Flight arrival confusion can't be good for PTI
Regarding your article, "PTI’s passenger numbers down 17 percent" (Sept. 20), I wonder if there is correlation between this trend and my experience on Sept. 17.
I was at the airport to pick up a passenger on a Northwest flight arriving at 9:56 p.m. I was relieved to see the flight "On Time." People waited at gate 23. Confusion developed about 10:30 - no passengers and "On Time" still posted. Other flights on time eventually showed "Arrived." Then at 11, this flight disappeared from the board.
A security guard at the gate said he had no information on the flight but said I might find something out downstairs. Downstairs provided car rental personnel whom I was embarrassed to ask for flight information. I overheard someone say he had called outside the airport and found the plane's brakes had locked, making it impossible to get passengers to the gate.
We continued to wait at gate 23, and about midnight, I heard a passenger coming from downstairs tell someone, "They brought us in downstairs." No announcement was ever made; no airport or airline employee came to the waiting area. After finding our passenger and waiting another 15 minutes for the luggage, we were able to leave about 12:15 a.m.
Not a user-friendly experience.
Yancey Robertson
Asheboro
Editor’s note: PTI Airport does not keep records of flight arrivals. However, airport officials said individual airlines typically have personnel available at the airport to field questions when flights are delayed.
Comments (6)
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Lighten up Robertson!
Hiding the arrival and departure times of flights is just another small detail in the Homeland Security Administrations multidimensional and ingenious strategy to protect the nation's airways.
If a terrorist can't find the damn plane, he sure as hell can't bring it down.
Consider you confusion and frustration as an example of you doing your part as a patriotic American.
I thank you on behalf of the nation.
Posted on October 6, 2006 5:46 AM
OK, if we are to believe the "Editor's note," then that leaves it up to the airlines to report "their statistics." I am not certain that I would believe either! Each of us knows that statistics can be "worked" to make a situation look better/worse, depending on the desired outcome.
I guess this LTTE and the "Editor's note" help to answer a plethora of questions that many (including myself) have regarding flights into PTI.
Shalom
Posted on October 6, 2006 7:33 AM
Welcome to the world of commerical flying. Unfortuately I have to fly airlines often, I would actually prefer to have molars extracted instead. Flying is such a hassle these days, not only due to the incompetence of the airlines, but security restrictions.
Airlines are famous for keeping passengers in the dark. A few months ago I was flying from Cincy back to GSO, the flight was delayed two hours with no explanation. We later learned that a flight attendant had not reported to work. By the time she arrived, the pilots had surpassed their hours of service. There were no more pilots to fly the 70 seat regional jet, only the 50 seat model, so 20 got kicked off.
We then waited another two hours for the co-pilot of the 50 seater to show up. He gets there, we all get in the plane, then they fogot to unload the baggage of some of the 20 that got booted so they had to empty the cargo bin and find them! 5 hours after the planned departure time we left and I got home at 3 am.
That's one reason I learned to fly and bought my own plane.
Don't ask they TSA people or rental car guy about a flight status, that is ridiculous. Find an airline representative. If you can't find one, call the airline's 800 number.
Posted on October 6, 2006 8:51 AM
PTI does not keep records of flight arrivals? Wild stuff.
I will say this. I don't think that is the reason for the decline in flights from PTI.
My guess is that it is mostly about the MONEY! If I can say $100-$200 by driving to Raleigh or Charlotte, I'm going to do it most of the time.
Posted on October 6, 2006 11:19 AM
I fly overseas frequently.
I nearly always drive to Raleigh or Charlotte to do so, unless it's an extended contract and the travel is paid by the company.
You just can't get anywhere from here.
Posted on October 6, 2006 11:45 AM
I think it admirable that you gave PTI an opportunity Friday to respond to my complaint. However, your Editor's Note and the unnamed "airport officials" explanation did not address my problem. This incident had nothing to do with a flight delay. My point was that the flight arrived on time, and there was no announcement as to why it took over 2 hours to see the passengers.
I guess since "PTI does not keep records of flight arrivals"(hard to believe), that they can not confirm the accurancy of your newspaper's report that PTI is an airport with one of the worst records for late arrivals.
As to "airlines typically having personnel available at the airport to field questions", I challenge these officials to tell me where you find them at this time of night. Every ticket counter was dark and unmanned when we arrived at the airport at 9:30 p.m. There were signs posted saying that they are open from 4:40 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but no notice of where to go to have questions answered.
By not discussing this incident, these "officials" were inferring that they were unfamiliar with my complaint. I find this hard to believe, since I would think an airplane with locked brakes, that couldn't get passengers to their gate, would be in the way of runway activity. However, I guess that time of night at PTI, nothing is happening.
Posted on October 11, 2006 1:54 PM