Stuck on the tarmac for seven hours!!!!

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Stuck on the tarmac for seven hours!!!!; What would you do?
Topic Started: Nov 1 2011, 05:40 AM (125 Views)
Dandandat	Nov 1 2011, 05:40 AM Post #1
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	Quote: http://abcnews.go.com/US/jetblue-flight-pilot-pleaded-tarmac-ordeal/story?id=14845299 The pilot of a JetBlue plane stuck on the tarmac for seven hours full of increasingly angry and frustrated passengers pleaded for assistance from airport officials, telling them he "can't seem to get any help from our own company." "I got a problem here on the airplane, I'm gonna need to have the cops on board," the pilot said, according to cockpit recordings posted on LiveATC.net. "There's a cop car sitting in front of me right here right now. I need some air stairs brought over here and the cops brought onboard the airplane. "Look, you know we can't seem to get any help from our own company, I apologize for this, but is there any way you can get a tug and a tow bar out here to us and get us towed somewhere to a gate or something," he said. "I don't care. Take us anywhere." ABC News has learned that the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection division is investigating the delay involving Jet Blue Flight 504, as well as a couple of other flights, that occurred Saturday. The investigation began this morning. If the government determines any airline violated the tarmac delay rule, that carrier could be fined as much as $27,500 per passenger. The more than 100 passengers on a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Newark, N.J., were stranded for more than seven hours without food, water or functioning bathrooms when the plane was diverted to Bradley Airport near Hartford, Conn. The flight took off from Fort Lauderdale around 10 a.m., but was unable to land in Newark Liberty International Airport because the glide slope due to weather conditions. A passenger told ABC News that after the plane circled Newark Airport, the pilot scared the passengers by telling them that they only had 30 minutes of fuel left but Bradley Airport, where the plane was diverted to, is about an hour away. He then got back on PA system to calm them down, and clarify they did in fact have enough fuel to reach Bradley. The plane landed at Bradley around 1:30 p.m. Once on the ground, the plane did not move until 9 p.m. According to the same passenger, between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., the pilot told the passengers that they are waiting to de-ice, re-fuel, and then they will head back to Newark. Around 4 p.m., a Bradley Airport representative boarded the plane to assess the situation. The plan was to land there, fuel up and fly back to Newark, assuming the glide slope equipment -- a signal light that jets lock on to as they approach for landing -- would be up and running again, JetBlue officials said. However, the plan had to altered because once Flight 504 landed at Hartford, the airport was inundated with flight diversions. "The airport infrastructure was just overwhelmed," said JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin. According to JetBlue, there were at least 23 diversions there, including six JetBlue flights and an international flight from American Airlines. "We worked with the airport to secure services, including remote deplaning and lav servicing. Obviously, we would have preferred deplaning much sooner than we did, but our flights were six of the 23 reported diversion into Hartford, including international flights. The airport experienced intermittent power outages, which made refueling and jetbridge deplaning difficult. We apologize to the customers impacted by this confluence of events, as it remains JetBlue's responsibly to not simply provide safe and secure travel, but a comfortable experience as well," according to a statement from JetBlue. Passengers asked to be let off, noting the three-hour bill of rights law, but the pilot told them they had to stay onboard. For the next four hours, passengers were told that the airport has only one tow bar to bring the planes in off the tarmac and that international flights were the priority. Between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., a paraplegic man began to complain of intense pain. According to passengers near him, he had not been moved for leg circulation or been taken to the bathroom since before boarding the plane in Florida. State police, Emergency Medical Services and an ambulance were called in for him. Other passengers were then allowed to leave the plane. Among the passengers was Andrew Carter, a football reporter for the Sun Sentinel. "It's been a long day,'' Carter told the newspaper via cell phone from onboard the plane. "There's been no real explanation as to why we've been sitting here for seven hours... We ran out of water. The bathrooms are all clogged up and disgusting. The power would go off every 45 minutes or so for five minutes or so, and that would freak people out. I've heard about these kind of stories." Carter said most passengers kept calm and were well behaved, although some threatened to call the police. JetBlue issued a statement apologizing for the incident, blaming an "unusual combination of weather and infrastructure issues." JetBlue said it would refund the cost of the ticket to all passengers diverted to Bradley Airport. A similar incident occurred in 2007, when at least four JetBlue planes were stuck on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York fully loaded with passengers for more than nine hours.



Dandandat	Nov 1 2011, 05:41 AM Post #2
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	For the life of me I can�t understand how the passengers of this airplane allowed this to happen? So maybe you can explain it to me. I�ve done the mantel imaging in my head and I keep coming to the same conclusion I would most likely give them two, three hours tops, to give me a defenant answer that we would be on our way in the next few minutes and then I would leave the airplane on my own. The pilot�s attitude would not help my decision making at all, the fact that the bathrooms where not functioning and the plain ran out of water makes the choice easy; I would stand up, open the emergency door to the airplane and deplane all on my own. I can�t think of a signal consequence that would stop me from doing this. Seven hours in a plane without functioning bathrooms is unsanitary and I would go as far as to say inhuman. But of courses I wasn�t there, so what am I missing? Edited by Dandandat, Nov 1 2011, 08:46 AM.



starbase63	Nov 1 2011, 06:53 AM Post #3
Lieutenant Posts: 456 Group: Officer Member #75 Joined: May 6, 2011 Gender: Male	There would of course be an issue with getting to the ground once you opened the door... And after that, you'd be speaking to FBI Agents, as I think opening a sealed airliner hatch is a Federal Offense... They said on the news that over 1,500 people slept on cots in the Bradley terminal Saturday night. Bradley is an International Airport, but it's not a terribly large one, and doesn't have the facilities of others of it's kind in the general area such as Logan in Boston, or the NYC Metro airports. They were in over their head but were the closest safe haven for many of these flights.



24thcenstfan	Nov 1 2011, 08:17 AM Post #4
Something Wicked This Fae Comes Posts: 25,380 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 11, 2006 Gender: Female Favorite Sci-Fi? ST, SW, DW, SG... a little bit of everything!	I heard some of the audio of this situation and I have to partially commend the Pilot because he was scrambling hard to get help for the people on the plane. The Pilot was saying things like, "I have a diabetic on the plane with an issue, a paraplegic on the plane. I need some help right now." When he was finally able to get help, he put his own job at risk by criticizing JetBlue. He thanked the people that helped him and said they helped him when his own company wouldn't. I am wondering about those emergency blowup slides/stairs that planes seem to always have in movies. Didn't they have something like that on JetBlue? Just get that thing out and let people who could slide down it off the plane. For the paraplegic, the medical rescue services would have to handle his disembarking. But the whole situation seemed very chaotic because of the weather. I know I would not want to sit on that plane for that long. I think in the aftermath, they will see what all could have been done better in this situation.



Dandandat	Nov 1 2011, 08:44 AM Post #5
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	starbase63 Nov 1 2011, 06:53 AM There would of course be an issue with getting to the ground once you opened the door... And after that, you'd be speaking to FBI Agents, as I think opening a sealed airliner hatch is a Federal Offense... They said on the news that over 1,500 people slept on cots in the Bradley terminal Saturday night. Bradley is an International Airport, but it's not a terribly large one, and doesn't have the facilities of others of it's kind in the general area such as Logan in Boston, or the NYC Metro airports. They were in over their head but were the closest safe haven for many of these flights. Getting to the ground would be easy they have slides. As for the FBI, I'd gladly take my chances with them. No jury would sentence a person who exited a plane on their own under those conditions anything significant. In fact Jet blue would be falling over themselves trying to make the whole thing go away rather than see a court case about it in the news. Sleeping on a cot, or not even getting a cot and having to sit on the floor of a terminal would be preferable to sitting in a cramped airplane with no functioning bathrooms.



24thcenstfan	Nov 1 2011, 09:03 AM Post #6
Something Wicked This Fae Comes Posts: 25,380 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 11, 2006 Gender: Female Favorite Sci-Fi? ST, SW, DW, SG... a little bit of everything!	Quote: Around 4 p.m., a Bradley Airport representative boarded the plane to assess the situation. This comment registered with me the second time I read your article. If someone had the capability to board the plane, then why the heck didn't they let the passengers disembark the plane in the same manner? This whole situation is a bit wacky.



ImpulseEngine	Nov 1 2011, 10:17 AM Post #7
Commodore Posts: 3,438 Group: Flag Officer Member #2 Joined: December 12, 2006	I don't know. I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, airports are normally very busy and it takes a fairly long time to deplane all the passengers and reboard new ones. With 23 unexpected planes, I can see how it could throw everything into chaos and cause long delays. However, over 7 hours is a really long time! But, it also may not have been so long if they had planned to deplane from the beginning. It sounds like they were intending to take off again and return to Newark. That's probably also what kept many of the passengers from insisting they be allowed to get off much earlier. After a couple of hours though, it was time for them to rethink and realize that's a long time for passengers to be sitting on the plane waiting. Even if they were still planning to fly back to Newark, passengers should have been given the option of getting off the plane.



Retro_Fan	Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM Post #8
Captain Posts: 1,002 Group: Senior Officer Member #84 Joined: October 4, 2011 Gender: male Favorite Sci-Fi? 1930's, 40's & 50's films (Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, The Thing, etc...)	I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done.



Dandandat	Nov 1 2011, 02:23 PM Post #9
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	Retro_Fan Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done. Sure there is something that could have been done; open the door and walk out. It�s just an airplane not a submarine.



Swidden	Nov 1 2011, 05:52 PM Post #10
Professional Gadfly-at-large; Provisional wRench-fly at large Posts: 3,618 Group: Co-Admin Member #6 Joined: December 13, 2006 Gender: Male Favorite Sci-Fi? Star Trek , but barely.	I wonder how it would have played out if the passengers had decided to force their way off the plane? Me, I think I might have turned on my cell phone and started making calls to local media. Maybe the FAA and local authorities to say that I was being held against my will. Start turning up the heat on the plane crew and the airline itself. Really, there should be a rule under penalty of fines, that after two hours of not moving the plane should return to the jetway and let the passengers off to either wait in the airport or make other arrangements for travel.



ImpulseEngine	Nov 2 2011, 10:02 AM Post #11
Commodore Posts: 3,438 Group: Flag Officer Member #2 Joined: December 12, 2006	I did once have to sit in the plane at the gate for 3 hours and it was on my honeymoon. My wife and I were changing planes in Houston on the return home and, a short time after boarding the plane, we were told there would be a delay. After about a half hour, we were told that they had discovered that a panel had fallen off the plane during the previous flight and they needed to install a replacement before we could take off. After another hour or so, we were told they didn't have the panel in stock and were having to manufacture one on the spot. I'm not kidding! We had thoughts about getting off the plane after that one! But we didn't and it finally amounted to about 3 hours before the plane took off. The flight went without further incident and (in case you hadn't figured it out yet ) we survived.



starbase63	Nov 7 2011, 10:47 AM Post #12
Lieutenant Posts: 456 Group: Officer Member #75 Joined: May 6, 2011 Gender: Male	Dandandat Nov 1 2011, 02:23 PM Retro_Fan Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done. Sure there is something that could have been done; open the door and walk out. It�s just an airplane not a submarine. The aircraft wasn't at a gate...which was the whole problem in the first place. If you opened the door and just walked out...you'd be falling about 10 feet or so to the ground. Bradley claims they only had one towbar vehicle operating to jockey aircraft, and apparently they were starting to have problems getting it around because of the accumulating snow. Not sure how many stairway trucks they have available.



Deleted User	Nov 12 2011, 12:06 PM Post #13
Deleted User	Well here's my two cents for what it's worth. Living in Detroit, where a terrorist act was attempted on an Airplane, delays are common on the tarmac. They will not let ANYONE off the plane if there is a suspected terrorist on board. You are stuck, plain and simple. There have been multiple times where a plane I was on was taken off the runway, to recount the number of passengers on board. There's been multiple times where Air Marshalls have escorted someone off the plane prior to takeoff. Needless to say, we Detroiters expect delays. I always carry a bottle of water and some snacks with me on every flight I take out of Detroit. The 7 hours is excessive, but I am not surprised at all.
Deleted User


Deleted User	Nov 12 2011, 12:06 PM Post #14
Deleted User	Retro_Fan Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done. Exactly..... And I'd like to add, what if a bomb threat was made IF anyone attempted to deboard the plane? That could have been the situation.....
Deleted User


Retro_Fan	Nov 12 2011, 03:03 PM Post #15
Captain Posts: 1,002 Group: Senior Officer Member #84 Joined: October 4, 2011 Gender: male Favorite Sci-Fi? 1930's, 40's & 50's films (Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, The Thing, etc...)	Scooby Nov 12 2011, 12:06 PM Well here's my two cents for what it's worth. Living in Detroit, where a terrorist act was attempted on an Airplane, delays are common on the tarmac. They will not let ANYONE off the plane if there is a suspected terrorist on board. You are stuck, plain and simple. There have been multiple times where a plane I was on was taken off the runway, to recount the number of passengers on board. There's been multiple times where Air Marshalls have escorted someone off the plane prior to takeoff. Needless to say, we Detroiters expect delays. I always carry a bottle of water and some snacks with me on every flight I take out of Detroit. The 7 hours is excessive, but I am not surprised at all. Right, Scooby. This is the world that we now live in. People have to come to terms with it, and a little inconvenience is not really a bad thing when something like this is suspected.



Dandandat	Nov 14 2011, 06:38 PM Post #16
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	starbase63 Nov 7 2011, 10:47 AM Dandandat Nov 1 2011, 02:23 PM Retro_Fan Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done. Sure there is something that could have been done; open the door and walk out. It�s just an airplane not a submarine. The aircraft wasn't at a gate...which was the whole problem in the first place. If you opened the door and just walked out...you'd be falling about 10 feet or so to the ground. Bradley claims they only had one towbar vehicle operating to jockey aircraft, and apparently they were starting to have problems getting it around because of the accumulating snow. Not sure how many stairway trucks they have available. You wouldn�t fall 10 feet; the plains are equipped with emergency slides.



Dandandat	Nov 14 2011, 06:44 PM Post #17
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	Scooby Nov 12 2011, 12:06 PM Well here's my two cents for what it's worth. Living in Detroit, where a terrorist act was attempted on an Airplane, delays are common on the tarmac. They will not let ANYONE off the plane if there is a suspected terrorist on board. You are stuck, plain and simple. There have been multiple times where a plane I was on was taken off the runway, to recount the number of passengers on board. There's been multiple times where Air Marshalls have escorted someone off the plane prior to takeoff. Needless to say, we Detroiters expect delays. I always carry a bottle of water and some snacks with me on every flight I take out of Detroit. The 7 hours is excessive, but I am not surprised at all. I'm not surprised at all either; the airline industry has been operating itself very poorly recently and requires some major changes. But surprise aside; this was not a case of terrorism; it was a case of bad weather predicated �DAYS� in advance. But hey, even in the case of terrorism 7 hours is way too excessive to brush off as a �delay�. No working bathrooms on a plane for 7 hours, no food or water, is way to excessive to brush off as a �delay�. I can�t even imagine what it must have been like for people with ailments, or kids.



Dandandat	Nov 14 2011, 06:47 PM Post #18
Shirley Posts: 832 Group: Officer Member #26 Joined: June 3, 2008	Scooby Nov 12 2011, 12:06 PM Retro_Fan Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM I wouldn't like this but if I had a heads up about the situation at hand, then I'd make the best of it. There's really nothing else that could have been done. Exactly..... And I'd like to add, what if a bomb threat was made IF anyone attempted to deboard the plane? That could have been the situation..... But it wasn't so I fail to see the relevance. The airline and the airport where caught with their pants down during a winter storm predicted days in advance; no bomb threat.



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