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Author Topic: Somebody please explain to me.....  (Read 2844 times)

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Offline debk

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Somebody please explain to me.....
« on: June 11, 2010, 12:18:13 PM »
why the hell a plane would leave an airport without enough fuel to make it to it's destination?  :censored:

My kids' grandfather died Wednesday evening, in Nebraska....and my son, daughter and granddaughter - she's 7 months old and still nursing (SIL and grandson stayed here) left this morning on a 6:20am Delta flight.

They were scheduled to fly from here to Minneapolis, change planes and fly into Omaha, to be met and drive another 2.5 hours to Grand Island.

Their plane diverted to Kansas City ....BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO REFUEL!!!!

AREN'T THEY SUPPOSED TO TAKE OFF WITH ENOUGH TO GET WHERE THEY ARE GOING?!?!?!?!!

Because they were diverted to KC...they missed the connection out of Minneapolis to Omaha.

When I talked to my son about an hour ago... Delta said they couldn't get them out of MN until 7:30 tonight!!

He'd already had the Delta person hang up on him and was waiting on hold to talk to someone else, and they answered while we were talking so he hung up.

Their phones are going to straight to VM ....so hopefully they got on a flight and their phones aren't just dead...
 :(

At least they are together....my daughter would be flipping out if she was alone, especially with the baby...

Good thing Delta wasn't flying over the ocean... :censored:

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Offline Chris_

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2010, 12:27:28 PM »
Maybe there was a hell of a headwind, which would account for increased fuel consumption.
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2010, 12:38:21 PM »
Quote from: Big Don on June 11, 2010, 12:27:28 PM
Maybe there was a hell of a headwind, which would account for increased fuel consumption.

Ah....that could be. Cause I was wondering how they ended up in KC rather than Chicago....which is more direct. There's a lot of storms between here and there....

Too bad they couldn't have gotten on a flight out of KC to Omaha....

The baby's had a bad upper respiratory infection - had to go to Children's - and she still has a bad cough. The ups/downs will be hard on her....and she's travelling with 2 adults, who have been flying since babies themselves....and totally HATE to fly.... :(
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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline Thor

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2010, 12:43:21 PM »
Sounds like the pilot and the ops person screwed the pooch. I used to work for Delta. That stuff NEVER happened when I was working there. Something's up with their system or it was human error.
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2010, 12:44:20 PM »
I believe fed regs require them to arrive at their destination with one hour of fuel remaining.....if they're going to come up short, they divert.

They used to fly fully loaded with fuel...back when it was cheap. It cost real money for them to haul extra fuel around.
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2010, 01:26:27 PM »
Just got a text....they are in Omaha.

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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline MrsSmith

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2010, 07:17:14 PM »
Quote from: debk on June 11, 2010, 01:26:27 PM
Just got a text....they are in Omaha.


Glad they made it!!
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2010, 07:20:20 PM »
Quote from: MrsSmith on June 11, 2010, 07:17:14 PM
Glad they made it!!

Thanks. Me too.

This is first time both my kids have been on a plane together in years. I didn't realize how much it would bother me.

I'm still "helicopter-ing" and they are 28 and 31. Drives them crazy sometimes and I just go "whump, whump".... :shucks:
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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2010, 07:26:17 PM »
Also, and this happened to me quite a few years ago, there's something with the humidity of the air that restricts a plane's capacity.  If the air is too humid (I think it works this way), the plane can't be loaded with its' full load of fuel, else it'll be too heavy.  Cost me some time at Heathrow 23 years ago, on my way to Germany.  We had to stop at Gander, Newfoundland instead, and refuel there instead.
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Offline Carl

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2010, 07:34:40 PM »
First time I ever was on a plane a couple of years ago the pilot announced that due to a reroute they were going to add more fuel.
I thought at the time "jeez you cut it that close?"

Now in relaying that to coworkers I was told by one (no idea if it is true so let that be a disclaimer) that on 9/11 when all flights were grounded those coming in from overseas had to dump over the ocean large quantities of fuel before they could safely land in Greenland or elsewhere.
The thought being that the airliner for stability and descent control could not be laden with too much fuel.

Perhaps there is someone much more knowledgeable about this that can say that is true or it is a myth.
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Offline Airwolf

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2010, 10:47:37 PM »
I don't know about anyplace else but there wasn't anything close to a windy day here in Omaha and I was at the airport all afternoon.
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2010, 11:46:24 PM »
Quote from: Airwolf on June 11, 2010, 10:47:37 PM
I don't know about anyplace else but there wasn't anything close to a windy day here in Omaha and I was at the airport all afternoon.

Did you see my kids? They got in about 2.. :-)

I couldn't figure out how they ended up in KC either on the way to Minneapolis. It wasn't windy here this morning when they left, but it was very foggy. Maybe they had to go around some storms....
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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2010, 02:26:50 AM »
Miss Madelyn has already figured out what to do while flying.....

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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline Servonaut

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2010, 09:09:29 AM »
debk  Normally aircraft are dispatched with enough fuel to reach their destination and an alternate destination. Plus when when flying into weather they will carry extra fuel in case they are put in a holding pattern over the airport.  Did your son mention holding for a long  time before they diverted?

carl  aircraft dump fuel to get under the max landing weight.  Say you have a trip going IAH-FRA that has to divert to DFW due to a medical emergency.  All that fuel that would normally been burned enroute to FRA has to be dumped otherwise the aircraft would be to heavy to land safely.
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2010, 09:57:50 AM »
Quote from: Servonaut on June 12, 2010, 09:09:29 AM
debk  Normally aircraft are dispatched with enough fuel to reach their destination and an alternate destination. Plus when when flying into weather they will carry extra fuel in case they are put in a holding pattern over the airport.  Did your son mention holding for a long  time before they diverted?

carl  aircraft dump fuel to get under the max landing weight.  Say you have a trip going IAH-FRA that has to divert to DFW due to a medical emergency.  All that fuel that would normally been burned enroute to FRA has to be dumped otherwise the aircraft would be to heavy to land safely.

No...he didn't say. I only talked to him for a couple of minutes...the rest was texting.
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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

Offline RobJohnson

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2010, 01:56:03 PM »
Quote from: debk on June 12, 2010, 02:26:50 AM
Miss Madelyn has already figured out what to do while flying.....




How cute.

Sorry to hear about the kid's grandfather.
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Offline debk

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Re: Somebody please explain to me.....
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2010, 02:31:48 PM »
Quote from: RobJohnson on June 12, 2010, 01:56:03 PM

How cute.

Sorry to hear about the kid's grandfather.

Thanks.

It's my kids' paternal grandfather, Madelyn's great grandfather. He was 86 and pretty healthy until he got pneumonia a couple of weeks ago. Apparently he was going to be released in the next day or two, and died Wednesday afternoon. 
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Just hand over the chocolate...back away slowly...far away....and you won't get hurt....

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.
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