What do you do when pax don't show at the gate ?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: 38,000 ft
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As the standard turnround allowance at Stansted is 25 minutes, whatever purpose is served by requiring all the pax to be there before the incoming aircraft is even on stand, and before any processing of them has even started ?
Nevertheless, the airline isn't run for the benefit of the employees, as some like to think, and you do need to consider the SLF who are actually doing the paying
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Gatwick
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A Couple of years ago flying for Sabena we were at the gate in AMS all passengers on board except one buisinesman.
Lots of calls around the terminal to no avail.
From the flightdeck we could see into the waiting area and sighted a middleaged man sat alone reading a paper. By now it was 5mins passed our push time and the offending gents bag was now sitting on the tarmac.
At this point I requested the Cabin crew to close the doors and Turned on our Anti collision beacon indicating we were about to push back from stand.
Our 'gentleman' looked at the aircraft, looked at his watch got up and walked to the counter waving his boarding card at the Girl behind the desk.
It was with great satisfaction we taxied away from the gate with a very angry looking guy banging on the glass windows of the terminal
Lots of calls around the terminal to no avail.
From the flightdeck we could see into the waiting area and sighted a middleaged man sat alone reading a paper. By now it was 5mins passed our push time and the offending gents bag was now sitting on the tarmac.
At this point I requested the Cabin crew to close the doors and Turned on our Anti collision beacon indicating we were about to push back from stand.
Our 'gentleman' looked at the aircraft, looked at his watch got up and walked to the counter waving his boarding card at the Girl behind the desk.
It was with great satisfaction we taxied away from the gate with a very angry looking guy banging on the glass windows of the terminal
Paxing All Over The World
oomje: Jolly good!!!
Talk about cold departure gates with six plastic seats ... Thursday at LTN for routine trip to see mother in IOM, and it was VERY cold and the parsimony of TBI was laid bare for all, once again. I judged the time fairly well and had to spend less than five minutes there. Fortunately, no delays.
A timely arrival at the gate by Pax? Nope, too many people think they know how to work the system. I can only support a faster location of their bags and removing of bags and owner from the manifest. In this regard, when Bags have RFID tags, rather than the bar code tags, it will be a lot faster to locate the bag in the hold or can.
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Talk about cold departure gates with six plastic seats ... Thursday at LTN for routine trip to see mother in IOM, and it was VERY cold and the parsimony of TBI was laid bare for all, once again. I judged the time fairly well and had to spend less than five minutes there. Fortunately, no delays.
A timely arrival at the gate by Pax? Nope, too many people think they know how to work the system. I can only support a faster location of their bags and removing of bags and owner from the manifest. In this regard, when Bags have RFID tags, rather than the bar code tags, it will be a lot faster to locate the bag in the hold or can.
[Radio Frequency IDentification]
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Was Rhoose Regional
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Take Cardiff "International". Not the worlds biggest airport. But it amazed me how many pax were late to the gate when the only departure was thier flight.
I can remeber dispatching the only flight of the night (Britannia to IBZ, IIRC) where everyone except a family of 4 were on the flight 20 mins before the departure time. As stated in BY's ground handling manual I asked for the bags to be located at -15mins. During this time a number of "name and shame" calls were made for these pax along with a search of the departure area. Their bags were found and taken off the aircraft at -10min. -5 I had a word with the captain and we agreed to offload the pax, close the door and push the aircraft back. I stayed at the gate for 10mins after the flight had departed to finish off my paperwork. On my walk back to the office I decided to go via the departure lounge and what do I find, a family of 4 sat quite happily reading books and what not. Anyhow I broke the news to them and as is the way with pax, it was my fault, and took them back to the checkin area. Now what struck me was that there was no-one else in the airport appart from staff and these 4 pax. All the doors to the gate were open untill I closed them on my way back to the office. So I asked them where they had been and why they didn't come to the gate with every one else. It turned out that they checked-in 3 hours before but didn't want to pay the airport prices for a meal and decided to go to the local carvery. They returned to the airport 45 mins before departure (start of boarding) but didn't make it in to the lounge untill the flight had departed. I tried explaining to them why they missed the flight, but it was no use as I was the one to blame for allowing the flight to depart.
Thats were my phobia of pax came from I believe......
I can remeber dispatching the only flight of the night (Britannia to IBZ, IIRC) where everyone except a family of 4 were on the flight 20 mins before the departure time. As stated in BY's ground handling manual I asked for the bags to be located at -15mins. During this time a number of "name and shame" calls were made for these pax along with a search of the departure area. Their bags were found and taken off the aircraft at -10min. -5 I had a word with the captain and we agreed to offload the pax, close the door and push the aircraft back. I stayed at the gate for 10mins after the flight had departed to finish off my paperwork. On my walk back to the office I decided to go via the departure lounge and what do I find, a family of 4 sat quite happily reading books and what not. Anyhow I broke the news to them and as is the way with pax, it was my fault, and took them back to the checkin area. Now what struck me was that there was no-one else in the airport appart from staff and these 4 pax. All the doors to the gate were open untill I closed them on my way back to the office. So I asked them where they had been and why they didn't come to the gate with every one else. It turned out that they checked-in 3 hours before but didn't want to pay the airport prices for a meal and decided to go to the local carvery. They returned to the airport 45 mins before departure (start of boarding) but didn't make it in to the lounge untill the flight had departed. I tried explaining to them why they missed the flight, but it was no use as I was the one to blame for allowing the flight to depart.
Thats were my phobia of pax came from I believe......
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Stafford England
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I was at EMA recently for a flight to Edinburgh due to depart at 7am. The flight was boarded at 6.40, and I thought "great - an on-time departure."
Then I overheard a crew member say that the slot time was actually 7.20. Nice of them to tell the poor SLF!
Yet, can you believe that at 7.10, there were still folks wandering out onto the apron from the terminal, looking totally unconcerned and what's more, BMI Baby were quite happy to let them on-board. Doesn't this send totally the wrong message to the dawdlers and gawpers?
On my return from Edinburgh (not the world's largest airport - so not easy to lose yourself), we were again boarded early and were told by the captain that as the flight had arrived early into Edinburgh, he intended to get away early too. Outstanding.
This time though, we sat waiting fifteen minutes for a group of four passengers who had somehow managed to get lost - although their bags were on board. Ultimately, in order to ensure at least an on-time departure, the captain instructed the crew to remove the bags with still no sign of the late-comers.
Serves them right I think. Airlines should be tougher on the small percentage of people who by their inattention and tardiness, can easily spoil the experience for everyone else.
Then I overheard a crew member say that the slot time was actually 7.20. Nice of them to tell the poor SLF!
Yet, can you believe that at 7.10, there were still folks wandering out onto the apron from the terminal, looking totally unconcerned and what's more, BMI Baby were quite happy to let them on-board. Doesn't this send totally the wrong message to the dawdlers and gawpers?
On my return from Edinburgh (not the world's largest airport - so not easy to lose yourself), we were again boarded early and were told by the captain that as the flight had arrived early into Edinburgh, he intended to get away early too. Outstanding.
This time though, we sat waiting fifteen minutes for a group of four passengers who had somehow managed to get lost - although their bags were on board. Ultimately, in order to ensure at least an on-time departure, the captain instructed the crew to remove the bags with still no sign of the late-comers.
Serves them right I think. Airlines should be tougher on the small percentage of people who by their inattention and tardiness, can easily spoil the experience for everyone else.
