Originally Posted by
Cycle Pilot
This is some funny stuff!!! All this "fuel saving" junk that Comair comes up with is insane. You've gotta be kidding me!!!! Has Comair ever heard of the back side of the power curve? If this whole "flying slow" thing were such a great fuel saving idea, don't you think airplane manufacturers or other airlines would be pushing this way of flying? This is also the same airline that has probably around 20 jets just sitting on the ramp on any given day in CVG. I wonder how much money the company hemmorages on leases for all those aircraft? This also comes from the same airline that will call in a reserve crew in the middle of the night to fly an empty RJ to an outstation to drop off a replacement flight attendant.
Also, just to keep you in the loop, all the other DCI regionals are doing the other fuel savings techniques. Well... except for the flying slow thing. I flew at Skywest for over seven years and not once did we fly an empty jet with a flight attendant on board to cover a sick call.
I do agree with you.... this whole thread is ridiculous. If the cabin is uncomfortable, cool it down! Try to find ground air and if you can't, fiire the APU. We have to keep the pax comfortable, though. That's what they pay us for. I'm all for saving gas, but keeping customers happy is the best job security.
Yep, I know all about the other DCI carriers (along with mainline). I fly on them every week. Yesterday it was in the 80's in ATL and I was in row 30 of a Mad Dog. As soon as we hit the gate, off went the a/c, and ground crew didn't hook up the external a/c until 2/3 of the pax were off. It was getting a little toasty in the extended DC9.
I've never flown the plane empty to transport a FA, but OH scheduling is so messed up, I would not doubt it. Just the other day, they limo'ed a ready reserve crew from JFK to LGA to work a LGA-RDU flight. When the crew got to LGA they were told that the flight was canceled, so they had to get another ride back to JFK. Those rides don't come cheap in NYC, but hey, at least they got to ride past the new Mets stadium :-)
As for PPASS, if Bombardier recommended flying a CRJ that slow, they would have put props on it.