It was always the red headed step child.

I hated that show at first... but, I've come to appreciate it.

Moved down the concourse to where Charley's Steakery was by B-16. Of course, it's not opened yet...

Is it just me, or is there a trend going on here?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._1993-1-31.png

http://az138011.vo.msecnd.net/cms/cfca/61387-1.png

http://worldairlinenews.files.wordpr...llrw.jpg?w=441

What they are doing is trying to get the reason for the "late" pushback, because ACS is trying to blame the pilots. We were buttoned up at LAX 68 and the tug driver was in the terminal right in front of us, not coming out until pb time. The fo called ramp for pb first instead of ground, so they blamed the late push on that, not the tug driver who sauntered out right at pb time. We had been buttoned up for 5 minutes, and I had tried to raise the tug driver on the IC with no response, when much to my surprise he was indoors. ACS is going to just make up excuses, but now they are going to have to pay the piper.

I had a similar issue about 7 years ago, last flight of the night from ATL-JAX, 10pm, when an agent closed the door 15 early and left the area, back when they were supposed to wait in the jetway until you pushed. We run the push ckeck, I look up and I see two Delta Pilots in uniform at the window, waving their JS slips at me. We are in a 767-200, two empty jumpseats, and 100 empty seats in the back.

So I tell the F/O, Call Special Assist, tell them we need the agent to come back and open the door, don't tell them why. We got them on and pushed 5 min late, but left 5 connecting pax that the agent had turned away, telling them and the two pilots "Flight is closed out, come back tomorrow morning" When they told me this, I said, "Go see if you can find them, I'll wait." So one of the J/S guys tried to find them up the hall, but they had already gone to a motel.


The agent was PO'd! He said, "I'm going to call your Chief Pilot tomorrow and tell him you made the flight late!"

I said, "You'd better get up early, because I'm calling him at 8." I made sure we arrived right on time, so he wouldn't have any ammo.

I did call the CPO the next morning to tell them that this agent had closed out the last flight of the night, 15 min. early and turned away 5 connecting pax.

The CPO was very glad I called and said ACS is ALWAYS doing that, and ALWAYS blames the pilots, so write it up and submit it, so they have real ammo when they have their weekly meetings.

Lotsa holding at Rome yesterday, Atl/Tpa buttoned up 10 early, no agent, 8 people pounding on the door.Fun to watch.Everybody got on.D+15.

IMO, and I haven't thought this all the way through, this measure, plus the ones before it, are symptomatic of a structural dysfunction within the DAL internal wiring diagram. IOW, Flt Ops, ACS, MX, InFlt, etc. are all co-equal within the DAL structure. There should be a hierarchy. This maybe just a bandaid attempt at a solution...Or

Maybe if FltOps is really making an effort to data mine for the REAL reason for a delayed push, the phonecall method may well be the best short-term solution. It's a little wasteful cost-wise, but for cryin out loud, the pilots push as soon as the doors are closed and the cabin is ready for pushback. Personally, I don't think to put in a delay code until either prompted by the acars or if the situation was gross buffoonery on someone's part.

Instead of the phonecall, if the acars prompted me for a code and a short text explanation everytime we pushed 1 minute late or 1 minute + after turning on the beacon, it wouldn't be too intrusive and they'd get their data.

This is far simpler than anyone wants to make it, because kingdoms and fiefdoms must be protected, it remains complicated.

If it happens above wing, on the ground or in the air and touches an airplane....flight ops should own it. Pilots, in flight, gate agents etc. alignment is the only way to solve operational issues like these over the long term.