight where the crew were only operating a single sector then the answers are far less appealing.
6
If it was a short haul flight which would probably make up part of a multiple sector day the crew could become confused with flight numbers. Another factor could be the way crew are rostered these days. By adopting CAP 371 as a rostering bible and not as intended, a set of minimum/maximum rules to prevent fatigue, crew are increasingly worked to the max. It's a common problem amongst the crew fraternity, in that working like that will lead to errors. Can I honestly say that I have recognised and digested every one of the 400-600 boarding cards I may see in one day then multiply that by 5 or 6 for the week, no.
It also depends on where you boarded the aircraft, if it was from the rear doors there is the likelihood that junior crew were manning the doors at the rear. It may sound odd but they may not actually know the flight number of that flight. Simply because if you are doing a lot of sectors you may have only taken real notice of your first sector by which you can gauge what time you need to turn up for work. That does happen.
Essentially the gate staff should direct the right passengers to the right aircraft, particularly if more than one flight is boarding. In their defence, the customer service teams have been cut back in many airlines and there are times when there are not enough up at the gate to do the job.
There is slight complacency that the people who turn up at your door are indeed going to where you are! We are expecting the odd one that may slip through at the gate, but not a whole herd!
It seems a series of mistakes would lead to this and I would imagine some very serious questions are being asked of the relevant people. There is the very real possibility that people will lose their jobs. Which is a shame if one of the factors is people working to hard.
Should it of happened? Absolutely not. A wake up call for all concerned.
If it was a flight where the crew were only operating a single sector then the answers are far less appealing.
6
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OK thanks for the replies so far. To give you a little more detail without identifying the flight I will say it was a the second sector for the crew and the total 9including turn round) was 8hrs so whilst I appreciate how tiring the work load can be it could not be put down to fatigue. There was also an announcement to say where the aircraft was going and anyone NOT going there should disembark immediately!
I understand the ground staff were at fault but it is not the ground staff who are responsible for the aircraft. Of course it would be found on head counts etc if the flight had been half empty and whilst I sympathise with the CC they very clearly were not checking people on board properly. This applied to both front and rear embarkation.
Is there likely to be a change of procedures/training etc attached to this or will the company be unaware unless there is a complaint made? Should this be reported to the company without identifying the flight so that awareness is highlighted?
I understand the ground staff were at fault but it is not the ground staff who are responsible for the aircraft. Of course it would be found on head counts etc if the flight had been half empty and whilst I sympathise with the CC they very clearly were not checking people on board properly. This applied to both front and rear embarkation.
Is there likely to be a change of procedures/training etc attached to this or will the company be unaware unless there is a complaint made? Should this be reported to the company without identifying the flight so that awareness is highlighted?
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Sounds like there has been some sort of confusion or last minute gate/aircraft change, however the problem should have been picked up at the gate. If manual boarding was being done the gate agent would be looking at the boarding/sequence number as well as the flight number, you can input any boarding number and the system will accept it, it is up to the gate staff to ensure the boarding pass presented is correct for the flight being boarded, however like all areas of airlines these days staff are rostered to a minimum and pulled from pillar to post !
One of the benefits of automated boarding is bar-codes on the boarding card, the flight number is input at start of boarding process and if an incorrect boarding pass is presented there is a loud beep and a red error displayed on the screen. Much better system but not used by all airlines as it is more expensive !
One of the benefits of automated boarding is bar-codes on the boarding card, the flight number is input at start of boarding process and if an incorrect boarding pass is presented there is a loud beep and a red error displayed on the screen. Much better system but not used by all airlines as it is more expensive !
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I suppose something like this happens from time to time. Put it down to human error. I imagine that had the flight not been full and a dispute over seating not occurred, the baggage of passengers on wrong plane would have been unaccompanied to the original destination.
Some years ago I was allocated a seat (13A) at check in, when I got to the departure lounge, (we were checked into the lounge rather than through the gate) the staff took my boarding pass and issued me with another nominating a new seat. "We are not using row 13 this flight." I was told. I duly sat in my new seat and soon it was apparent that there was something amiss. No less than four members of the crew did a head count. Much scratching of heads, finally I was called by name to identify myself, which I did. I was asked quite agressively "Why are you not sitting in your allocated seat?" I explained that I was and produce my BP stub. Silence. I was left with the feeling that the delay was my fault, and the in-flight service reflected that to the destination.
D.
Some years ago I was allocated a seat (13A) at check in, when I got to the departure lounge, (we were checked into the lounge rather than through the gate) the staff took my boarding pass and issued me with another nominating a new seat. "We are not using row 13 this flight." I was told. I duly sat in my new seat and soon it was apparent that there was something amiss. No less than four members of the crew did a head count. Much scratching of heads, finally I was called by name to identify myself, which I did. I was asked quite agressively "Why are you not sitting in your allocated seat?" I explained that I was and produce my BP stub. Silence. I was left with the feeling that the delay was my fault, and the in-flight service reflected that to the destination.
D.
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As a passenger I always thought when boarding the aircraft the cabin crew were checking not just my seat number to direct me in the right direction but also the flight number and date on the boarding card to ensure I was on the correct aircraft and of course for security reasons.
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It gives me untold pleasure when SLF attempt to barge past me at the fwd door stating their allocated seat number.
Whilst the ability to recite a one/two numbers followed by a letter is remarkable, the aforementioned flight number/destination combo is marginally more important at that stage of proceedings.
Whilst the ability to recite a one/two numbers followed by a letter is remarkable, the aforementioned flight number/destination combo is marginally more important at that stage of proceedings.
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Crew are meant to check flight number, destination, date and seat number on the boarding card.
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I used to wonder how nessecary it was for cc to check ticket stubs when boarding the aircraft, given paxwill have had them checked only moments ago by the ground staff. I got my answer about a year ago when I was waiting my flight to depart for Edinburgh, when the cc at the front informed a boarding pax that their ticket was for Glasgow! Responsibility for pax and ground staff there I think.
A little off topic, but I was boarding a recent flight (BHX-EDI) when it was announced by ground staff that the the BHX-EDI and BHX-GLS flights were being combined (they have a track record of doing this) and therefore seating allocations were null and void and seating was 'free'. It somewhat caused further confusion when boarding pax asked the cc (and I really don't know why they felt the need to ask, having been given explicit guidance from the ground staff) if it was 'free' seating. As the cc responded saying that pax had to take their seats, which stopped working when the different flight seating conflicts started to become apparent.
A little off topic, but I was boarding a recent flight (BHX-EDI) when it was announced by ground staff that the the BHX-EDI and BHX-GLS flights were being combined (they have a track record of doing this) and therefore seating allocations were null and void and seating was 'free'. It somewhat caused further confusion when boarding pax asked the cc (and I really don't know why they felt the need to ask, having been given explicit guidance from the ground staff) if it was 'free' seating. As the cc responded saying that pax had to take their seats, which stopped working when the different flight seating conflicts started to become apparent.
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I’ve sat myself down on the wrong aircraft and got picked up on the headcount. It was in Budapest, in Communist days, and the level of security and scrutiny was very high, which made it all the more remarkable. I was with my two kids and we were the last to leave the lounge, having faffed about trying to spend the last of our Hungarian currency. Seems that the gate led to a Y-shaped airbridge and the corridor to our flight (Brussels) was already closed off – we just followed the other one and found an identical aeroplane (Malev Tu-134) to the one we were expecting. The crew waved us on board, we found our seats and sat down. Seems we were on the Zurich flight. Luckily it was sorted before either flight departed.
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Do it by the book for 150 odd pax boarding through one door and you will delay the flight by about 15 minutes. Most of the wrong aircraft scenarios are when pax have to walk from terminal to aircraft whilst boarding is taking place on adjacent stands.
Do it by the book and you will have your back covered. If you delay the flight, explain that boarding time isn't obviously enough time as you need to check all that information on the boarding card.
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At the risk of pointing to the elephant in the kitchen here, its the TURNAROUND time that is the big issue here.
Pressure pressure pressure.
I was a dispatcher for my sins many moons ago when it was a real tizzy to get an Eazy turned in 20 minutes and they suddenly wanted to see if they could do it in FIFTEEN.
Stupid. Bloody stupid. I didn't have to tell them so as they sent a top bod to watch me do one - it was a half-load (about 45 actually so not even that for a 73-200) and I did it in 20 minutes, explaining everything to the observer as I did so. She could see what was involved, listened to the R/T, watched me fill out a manual load sheet (the CODECO system often went down...sigh), count the bags and tally up the stickers on the card etc etc etc.
I cant remember if they ever DID reduce the turnaround times.....
Pressure pressure pressure.
I was a dispatcher for my sins many moons ago when it was a real tizzy to get an Eazy turned in 20 minutes and they suddenly wanted to see if they could do it in FIFTEEN.
Stupid. Bloody stupid. I didn't have to tell them so as they sent a top bod to watch me do one - it was a half-load (about 45 actually so not even that for a 73-200) and I did it in 20 minutes, explaining everything to the observer as I did so. She could see what was involved, listened to the R/T, watched me fill out a manual load sheet (the CODECO system often went down...sigh), count the bags and tally up the stickers on the card etc etc etc.
I cant remember if they ever DID reduce the turnaround times.....
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Yes.
Photograph of Aircraft G-BECG
They were sold on shortly after I left (coincidence honest) and they moved on to the 300/400 series and eventually took on some A319s etc etc.
Remember I said this was many moons ago - maybe 10-12 years, before they expanded. Back then the only service Eazy did from Scottish airports were to to LTN.
Acording to EasyJet - EZU - Read reviews
...this year. ***A Bit of easyJet History*** easyJet Airline was founded in 1995 by the now famous Cypriot, Stelios Haji-Ioannou. With a loan from his father he leased two Boeing 737-200 aircraft and began operating flights from London Luton, where the head office "easyLand" is based, to Glasgow and Edinburgh, using contractors to supply nearly all the staff throughout the airline. Stelios retired as chairman in 2002 but has now back on the ......
The two a/c being the aformentioned G-BECG and G-BECH, now re-registered in the US I think.
Photograph of Aircraft G-BECG
They were sold on shortly after I left (coincidence honest) and they moved on to the 300/400 series and eventually took on some A319s etc etc.
Remember I said this was many moons ago - maybe 10-12 years, before they expanded. Back then the only service Eazy did from Scottish airports were to to LTN.
Acording to EasyJet - EZU - Read reviews
...this year. ***A Bit of easyJet History*** easyJet Airline was founded in 1995 by the now famous Cypriot, Stelios Haji-Ioannou. With a loan from his father he leased two Boeing 737-200 aircraft and began operating flights from London Luton, where the head office "easyLand" is based, to Glasgow and Edinburgh, using contractors to supply nearly all the staff throughout the airline. Stelios retired as chairman in 2002 but has now back on the ......
The two a/c being the aformentioned G-BECG and G-BECH, now re-registered in the US I think.
Last edited by FrankLeeSpeakin; 25th Jun 2009 at 23:10.
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While this is unfortunate, and annoying for all concerned, it does happen.
Give a crew member in the vicinity of 12 minutes to board 190 passengers, whilst checking not only flight numbers but for hot beverages, mobile phones, electronics, cabin baggage, signs of intoxication, dangerous goods etc etc.... All you've got to do is add another flight with a similar flight number (such as the last number a 4 or a 9 for example) and a passenger who has simply followed the flock so to speak, as opposed to reading signs and listening to announcements, and wazzam!
A very unfortunate by-product of the whole "every extra minute spent on the ground equals so many thousands of dollars to the airline" mentality! Nothing to do with paying peanuts and getting monkeys, and everything to do with airlines adding enormous pressure on staff to work with stupidly short turn-arounds, scheduling down to minutes, and even 30-second blocks. OTP means everything.
Not safe, not perfect, not even desireable for our passengers, but try telling that to the bosses in the ivory towers....
Give a crew member in the vicinity of 12 minutes to board 190 passengers, whilst checking not only flight numbers but for hot beverages, mobile phones, electronics, cabin baggage, signs of intoxication, dangerous goods etc etc.... All you've got to do is add another flight with a similar flight number (such as the last number a 4 or a 9 for example) and a passenger who has simply followed the flock so to speak, as opposed to reading signs and listening to announcements, and wazzam!
A very unfortunate by-product of the whole "every extra minute spent on the ground equals so many thousands of dollars to the airline" mentality! Nothing to do with paying peanuts and getting monkeys, and everything to do with airlines adding enormous pressure on staff to work with stupidly short turn-arounds, scheduling down to minutes, and even 30-second blocks. OTP means everything.
Not safe, not perfect, not even desireable for our passengers, but try telling that to the bosses in the ivory towers....
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I was called off a bus to the aircraft for a connection flight in Germany, because the gate staff had let me through onto a flight that had a similar flight number but was 2 hours earlier than the one I was supposed to be on (my fault, but I jumped off one aircraft half-asleep, to see what I thought was my next one boarding...)
They swapped my ticket so I could stay on that flight, which was a result because it was about £100 more expensive than the one I had booked! Thanks Lufthansa!
They swapped my ticket so I could stay on that flight, which was a result because it was about £100 more expensive than the one I had booked! Thanks Lufthansa!