Gatwick closed this morning
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Gatwick closed this morning
LGW was closed till about 11am for deicing this morning resulting in diversions and delays, any idea why it took so long to carry out the de icing ?
Has been a vicious frost and temps even now are just above freezing. Hills on M25 coming off M23 are covered with frost and unlikely that will change much during the day.
Better to open late and be safe rather than trying to tow something that skidded off.
Better to open late and be safe rather than trying to tow something that skidded off.
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On a more serious note, From downroute we were told de-icing was carried out on a regular basis but the inspections afterwards determined there was still Ice or the fluid had refrozen. Contaminated/weak de-icing fluid maybe?
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Airfield Ops could only bring the de-icing fluid through security in 100ml bottles or less! - Sorry had to be said 
HAHAHA! I CRINGED BIG TIME AT THAT ONE!
NICE ONE!
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It was a farce - no-one new what was going on especially the flow helpdesk and instead of suspending all atc flight plans we had rolling delays all morning and that really annoys everyone especially the pax. Here's an example of one flights slots!!
STD0720
0745 - for starters
0804
0829
0837
0829
0849
0840
0916
0925
0919
0914 that was good for 45mins but we missed due Flow asking us to hold on the ground until 0930 for a phone call that never arrived...
Flow then called and advised delaying fpl only for us to receive 1329!!
Flight was cancelled and pax taken off a/c and back into the lounge.
Would have made everyone's life easier if it was just suspended indef.
STD0720
0745 - for starters
0804
0829
0837
0829
0849
0840
0916
0925
0919
0914 that was good for 45mins but we missed due Flow asking us to hold on the ground until 0930 for a phone call that never arrived...
Flow then called and advised delaying fpl only for us to receive 1329!!
Flight was cancelled and pax taken off a/c and back into the lounge.
Would have made everyone's life easier if it was just suspended indef.
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No Surprise
The shambles at LGW this morning really was not a surprise - remember this is an airport run by the BAA - BUREAU AGAINST AVIATION
A couple of years back Ops Duty Managers left after being invited to apply for their own job. New ones - now called Service Delivery Leaders, some with NO aviation background employed - at reduced salaries. It is not their fault - they are trying to do a job with their hands tied behind their backs.
Insufficient number of staff employed, particularly on nights.
The poor staff no doubt in the firing line by incompetent management.
The sooner this company leaves LGW the better.
A couple of years back Ops Duty Managers left after being invited to apply for their own job. New ones - now called Service Delivery Leaders, some with NO aviation background employed - at reduced salaries. It is not their fault - they are trying to do a job with their hands tied behind their backs.
Insufficient number of staff employed, particularly on nights.
The poor staff no doubt in the firing line by incompetent management.
The sooner this company leaves LGW the better.
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If they cant keep a bit of frost off the runway, god help them when it snows !
If I was airline management from any of this mornings diverted aircraft I would want compensation.
If I was airline management from any of this mornings diverted aircraft I would want compensation.
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BAA "British Applied Ar*seholes" No snow desk activation, lack of personnel, hate to think what's going to happen with more than 2cm of laying frost/snow
Air Carriers sue the b'stards for contiued sub standard service delivery, where the hell is the CAA oversight folks ? I guess the 'Belgrano' is too far away across the A23
Air Carriers sue the b'stards for contiued sub standard service delivery, where the hell is the CAA oversight folks ? I guess the 'Belgrano' is too far away across the A23
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Gatwick International.......what a joke! The weather warnings were out so why not start the anti-ice process before the rush? The sooner the BAA are out the equation the better!
TBE
TBE
would be nice to see a DECENT operator run LGW--BAA didnt even keep the poor lads and lasses in the TOWER up to date-AREA ATC took a lot of stick as well and it wasnt even their fault!
Going to be icy again tomorrow................................................
Good luck
Going to be icy again tomorrow................................................
Good luck
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From the METARS it looked like it froze, then there was rain and snow and then it froze again. The rain and snow may well have washed the de-icer off the runway and maybe they weren't able to get more de-icer down for whatever reason before it froze again.
But whatever happened - or didn't - it's just a tad embarrassing....
Suzeman
But whatever happened - or didn't - it's just a tad embarrassing....
Suzeman
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Suzeman...........
Embarrassing is damn understatement, 'tis bloody bad management. LGW has had in my history of it being my home base, up to 6 inches of snow (mid/late 60s) still stayed open after the snow team got it sorted! Well that was afore the amatuers at BAA TS TAFs & METARS give the whole story !!!!
TS TAFs & METARS give the whole story !!!!
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i did hear that the mix used for anti-icing the runway,taxiways and stands was not the correct mix,instead of a 75/25 mix it was the other way round and coupled with the cold conditions in that part of the world it obviously turned the whole place into one big ice rink!
thats what i have heard anyway,so i guess the baa are now moving away from their enterprise of airports and shopping malls in the terminal buildings to a more leisurely business of ice theme parks in the winter within an airport setting!thats a new one completely so ever who has thought this one up will probably go along way and end up at the top!
well they certainly have had a good week the baa with the tresspass fiasco in stansted and the ice park winter wonderland of gatwick!
i guess this may just expedite the sale of one if not both!
ll i can say is that it made a very quite thursday in stansted look like the baa vision for stansted,plenty of planes of the widebody type!
thats what i have heard anyway,so i guess the baa are now moving away from their enterprise of airports and shopping malls in the terminal buildings to a more leisurely business of ice theme parks in the winter within an airport setting!thats a new one completely so ever who has thought this one up will probably go along way and end up at the top!
well they certainly have had a good week the baa with the tresspass fiasco in stansted and the ice park winter wonderland of gatwick!
i guess this may just expedite the sale of one if not both!
ll i can say is that it made a very quite thursday in stansted look like the baa vision for stansted,plenty of planes of the widebody type!
Last edited by mickey71; 12th Dec 2008 at 01:16.
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Big Freeze at Gatwick
Maybe we screwed up yesterday........but rain falling onto a freezing surface is never going to be quick to clear (you can just sweep, push or blow snow away). The whole airfield quickly became an ice rink on which you could not safely load bags, let alone land or take off. When it had returned to a safe state it was reopened. Thousands of unhappy passengers - but no broken bones or bent wingtips.
Why do the less informed have so much hatred for BAA? Give most pilots the choice between diverting, in difficult conditions, to one of our airports or the "competition" and I know what they would decide.
Whoever buys Gatwick will do it for the profits it (we) will earn for them - they will not be employing extra staff and purchasing expensive new equipment to stand around waiting for a very rare combination of weather conditions.
Happy Xmas
Why do the less informed have so much hatred for BAA? Give most pilots the choice between diverting, in difficult conditions, to one of our airports or the "competition" and I know what they would decide.
Whoever buys Gatwick will do it for the profits it (we) will earn for them - they will not be employing extra staff and purchasing expensive new equipment to stand around waiting for a very rare combination of weather conditions.
Happy Xmas
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gatwick winter park
i did hear the same at stn.....they did a 75 -25 de ice mix ...water being the 75 bit....ho ho ho.
still on wednesday night at stn they did de ice and they gritted the car park and the walk ways....it was +2 degrees all night with rain and drizzle....no sign of ice....still the thought was there,you cant get it right all the time.
and i dont think you could bring de ice fluid through in 100mm bottles as the substance sniffing machine in security would pick it up............joke.
still on wednesday night at stn they did de ice and they gritted the car park and the walk ways....it was +2 degrees all night with rain and drizzle....no sign of ice....still the thought was there,you cant get it right all the time.
and i dont think you could bring de ice fluid through in 100mm bottles as the substance sniffing machine in security would pick it up............joke.