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-   -   Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services... (http://www.travelbanter.com/showthread.php?t=2313)

Al San January 15th, 2004 07:23 AM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services...
 
This seemed like a great thing when it first came out....so why doesn't
it still seem like a great thing?

Actually, I first signed up for this, using a pager as the target, when
UA started experimenting with it, and when info came directly out of UA's
internal flight info system. The info was great, and allowed me to take
intelligent actions all through that summer when half of everything was
being disrupted....indeed, the last couple of times I've flown with UA
the info provided (nowadays as text messages to my cell phone) was timely
and accurate...

But, alas, the recent experiences are something else again. Why is it that
an airline cannot provide useful information when they promise it?

December 23, DL SFO-SLC-OMA. There is bad weather at SFO, and anyone who
knows the area knows there will be delays at SFO. One hour before flight
time, DL sends a page announcing that the flight will be operating on time.
Ten minutes after scheduled departure, they send another message announcing
a new departure time...this is updated once more with a message after
I've boarded the plane. On arrival at SLC, I have less than 5 minutes to
the scheduled departure of my connection. Everyone (stewardesses, gate
agents, ...) says it is a makeable connection; phone message says on-time
departure. Arriving at the gate at the exact=listed time of departure,
they had closed the gate 5 minutes before and were already checking in the
next flight. (This is a total fiction, as the flight actually sat at the
"boarding location" {not the gate} for another half hour, departing with
5 empty seats, while all the mis-connects were told that they could not
be accomodated on Delta's later flight that night...).

December 29, DL OMA-SLC-SFO. Again, the one hour ahead of departure
paging message announced an on-time departure (though, at this time, the
inbound plane had already departed SLC for OMA significantly late...).
At scheduled departure time, a message announced a later departure...
There was snow in the East, so lots of inbound flights had differing delays.
I turned the phone on as we parked at the outer edge of the farthest gate
of the commuter terminal, and began receiving the flight paging messages
for my flight; 6 messages in the next 3 minutes (all before I could get
out of the plane) basically told me that the flight was leaving within
5 minutes...so, based on the last experience, I walked calmly over to the
scheduled gate....to find that we had an indefinite mechanical delay in
progress, in addition to SFO tower ground-hold, and would be leaving
sometime...shortly after they decided on a time, a message arrived on
the phone announcing the new time...about 20 minutes after my arrival at
the gate.

Jan 12, Southwest SJC-SAN-SJC day-trip. Woke up to extremely thick fog
on the peninsula, and thought...clearly below landing-minimums here.
Left for the airport, and received a text message assuring me of an
on-time departure. While parking at long-term, I could hear a couple of
departures, but I could not see the runway...
At check-in, my flight was listed for an on-time departure, even though
the inbound flight had not yet arrived. About 10 minutes before scheduled
departure the airport displays updated to "delayed". 5 minutes after
scheduled departure, a text message announced that "flight schedule has
been altered due to operational irregularity". When the fog lifted
slightly, about 40 minutes later, there were no further paging
announcements. (Southwest did their traditional amazingly quick turn
and got us into the air with amazing speed...).
Oh..I guess for novelty's sake I should report that...
one flight paging message was actually true...the return flight
from SAN to SJC was announced as "ontime", and it actually operated that way.

Some bits of the technology DO seem to be working. I used the e-check in
stations without waiting in atrocious lines; when I couldn't use it at DL
due to lack of a seat assignment, they had a bank of phones to a rez
center where they had my problem solved within a minute and issued the
boarding passes via download to the printer behind the phones...

Was I just spoiled by the early experimental data provided for paging being
so good? Why can't the paging info be more accurate and timely? (For that
matter, why can't the displays at the airport be halfway truthful?).

nobody January 15th, 2004 08:59 AM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging informationservices...
 
Al San wrote:
But, alas, the recent experiences are something else again. Why is it that
an airline cannot provide useful information when they promise it?


Probably the same reason you can't get real-time flight position info anymore
(to prevent terrorists from launching missiles I guess). FAA purposefully
delays that information now.

John Fernandez January 15th, 2004 10:20 AM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services...
 
This seemed like a great thing when it first came out....so why doesn't
it still seem like a great thing?


1) The info is delayed now usually
2) You're usually at the airport or on the way there when you get the info.

John Fernandez

Mark Hewitt January 15th, 2004 12:55 PM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services...
 

"John Fernandez" wrote in message
...
This seemed like a great thing when it first came out....so why doesn't
it still seem like a great thing?


1) The info is delayed now usually


Ironic, isn't it!



The Bill Mattocks January 15th, 2004 04:32 PM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services...
 
eepmeep (John Fernandez) wrote in message ...
This seemed like a great thing when it first came out....so why doesn't
it still seem like a great thing?


1) The info is delayed now usually
2) You're usually at the airport or on the way there when you get the info.

John Fernandez


I had the same experience, but sometimes even worse. I'd get
notifications that my flight was delayed several days after I took the
flight. Wonderful and helpful news. I just turned it off.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

mrraveltay January 16th, 2004 09:36 AM

Trip reports...focus on airlines flight paging information services...
 
j

nobody wrote:

Al San wrote:

But, alas, the recent experiences are something else again. Why is it that
an airline cannot provide useful information when they promise it?



Probably the same reason you can't get real-time flight position info anymore
(to prevent terrorists from launching missiles I guess). FAA purposefully
delays that information now


This isn't logical since most flights depart near their highly visible
scheduled departure time.




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