One of our DCI carriers has gotten this memo:

"Performing a pre-flight tactile at the gate is a DL mainline program, not required on Pinnacle Airlines. Both Regional Elite and IDS were notified at the start of the season it was a flight crew responsibility during the pre-flight when working our metal. That said, we do not want to discourage IDS or any ground personnel from notifying the crew when they identify contamination on the aircraft - this would be a direct violation of the clean aircraft policy. Our direction to IDS and RE was a 2nd set of eyes wouldn’t hurt, but the only expected / required tactile would be those required during de/anti icing. If we are experiencing the reverse, where crews are requesting deicing and being refused please let us know ASAP.

Douglas R. Hadley
Manager, Ground Operations
Policies, Procedures & Training "



All DCI planes (at least from this carrier) have to have a pre pushback tactile check before flight now to tell the crews whether to deice, and they are blaming it on us.

Apparently they are saying that all us mainline guys have to have a tactile check by a ramper to tell us if we need to deice before each flight. WHAT... THE.. HECK? And DL mainline is getting charged 50 bucks per plane to tell the pilots whether or not to deice...

I've never heard of this...