Non-motoring > Flight delays Miscellaneous
Thread Author: PeterS Replies: 9
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New Fri 10 Oct 14 22:41 
 Flight delays - PeterS
So for the last 12 weeks I've been spending a few days each week in Dundee. Flying from LGW to EDI with BA. Due to poor planning on my part I was booked on a flight today that was actually too early, and by the time I'd realised the 18:45 was full. No problem, Easyjet fly the route and they have a 20:00. However it's now 22:30 and the flight has only just left Gatwick. Delays apparently due to weather, though the 20:50 BA flight left LGW within 15 minutes of its scheduled time...

Never mind, I've been flying long enough to just go with the flow in these circumstances. No point getting stressed. But being offered a £3 voucher for refreshments when a beer is £3.95 is taking the michael!! Oh for the calm of the BA lounge ;-)

Anyway, got that of my chest now. Thanks everyone :-)
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 11 Oct 14 at 17:04
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New Fri 10 Oct 14 23:02 
 Flight delays - Bromptonaut
The machine operating the flight appears to be g-ezul:

www.flightradar24.com/reg/g-ezul

It was at LGW from 17:30 according to FR24 albeit running late by then. Looks more like a tech issue or crew hours but OTOH planes might have had to be shuffled round 'cos of bad weather elsewhere on EZY's network. It could also have operated a rotation that's not been picked up by FR24.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 10 Oct 14 at 23:04
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New Fri 10 Oct 14 23:04 
 Flight delays - PeterS
Thanks - I've got that app so have been tracking the reality vs Easyjets explanations ;-)

It's now at the gate, and apparently they'll have it disembarked, cleaned and refuelled in 10 to 15 minutes. Their optimism is to be admired, but a bit of reality would be appreciated. We all know doing it in less than 20 minutes is extremely unlikely with the amount of hand baggage everyone carries!
Last edited by: PeterS on Fri 10 Oct 14 at 23:08
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New Fri 10 Oct 14 23:14 
 Flight delays - No FM2R
You'll usually find that they know when it is likely to be ready. Their issue is that the longer they say it will be, the further people will wander off and either simply be hard to find or will have resorted to alcohol causing further delays or chaos.

Consequently they try to make it seem as imminent as possible so that nobody considers leaving the lounge, never mind the airport.

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New Fri 10 Oct 14 23:35 
 Flight delays - PeterS
I know, but the trouble is most passengers are using iPads to check info from so many sources that its immediately obvious that they're being spun a line. And as it happens the following EZY flight to LGW from EDI was showing as cancelled on the Gatwick arrivals website at the same time as the staff at Edinburgh were announcing a revised departure time! Airlines treat passengers the same as when I worked for BA 20 years ago, but there's far more info available far quicker now.

Anyway, I am now on board so fingers crossed no more technical, weather or crew related disasters befall us :-)
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New Fri 10 Oct 14 23:19 
 Flight delays - Zero
>> Thanks - I've got that app so have been tracking the reality vs Easyjets explanations
>> ;-)
>>
>> It's now at the gate, and apparently they'll have it disembarked, cleaned and refuelled in
>> 10 to 15 minutes. Their optimism is to be admired, but a bit of reality
>> would be appreciated.

I watched an EZY flight land at Alicante, we the pax were at the gate. 15 minutes later we were on board and being pushed away from the stand.
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New Sat 11 Oct 14 08:43 
 Flight delays - wokingham
While aircraft can take off in really poor weather and land in pretty bad weather, once they are on the ground in very poor visibility they are hard to manoeuvre safely. This obviously increases the time between landing and arrival at the gate

Also, if you are on an early evening flight, the aircraft operating the sector may have had an 0600 take off. and you may be on the third or fourth trip of the day and a delay in each one may be something quite significant by 1900. I have noticed that the quoted flight times/timetable seem to be overstated, giving the operator so me flex to absorb delays
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New Sat 11 Oct 14 09:32 
 Flight delays - Runfer D'Hills
By and large, morning flights have a greater chance of being on time than evening ones. Problems arise during the day and get worse whereas the quieter overnight period allows time to rectify things.
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New Sat 11 Oct 14 11:08 
 Flight delays - Bromptonaut
Participants in yesterday's Friday Night Ride to the Coast (overnight bike ride) to Felpham/Bognor report monsoon conditions and thunder so maybe weather in Sussex did play a part.
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New Sat 11 Oct 14 12:15 
 Flight delays - smokie
WRT Humph - It's for the same reason that I always book dentist, doctor, MOT etc appointments for the first available. Usually works, but dentist was 15 minutes late at my latest appointment which must have screwed his day up.
Last edited by: smokie on Sat 11 Oct 14 at 12:16
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