I got this info from the Survivor Sucks boards:
http://p085.ezboard.com/fsurvivorsucksfrm23.showMessage?topicID=5401.topicSOME INFO ON BOARDING RULES
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A coworker of mine has a brother that works for US Air. We were at work today and talked about the race. We decided to call up his brother and ask him about boarding procedure. His brother actually works ticketing and often times works on the “boarding crews” as he called them.
Anyway, he isn’t a TAR fan so we had to give him the facts.
He said that reextending the jetway bridge (Im using his terminology) is done quite often. He says there are no FAA regulations regarding reextending the bridge.
He said that requests are made to the pilot and it’s the pilot’s call as to whether to reextend the bridge or take off. It is totally in the discretion of the pilot.
There are only 3 exceptions that overrule the pilot.
1. FAA has the ultimate control and can tell a pilot what to do and what not to do. However, the FAA, because there are no regulations on reextending the bridge, doesn’t have a say in that. He said that he guesses that the FAA could intervene if it was an emergency….but has never, ever seen the FAA get involved in such a matter.
2. The airport- if there is an airport emergency….the airport can dictate what the pilot does. However, the airport usually reports all concerns to the FAA who makes the call and discusses the concerns with pilots. He said that this usually involves ice on the runway, etc. He said that he considers this FAA involvement and not necessarily airport involvement but it can originate with the airport….so its technically them.
3. The airline. He said that the airline can tell a pilot what to do. (Obviously…its his employer). However, he said this is rare.
He said that the pilot has a great deal of discretion out of concern for the safety and comfort of his passengers. Boarding crews can’t tell him what to do. They can only make requests. He said that quite often there will be late passengers….he said that the first thing boarding crews do is tell the passenger that there is nothing they can do once the door is shut. (He said that this is to persuade the passenger not to pursue this matter any further since if they easily reopened doors….then everyone would request it.
If however, the passenger persists, then its up to the boarding crew as to whether they want to request a delay from the pilot. He said that this depends on a lot of things. First, the boarding crew. He said that some crew members have soft hearts and will contact the pilot more readily than others. He said that other crew members are either jerks or are afraid of the pilots and won’t generally make the call.
INTERESTINGLY, HE SAID THE SITUATION HAS A HUGE IMPACT. If someone is considerate and really needs to get on the flight….generally the crew will do whatever they can. He said that if a passenger is an asshole….they are more likely not to help out.
He said that the further along the plane is….the more likely the pilot wont’ allow the late arrival to board. For example….if the jetway doors are just closing….no big deal. But, if the plane is lining up on the runway…..not a chance in hell.
He said that the pilots, since they are the final say so…..have a huge impact. Some pilots are more likely to okay the reopening than others. He also said that the amount of time spent loading can have an impact. If the plane has been sitting awhile…..many pilots don’t want to inconvenience the passengers any longer.
Bottom line….he said that it happens often and is discretionary with the pilot.
I told him specifics that the teams are groups of two that are followed by camera crews.
He laughed and said that has never happened but he SPECULATED that the couple approached….were told no and they persisted. He SPECULATED that they probably informed the boarding crew they were in a nationally televised race. He said that if he was in that position….he would have called the pilot and explained what was occurring. He said that most of the pilots he has dealt with would probably get a kick out of having a film crew on a tv show boarding their plane. He said that it would be one of the better nonemergency excuses for getting the plane to reopen and allow the boarding.
I asked him if CBS officials could have an impact….he said “SURE”….but said that in such a time crunch….10 to 15 minutes…a CBS official would have the same affect as the racers. It’s the same story….just told by a different person. He said that the fact that someone was a “CBS OFFICIAL” would not have an impact on the decision, above and beyond what the racers were saying except again…the whole, “Camera crew, national tv” story is pretty good.
I asked if CBS could have influence over the management of the airline that could affect the situation. He said it would be difficult since the timing is so short……but it would certainly be possible, since the airlines have authority over their own planes and if the head honchos wanted a delay….there will be a delay.……its just not an area that he would be privy to and has never seen it happen.
ANYWAY…that is the information that I obtained. Hope it adds something or answers something.
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