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Straight-Talking Captain Calms Delayed Passengers

Not all flight delays result in airport mob scenes

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 27, 2009

But the story doesn't always play out that way, as a planeload of American Airlines passengers learned yesterday.

AA flight 2016 was scheduled to leave Miami International Airport's Gate E-7 at 1:30 p.m., bound for Washington's Reagan National Airport, a close-in airport with a runway shorter than some driveways. Reagan National is further distinguished by a no-fly zone over critical D.C. landmarks (uh, the White House), an array of high-rise buildings on one end of the approach and the Potomac River on the other.

But passengers are, for the most part, blissfully unaware of such niceties and just want to get where they're going on time. There was thus a groan when Capt. Jim Henderson came on the intercom with the news that there was a possible mechanical problem with our Boeing 737. He asked us to be patient while the situation played out.

Time passed. It was hot and getting hotter as the fully-loaded 737 sat in Miami's afternoon sunshine.

Henderson came on the intercom a few more times as the clock ticked towards 2 p.m., finally advising us that because it was uncomfortable on the aircraft and the situation was not yet resolved, he wanted everyone to disembark, taking their belongings and boarding passes with them. Stay in the E-7 lounge area, he advised.

Passengers milled around, some dashing to other airline counters seeking other flights to Washington. Others went in search of coffee or stronger beverages. Those of us who hung around the gate were mildly surprised to see Capt. Henderson appear among us. He circulated through the crowd, admiring babies and talking to passengers.

Difficult airport

Later, Henderson walked to the middle of the E-7 waiting area, saying he wanted to explain the reasons for the delay. He told us that National was a notoriously difficult airport that was unforgiving of mechanical or human error. He was concerned about the airplane's brakes and had asked that they be examined, he said.

Mechanics had done as he asked and had found a problem with the brakes on one wheel. That brake and the corresponding tire were being replaced and as soon as the mechanical work, paperwork and FAA-mandated tests were complete, we would be on our way, he said.

"I want to get home just as much as you do, but I want us all to get there in one piece," he said. Passengers cheered as Henderson went back to the cockpit to complete the tests on the new brakes.

A few minutes later, we were airborne and landed at DCA around 6:30 p.m. with runway to spare. Yes, we were an few hours late but as they left, passengers effusively thanked Henderson -- thanked him for getting them into Washington safely but also for treating them with respect, leveling with them and allowing them to disembark during the time it took to diagnose and fix the problem.

Similar experience

We had a similar experience a few weeks earlier when a Virgin America flight from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles International was delayed by a problem with the main computer on the Airbus 320.

The captain, a personable Australian, walked leisurely through the cabin, telling passengers what was wrong, chatting them up and giving them reassurance that safety was his first concern. When it was determined that it would take another 30 to 45 minutes to swap out the ailing computer, the captain invited passengers to come and visit the cockpit.

He and the first officer entertained families and airplane junkies for another hour or so until the work was finished, tests completed and FAA paperwork done. The flight left about two hours late but, like the AA Miami-DCA flight, made up time en route and arrived safely about 90 minutes late.

The lesson in all this? No one wants to fly in an airplane that has a mechanical problem, or into dangerous weather conditions. When senior flight officers present themselves as human beings and treat their passengers with respect, the passengers take ownership of the problem and support the crew's efforts to find a solution.

In an unusual twist, passengers on the AA flight comforted a flight attendant who was annoyed that the delay meant her back-up child care provider had had to pick up her children from school.

"Well, it's better to get here safely, even if it's an inconvenience," one passenger assured her as he deplaned.

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