Originally Posted by
satchip
To gather proper metrics on departure delays there should be three switches. Cabin door, cargo doors, and beacon/aircraft movement. D-0 should be on the cabin door, the rest would be for internal info. That way we should be able to determine where the problem lies and fix it.
Amen. Had an agent go off on me the other day because a previous crew waited "FIVE MINUTES!!!" after receiving final paperwork to get the beacon on. I tried to explain to her it had nothing to do with completing their duties but that they were one of the crews that actually follow procedure regarding the beacon. She didn't get it. And people that just flip the switch help mask the problem. They would probably have fixed it by now if everyone did it as it was supposed to be done.
And if they'd tag the crew with the delay, instead of the agents we could explain to them why their system is broken and exactly how to fix it, but I suspect they know we can't be intimidated the way the agents can.