What was the pilot jet blue flt 751 thinking at JFK last Feb?

Question

I just came off a bad trip through the South with some serious miss-handling of weather issues from another Airline (nameless) but that is another story. After sitting on the ground for 1.5 hours with no communications from the front office I started thinking. As a pilot in charge of 150 lives behind him what was the Jet Blue pilot thinking? After about hour 3 I think I would have been on my cell to the home office demanding a solution for these poor people. What are the details as to why he didn't request busses/airstairs, or take off and get these people to either Cancuun or a hub (like Atlanta) so they could find another carrier? I know being a pilot you are ultimatly responsible for these peoples lives.

If anyone has the details that would great.
If you were the pilot what would you have done?
If you were a passanger how long do you wait.. Then what?

I understand about company/airport/FAA policies. But as a Pilot you are trained and drilled that your PAX lives/well being are "your" responsibility. This includes phsyical and pshychological. The label Captain isn't taken lightly with me or any of my comrades.
I can't see Al Haynes "waiting it out" like that.
Did they ever interview the Pilot?

Answer 1

I am a captain at a regional airline, and I agree completely that the passengers are my responsibility from the time the door is closed on the ramp, until it is reopened at the end of the flight...

That said, I dont know the specifics of where the aircraft was located for the time... If the aircraft was on an active taxiway, with, as it says 10 other flights, you should know as well as I do that its not as easy as saying:
"JFK Ground, this is JetBlue 751, were gonna pull a U-Turn about taxiway Alpha"

And if there were 10 airplanes sitting there, you cant cut through the grass, so how do you get turned around?

And, in looking out for my passengers saftey, I would not have tried anything risky... They are perfectly safe inside the airplane... In my opinion, from what I've read about wheels "freezing to the pavement", that sounds icy... all JetBlue needs is a pax to fall and hurt themselves... how would they explain that in court... "Well we wanted to get the passengers off the plane so we decided to unload on an active taxiway..."

I would have been talking to ATC, and dispatch about what was going on, but if I was told to hold my position, thats what I'm going to do.

Next, how do we know that he didnt request airstairs and busses... but my guess is that they could not remote park the airplane because they couldnt get the remote park stands...

Answer 2

I agree with ALOPILOT.

That being said, and again only the passengers and crew know what went on inside that aircraft, I value communication.

If I am sitting on that aircraft, just tell me what the situation is. If you are talking to ground or clearance delivery about delays, just let me know. Even if it isn't good news let me know so that I don't wonder. I can send a nasty e-mail to the company later.

Check out the OIS page link in my sources on a day when there are large storm systems roaming across the country. The National Airspace System seems huge until those summer (or winter) storms start parking over places like the New York metro area and everyone is trying to fly in and out of Newark, JFK and Laguardia at the same time. Watch the Departure Delays climb.

Answer 3

The pilot is not en-charged with operations, for example which gate to use, getting air stairs etc.. I am sure the pilot of the plane asked after about 2 hours of delay for something, I am sure he was just as confused as everyone else on the airplane, but the pilot can only do what he is told to do. If there was no air stairs available, he could not takeoff and there is not gate what can he do?
This in no way was the pilots fault but 100% operations fault.

Answer 4

I am finishing my pilot training in San Antonio, Texas and here in Texas we have bad weather because we are close to the coast and to very hot dry land thunderstorms develop very quickly. Ive seen big airplanes such as 747 and 777 originally flying to houston but being diverted to san antonio because of bad weather in houston. And all the passengers of those airplanes having to wait the the weather out inside the airplane. congested airports is a reason, where you board your airplane and your airplane leaves another airplane is not far away from ariving and boarding other passengers in the gate you airplane was, so if your airplane cant depart that other plane still needs your gate thats why they board them and take the plane somewhere else and have them wait on board. And its not a pilots issue, the pilot is the ultimate authority and ressponsibilty of the safety of the aircraft. But is ATC who realeses them for their flight. On ground control here in San Antonio I've heared very angry pilots trying to depart as quick as they can once they are starting to release flight to the same destination.because put yourself in the pilots shoes. You have a plane full 150 passengers lets say, they are all tired, they want to get home, the have jet lag so they are easy to get upset. and you know that if you take off and fly to your destination there is going to be a big storm and is dangerous for the flight. you know it but the passengers dont undestand that.. they just want to get home.... there are a lot of reasons why a plane full of passenger will wait for a while on ramp.. and I'm pretty sure its a safety issue, congested airports... weather... you name it. If you knew the reason youd probably wait patiently and be thankful because your safety is the pilots main concern.

Answer 5

Returning to the gate puts you behind the end of the line.

You think captains can take off whenever they decide to? The 1.5 hour wait in the plane could have been for weather or traffic saturation anywhere along the route, or even well away from the route. The captain doesn't control the traffic sequence; and the flight release specifies the destination--to change it requires the dispatcher's concurrence.

45 minutes of pushback and taxi is not at all unusual. 1:30? --No big deal.

Answer 6

Pilots dont make company policies and regulations, thats what the ground staff / office types are for.

Answer 7

I don't think it was the pilot. But read this:

http://www.jetblue.com/about/ourcompany/promise/index.html