Lacking any automated system for keeping track of all those diverted planes, Mr. Dillman and his colleagues furiously scribbled down details of where they had gone, how long they had sat there, and whether pilots had enough time left on their daily work limits to keep flying when the weather cleared.Although legal pads are 27.2% larger than standard pads, airlines are still investing in technology that can track and manage their fleets. Airlines purchased powerful computer systems in the '90s, but skimped on needed maintenance and upgrades. The new systems should help alleviate the delays that infuriate consumers and make a passengers bill of rights necessary.Ultimately, 44 of the planes sat on tarmacs for more than four hours.
The kinds of programs American and others are installing are neither terribly expensive nor "a great leap" in technology, and thus could have been in place years earlier, Mr. Mogel said.Airlines Work on Systems to Reduce Delays [NYT]Not stranding passengers "is just a matter of will," he added.
@overbysara: Regarding the "Pilot" iPhone commercial, last Friday's (11/16) 'Ask The Pilot' column in Salon.com directly addressed this very issue...and he laid the smackdown on the ad pretty hard. [www.salon.com]
]]>"The technology improvements at American are, in one sense, encouraging. Pen and paper have been replaced by computer programs that display flight information in ways that are supposed to help prevent long waits on tarmacs and other service disruptions that most infuriate passengers. Top managers also now automatically receive text messages when things begin to go awry."
Seems to me like Consumerist is being a little uppity with their comments. Corporations are not infallible and it looks like AA has taken the appropriate steps to make sure this doesn't happen again.
]]>Nyum nyum. Rrrarrh. Crunch smack yum.
]]>@mantari:
HA! I spit coffee...
]]>As for the iPhone commercial, it's probly true. Some flight was diverted and he's sitting in SUX just waiting for his dispatcher (the person with the real power) to reroute 10-15 flights. The pilot checks the weather, calls the dispatcher, tells him to check the weather along Jetroute 123. Weather has moved on, Dispatcher files a new flight plan, pilot programs it into the FMC and off they go. All because some pilot has an iphone.
All which could have been done with any internet connected cell phone.
]]>@catcherintheeye: I used to be like you. Then I got my 8525 and became a PDA convert. Instant-on, always charged, paper PDAs (notebooks) do have their place but having your calendar, task list, contacts and internet in your pocket is a TREMENDOUS tool for efficiency.
If only I had waited a month, I could have gotten the Tilt for the same price :/
How far off topic have I gone?
]]>Hey whippersnapper, We did just fine, some may even say better before you computer geeks turned everything electronic. When I was younger we had paper issued tickets that were handwritten. You know what, the airlines had better service better on time averages and fewer lost pieces of luggage. Maybe a legal pad is the answer.
]]>