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When you travel, do you ever wonder how you can be that person who is always ahead of the pack, even when things go awry? Hosts Vinod Viswalingam (@VViswalingam) and Geoff Dahl (@geoffdahl) are proud to present The Seat 1A Podcast.

Seat 1A aims to provide savvy travellers with advanced industry based knowledge to enhance the air travel experience and take off from the crowd. By arming you with an understanding of the systems, processes, rules and structures that define modern air travel, Seat 1A strives to give you the upper hand by examining real experiences from abroad.

Whether traveling in ultra-economy or first-class, with or without frequent flyer status, knowing how the operation works will keep you moving in front of the masses, especially when things don’t go as planned. Seat 1A provides tips and tricks on how to make your travel experience as smooth and efficient as possible. Our goal is that you'll be in Seat 1A all the time!

We have over 5 million miles of flying and over 10 years working for numerous airlines, enjoying all classes and cabins, and exploring airports on every continent. We're enthusiastic #avgeeks, with a keen interest in modern aviation trends and aim to share our knowledge in The Seat 1A Podcast. To learn more about who we are, check out Experience 010!

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  1. All Episodes
  2. Experience 028 Show Notes. Behind the Scenes. The Aircraft Turnaround. The Seat 1A Podcast.

Experience 028 Show Notes. Behind the Scenes. The Aircraft Turnaround. The Seat 1A Podcast.

Feb 19, 2020

Recorded 15 February 2020

Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam

Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Overcast.

 

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In this experience we take a look behind the scenes and share the things that are happening in the background to your plane from before it arrives and departs.

We start four to six hours before the flight even arrives and what is required for the gate. What' the backup plan? Who is coming off of the plane? Are there unaccompanied minors, special assistance passengers, or groups? Are there any maintenance issues? As we get closer to the arrival, what is the minimum required turnaround time set by the airline? Has the airport been set for the flight arrival?

While that is happening, passengers are checking in. Are there enough crew? Are there issues with the plane weight and balance? Are there any special passengers or groups to account for? If the flight is late, do passengers checking in have the appropriate visa documentation?

How much fuel is the outbound flight going to need? Is it going to need de-icing? Is there special cargo? What are the catering requirements? Is there any notification from Customs and Immigration about a flight check?

Is the equipment needed on the ramp in working order and ready? Are the groomers and caterers ready?

Is the outbound crew ready with their checks and preparation of the plane? Has the pilot signed off on all documentation?

How is the passenger baggage being unloaded? How is the liquid and solid waste being disposed of? Are all the meals loaded as required? What's happening with tight passenger connections?

Who's at fault if the plane pushes back late?

As we can see there are many moving parts and processes between your plane landing and departing – many more are discussed in this experience.

News Items:

  • breakingtravelnews article "Alaska Airlines to join oneworld alliance"
  • BBC article "Storm Ciara helps plane beat transatlantic flight record"

If you have a story about a plane turnaround, a question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

 

SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE

 

NEWS ITEMS

breakingtravelnews.com | Alaska Airlines to join oneworld alliance (14 February 2020)
https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/alaska-airlines-to-join-oneworld-alliance/
"...oneworld has confirmed Alaska Airlines intends to join the alliance by summer next year.
At the same time, the carrier unveiled plans to form a US west coast international alliance with oneworld founding member American Airlines...
...oneworld is on track to welcome Royal Air Maroc from April, adding its first full member in the African continent..."


bbc.com | Storm Ciara helps plane beat transatlantic flight record (09 February 2020)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-51433720
"...The Boeing 747-436 reached speeds of 825 mph (1,327 km/h) as it rode a jet stream accelerated by Storm Ciara.
The four hours and 56 minutes flight arrived at Heathrow Airport 80 minutes ahead of schedule on Sunday morning...
...The jet stream reached speeds of 260 mph (418 km/h) on Sunday morning, according to BBC Weather..."

 

PODCAST CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS

 

PEOPLE MENTIONED

 

SHOW NOTES

  • What's in this experience? [00:00:45]
  • The number things that have to happen in the background to turn around a flight. [00:01:53]
  • Above the wing, below the wing, what does it mean? [00:04:16]
  • We have to start before the aircraft even arrives. [00:04:43]
  • Approximately 6 months the gate and time are laid out. [00:06:11]
  • 4-6 hours out at airport with passenger service team. [00:06:25]
  • What gate is required for this aircraft? [00:06:53]
  • Why isn't your gate showing on your ticket if you check in 24 hours out? [00:08:13]
  • There is always a backup plan. [00:08:23]
  • Who's coming off the plane? [00:08:58]
  • Two different types of passengers the airline is paying attention for. [00:09:03]
  • Wheelchairs are the biggest set of passengers that need assistance. [00:10:09]
  • Unaccompanied minor arrival. [00:11:41]
  • Ground operator needs to ensure right agent picked to assist with the minor. [00:12:09]
  • Cabin maintenance issues. [00:12:24]
  • Broken seats - required for seat planning. [00:12:33]
  • Inflight entertainment system broken. [00:13:02]
  • Lavatories. [00:13:39]
  • If a lavatory is unusable, the plane may have to fly with less passengers. [00:13:53]
  • Galley problems - will it affect service? [00:14:11]
  • Outbound crew transport. [00:14:52]
  • Schedule - is the plane on time and what is the turnaround time it has been assigned? [00:16:15]
  • The amount of time to turn around the airplane impacts how the next few hours will go. [00:17:48]
  • Getting inbound baggage belts coordinated - domestic, international. [00:18:13]
  • Checking in passengers. [00:18:33]
  • Seat planning - out of service seats, big groups. [00:18:44]
  • Any crew related seat issues that need to be fulfilled. [00:19:08]
  • Weight and balance review. [00:19:34]
  • Is there a full roster of crew for the outbound flight - it could affect the number of passengers that can be taken. [00:21:00]
  • Special groups that might need special configuration of check-in gates. [00:21:08]
  • Where are outbound passengers connecting to - will a delay affect them? [00:21:26]
  • Immigration - do passengers have proper transit visas in case plane is delayed? Are they inadmissible? [00:21:48]
  • Gate signage, sizers and passenger control requirements. [00:22:20]
  • Now let's go below the wing - what's happening on the ramp before a flight arrives? [00:22:53]
  • Operations preparing initial plans. Load planning, cargo planning, fuel requirements, de-ice planning, catering, catering, security issues of inbound. [00:22:59]
  • Catering supplies are transported on flight to the outbound station. [00:23:42]
  • Is customs and immigration tipped off for inbound flights? Vinny shares story of incidents when he was cabin crew. [00:24:18]
  • Remote stands - does the airport have buses, how to accommodate passengers with specials requirements. [00:25:22]
  • Passengers flying with bottled oxygen. [00:26:09]
  • Ramp preparation of ground support equipment - tractors, tugs, carts, container loaders are they working correctly. [00:26:30]
  • Lavatory trucks and water trucks ready to go, and not frozen up. [00:27:07]
  • Ground power requirements. [00:27:26]
  • In snow, is the aircraft gate taxi line clear, can the jet bridge move? [00:27:55]
  • Foreign Object Debris check on tarmac. [00:28:16]
  • Air start unit. [00:29:49]
  • Air conditioning tube required. [00:31:19]
  • Operations load planning. [00:31:38]
  • Is there special cargo like live animals, special machinery, coffins? [00:31:55]
  • Fuel planning. Captain gets final say how much over based amount. [00:32:21]
  • Fuel order goes in at the start to give it time to fill. [00:32:55]
  • Liaising regarding maintenance issues - e.g. tires. [00:33:13]
  • Vinny's story of changing a tire on a 777. [00:33:47]
  • We haven't even got the plane yet. [00:35:10]
  • 30 to 60 minutes before landing, aircraft calls in to ground handler with arrival estimate. [00:35:46]
  • Confirming what requirements are needed for special requirements. [00:36:41]
  • Alerts are put out to everyone who is working on the flight to be ready. [00:37:20]
  • Teams sent to gate to accept arrival, ramp team sent to be ready below. [00:38:04]
  • Are doors set up properly. [00:38:24]
  • Crew for outbound flights and pilot briefings. [00:38:54]
  • Cabin crew side will be given heads up about passengers - VIP flyers. [00:39:37]
  • Aircraft arrives - chocks in, thumbs up to bridge aircraft with a jet bridge. [00:41:17]
  • Passengers are now able to get off of the inbound flight. [00:42:23]
  • Wheelchair or walk - sometimes the wait time would help make the decision. [00:42:39]
  • Plane is now empty. The inbound crew is wrapping up. [00:43:11]
  • Grooming with Low Cost Carriers. [00:43:48]
  • Third party grooming companies for mainline companies. [00:45:11]
  • Catering starts their work as well. They have food for outbound flights, but they have to remove inbound catering first. [00:45:56]
  • Times are all being tracked in case there are delays. [00:46:55]
  • Maintenance doing their work inside and outside the plane. [00:47:41]
  • What's happening now on the ramp. [00:47:50]
  • As soon as plane is chocked and engines spool down, ground power, air conditioning, air stairs if required. [00:48:00]
  • Hot connection bags, gate checked bags. [00:48:22]
  • Unloading lavatory waste. [00:48:55]
  • Geoff shares story of when the lavatory waste hose exploded off and got all over the ramp worker and ramp. [00:49:10]
  • The toilets need their blue disinfectant fluid. [00:51:25]
  • Geoff shares a story about an overfilling of the toilets with blue liquid. [00:51:33]
  • The measurement dial hadn't been converted from imperial to metric. [00:51:59]
  • Baggage belts or container loaders removing bags, special time sensitive cargo. [00:53:41]
  • Mechanics doing their walk arounds and pilots will eventually come to do their walk arounds. [00:54:23]
  • Back above the wing, new inbound crew comes aboard. [00:54:51]
  • Crew "doing their checks" - what does it involve? [00:55:22]
  • Based on position a crew member is working, there is a standardized safety checklist. [00:55:52]
  • Safety checks are real. [00:56:55]
  • Safety check minimums are generally standardized by airplane manufacturer. [00:57:32]
  • Pilots also doing their safety checks. [00:57:38]
  • Grooming wraps up with airline checking that everything is to spec. [00:58:45]
  • Ground management will sometimes help groom a plane due to time constraints. [00:59:19]
  • Crew has to check that catering has been done to spec. [01:00:43]
  • Amenity kits? [01:01:30]
  • Crew meals - have they been loaded? [01:01:59]
  • At the gate after the check-in counter has closed. [01:02:18]
  • Fragile bags - like musical instruments. [01:02:44]
  • Extra security checks required for American international flights. [01:03:26]
  • Sometimes US Customs and Boarder Protection puts a dummy item on the flight. [01:04:34]
  • Gate liaises with cabin crew manager when it will start boarding. Generally at least 30 minutes before boarding. [01:05:00]
  • We are ready for boarding. Either a phone call or a person coming up to the flight. [01:06:06]
  • Sometimes cabin crew wants to board but they can't. E.g. equipment needs to be swapped out. [01:06:47]
  • Boarding starts. [01:07:34]
  • Communication needed about amount of cabin baggage. [01:08:21]
  • If plane is so delayed with narrow bodies, they will call boarding and bring people halfway down the jet bridge before releasing. [01:09:06]
  • What's going on under the wing as passengers are boarding. [01:10:21]
  • Reviewing late bags, hot connection bags. [01:10:55]
  • If the baggage pit is full, it's sealed up. [01:11:16]
  • How are pits loaded on narrow bodies for hot connections. [01:11:37]
  • Bulk pit does exist on wide bodies for last bags. [01:12:50]
  • If the container loader has backed away from the plane, it's a good sign that we're getting close. [01:13:13]
  • Wing walkers need to get ready to walk back with the pushback. [01:13:45]
  • Correct push tractor or lifter is set up to push back. [01:14:15]
  • Is the right towbar doing the pushback? [01:14:38]
  • When things are getting close to pushback, there is a safe area for equipment to move to. [01:15:12]
  • Roped off areas are cleared. [01:16:01]
  • Passenger no-showing for flight - will a bag have to be pulled out? [01:16:23]
  • Back upstairs. 99 percent of the people have boarded. [01:16:52]
  • Remember that not every airport does last call announcements. [01:17:12]
  • Passive aggressive announcements at Amsterdam. [01:17:29]
  • Agents are going into active search mode. [01:18:22]
  • Now it's time for the standbys. [01:18:58]
  • The last 10 minutes before departure - a lot happens all of a sudden. [01:19:28]
  • Once bag is removed, missing passenger not able to board. [01:19:53]
  • Does the number of bags match versus checked in bags - is there an overage? [01:20:45]
  • Final pilot signoff. [01:22:42]
  • In case of delay - what was the root cause? An agreement has to be made with the captain. [01:24:27]
  • $1000 per minute for a delay. [01:24:39]
  • The door gets shut. [01:26:54]
  • Issues when trying to pull back the jet bridge. [01:27:03]
  • Sometimes jet bridge freezes. [01:27:14]
  • What's happening on the ramp after the door is closed. [01:28:33]
  • Is an air start required? [01:29:13]
  • The aircraft is pushed back and eventually disconnected. [01:29:42]
  • Remove before flight pin shown to pilot. [01:29:46]
  • Maintenance log books must be on the flight when it departs. [01:30:58]
  • Plane disconnected and now is now under its own power. [01:32:06]
  • One last critical piece - callback. [01:32:33]
  • Sometimes plane goes out and goes mechanical and has to come back to start over. [01:33:29]
  • Review of the process and things to be aware of. [01:34:05]
  • News Items. [01:36:10]
    • Alaska Airlines to join oneworld alliance. [01:36:18]
    • Storm Ciara helps plane beat transatlantic flight record. [01:37:22]
  • Show wrap-up. [01:40:04]