They Sat in the Plane at the Gate for Seven Hours...

[innerSpaceman]

When I heard this story yesterday, I was wondering what kind of airport doesn't have a place on the airplane side of security barriers inside the terminal?

Was this like the last airport in the U.S. where you board from a rolling staircase on the tarmac? Even in those, you have to exit to the tarmac from somewhere. WTF?


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My worst was being kept on a plane on the ground in Denver after an "emergency" landing, with no air for 2 hours, and my girlfriend going crazy and getting loud because they wouldn't let her off the plane to smoke a cigarette.

Fortunately, this was pre-9/11 ... or we would have been arrested for the slight disturbance she made.

[3894]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Was this like the last airport in the U.S. where you board from a rolling staircase on the tarmac? Even in those, you have to exit to the tarmac from somewhere. WTF?

Well, it's dinky but called Rochester International, meaning they handle whoever's private plane from wherever, as well as the organs being flown in from wherever.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

When I heard this story yesterday, I was wondering what kind of airport doesn't have a place on the airplane side of security barriers inside the terminal?

With large airports the problem frequently isn't with having a secure place inside the terminal for them but getting a gate to which the airplane can return and then sit without just passing the problem on to another airplane. Big airports are good at keeping gates at or near capacity during the day.

Plus, in situations where boarding passes are consumed it is difficult to reboard the plane with proper accounting and security.

None of these things are really justifications, just contribute to my understanding how it comes to happen.

Was this like the last airport in the U.S. where you board from a rolling staircase on the tarmac? Even in those, you have to exit to the tarmac from somewhere. WTF?

If it is a small airport then the security check may very well be at the door to the tarmac meaning that to reboard everybody has to go through it again. If you're in a situation where you're being told every 15 minutes that you'll be cleared to go in just 10 more minutes it becomes psychologically difficult (tests show this is a cost/benefit calculation that people find it very difficult to make rationally) to decide to accept the 90 minute minimum delay in the face of the 15 minute promised delay. And after an hour it gets hard, not easier since you start thinking "well, it's already been an hour so we must be getting close right?" A bit of a gambler's fallacy; that is, the belief that previous outcomes inordinately influence future outcomes such as the idea that since the last five coin tosses were heads (or the last ten 10-minute promises were false) the odds are increased that the next coin toss will be heads (the next 10-minute promise will be true).

Like I said, not justifications for it happening. In fact, the easily understood causes and statistical predictability should make it easy to come up with general policies that will minimize the pain.


Fortunately I've never really had a bad tarmac experience. 20 minutes or so once. But it was very hot out (Orlando or Houston, I think) and even in that time without air it was getting uncomfortably warm.

[Snowflake]

I've been lucky but my worst was LAX, called United and checked the flight status before leaving hotel and heading to drop off rental car and head to ticketing/check in for the red-eye. Get to the check in, flight is NOT on the board. Get to the person behind the counter and am told, your flight was cancelled due to weather (um no weather is not an issue) so we can't book you until tomorrow morning and we can't comp you a hotel or anything. Uh, not on your life, I make a stink and get a voucher for a hotel (in BURBANK) and a transport. Go to the shuttle stop and wait, and wait and wait. No shuttle and the United staff are running from angry passengers, shuttle finally arrives, by now, 1:30, we board the bus, and then we get stuck in traffic, for 2 hours. Get to the hotel, call, no flights from Burbank or anywhere else (it's mid-August) and basically shower, email friends East not to pick me up and put on my old clothes since my checkable luggage is where? LAX. Back on the bus to LAX at 5 for a 8:30 flight on American, we get there in 20 minutes, no sleep I'm cranky and drinking ventis from Starbucks to stay awake. American treated us like royalty and the flight home was great. Never flown United since.

Second United was a flight from SF to DC, sat on the tarmac for 3 hours due to a faulty loo on the flight. Can't take off til fixed, can't fix for some reason. Finally get going, flight attendant insists all is well and our connecting flights in Atlanta will be waiting. I know, dream on. We offload in Atlanta and I gotta give Delta snaps, they had dozens of staff people lined up late at night, vouchers/buses and comps for hotel/shuttle and food for our missed flights. Next morning, more comp food, and a nice flight to DC.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Alex

Fortunately I've never really had a bad tarmac experience. 20 minutes or so once. But it was very hot out (Orlando or Houston, I think) and even in that time without air it was getting uncomfortably warm.

I'm far more frightened of being stuck on the ground with no AC on a hot day for an extended period than I am of actually flying.