Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven
it was the FOG
I was actually listening to the Captain speaking to the passengers aboard my wife's plane....
via our cell phone conversation...
I have no issues with their decision to go refuel in Connecticut and or the inability to land.... in Providence
my gripe is how long they took to inform us that the plane had gone to Bradley and that we had
the OPTION of going (driving) there instead of waiting til Noon the next day for the weather to clear.
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Absolutely, see why your upset.... this is not something that is new... Fog is one of the toughest weather phenomenons to deal with. Extremely unpredictable and can change with just a slight breeze or quick shower which can increase visibility...
The problem is there are many people that would not been as lucky to have someone to pick them up in Hartford as you would have done with your wife so decisions take a while to be made. Next you cant have people get off the plane and their luggage still be on the airplane.... TSA stuff... If one comes off they all come off.
Finally, the airline will do everything possible to get the flight to reach its original destination for customers but more so operationally makes sense to them. Sometimes that requires decisions from multiple people, ATC, dispatch, management and then the final authority (captain) but he is only responsible to fly and complete the flight safely and within the FAR's and company guidelines. Its not just a quick decision unfortunately. I can say that adding customs and international flights makes it even more complicated......
Now the kicker... If your wife waited until noon the next day the airline is not responsible for a hotel since it was weather related. Mechanical, the airline is responsible...
The positive I see is that the Captain tried to keep everyone informed but was only able to do that with the information he was given....