Originally Posted by
skyslug
You can MEL the APU but yet still fly it. In the summer time I just don't understand why you don't refuse the plane...talk about safety of flight!!! I've seen sick passengers (one passed out that I witnessed) and once the plane is hot (no APU) you can basically never cool it down. THAT to me is a safety hazard.
Infinitely worse is having the right pack deferred. At least with an INOP APU you get 100% cooling after takeoff. With the right pack, you lose 70% of the air conditioning in the back at all times.
I've heard ASA has a policy where if the APU is deferred and the cabin is 33? 35? Celsius, they can refuse the airplane. Comair's position is that it's uncomfortable, not unsafe. Let's hope this case injects a bit more common sense into the operation.