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None of these OTHER guys would have blown the slides Either So let's put that to REST! there's no way in HECK JBLU couldn't have gotten Help if they needed it! Their managment just had to Reach out and ASK! With UAL and DAL right there on the Field? You have GOT to be kidding that they couldn't GET Help. DAL helps UAL and takes care of their Light maintenence there and they are DAMN GOOD! And theis crap of ONLY ONE airbus Towbar on the FIELD?? PLEASSSE! That's not even a GOOD Lie!
JBLU should BE Twisting in the wind for This! This makes NO sense At ALL!
And exactly WHEN was the Glide slope out in EWR?? CAL and UAL made Landings in the snow. Was it the airplane the airport or the PILOT that Couldn't make the CAT3 Approach?? Story sounds MURKY at Best!!

 

Classmate of mine at DAL on the 320 also went missed and diverted due to the GS failing at EWR.

 

I remember being on low mins JFK-CDG and had to divert to Orly which was in the clear. Very hard to explain to the pax what was going on. I had just come off the 737-800 with a HUD and we could do Cat 3 engine out. Some of this kind of crap is on the Feds but they are Teflon.

 

Didn't that storm move in from the southwest and go northeast? Why divert from EWR to BDL? Were there better locations south within a reasonable distance.

 

Like I said... we landed at 1402 at SWF...... for some time prior to that the GS were "out of service" at Newark.... believe me.... we didn't divert to SWF because we wanted to neither did a **** ton of other planes. They did offer the RNAV to 4L ... and then when we agreed ... they decided to plow the runway.... and with NO definite time when they would be done we went to SWF. Was a mute point anyways as the rvr dropped below mins for the RNAV for awhile anyway. By that point everyone was either closed or NOT taking diverts, SWF took us and two 757s... nice to have auto land.

 

Dude..... That would be awesome fun! Right up until you planted into a bag cart. Then it might suck a little.

 

PHL was about 500 ovc, snow and 3 miles and agreed to take us at one point because we were an international divert, but when stewarts wx came up for a few minutes we took the opportunity to go there. I suspect the thought process might have been the storm CAME from that area and those airports might be bad as well. He probably went to BDL because thats what was offered he certainly had know idea how things would turn out. Lets remember, he was able to get in so choosing BDL as his divert is not the issue.. its the ground support once he was there... along with 22 other diverted aircraft AND their normal traffic. I am all (or was when i was a 121 pax guy) for getting the pax off ... but somethings circumstances are beyond everyones control. PLUS this storm moved much faster than anticipated. Our original arrival at EWR was scheduled for around 18Z and the snow was not forecast until 20z or later.....and the snow started much earlier than that.

 

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I see.

I guess what i was thinking is why were dispatchers diverting into a place that was going to get socked in?

Earlier this summer I flew into ATL with a high chance of TSRAs and so our dispatcher loaded us with fuel and a Augusta alternate. Well the storms hit and we got vectored from the northeast to southwest and held for a while but thanks to the extra fuel we got in. But while holding you could tell the storms were going NW to ESE, as in towards AGS. MGM and BHM were clear. But 6 or 8 planes maybe more go to AGS including at least 1 international. Then guess what, they land and AGS gets hit with TSRAs. Once AGS was clear ATL got hit again and ground stopped, once the ground stop was lifted the weather was in AGS. Once AGS cleared ATL got hit again. mGM and BHM were clear mind you this whole time.

BTW we were waiting for a FA crew that diverted to AGS when we were holding and were now stuck in AGS. They eventually canceled the flight and gave us new FAs who like us had been waiting 5-6 hours for pilots who were... stuck in AGS. That went over poorly since we could have left ATL on time but instead were landing rwy 33 in DCA at 0330.

All that to say someone with the weather channel app on their phone could have easily said don't go there because that's where the weather is going. but we are operating somewhat in the blind when flying. Had we been able to "see" better there was no way we would have gone east but rather west even if the airports had a lot of diverts. At least they were clear.

 

Agree, that's why they pay you the big bucks!