Aug 11, 2009
I don’t know if it’s our culture or our nature, but we seem hardwired to not be anarchists.
It’s astonishing to me that 47 people would willingly remain trapped in a grounded airplane overnight simply to oblige some ill-conceived regulations.
(link via @epjohnson)
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I thought the same thing when I read that yesterday. But upon second thought, aren’t those plane doors automatically locked and unlocked from the cockpit? What were they going to do, punch through the sides of the plane?
I think we’re mostly deterred by prison and terrorist watch lists.
I had the very same thought when I saw Link Christin on the news this morning. Shouldn’t there be emergency ladders or something? I’m sure they don’t want people to be out on the tarmac in the middle of the night but it seems there had to be a much better way to deal with this.
My husband is a Captain of a plane. No the doors are not locked and unlocked from the flight deck…the flight attendants secure and unsecure the doors.
Rochester is a SMALL airport that does not have 24 hour service. There was no one available to let them off the plane until 6am and no one to even call to help.
I agree there should be some sort of policy in place to avoid this from happening, but it is far better to land and have to sit for a few hours on a plane than risk the alternative and land in a severe storm.
The problem was made worse by the crew timing out and a having to wait for a new crew to arrive.
Passengers should remember there are often circumstances out of the control of the crew (maintenance, weather, duty day, etc) and just be patient and understanding.
So, perhaps these people are just waiting for a legit reason to be anarchist.
I think you’re right.
What I think is amazing is that there is something in those 47 people (and in most of us) that kept that situation from feeling like a legit reason.
I doubt that willingness was the primary feeling on the plane.
Certainly not a glad willingness.
I’d guess more of a resigned willingness, but willingness nonetheless, since they could’ve gotten off if they’d really wanted to.
Just seems like if the right person knew what was going on, they would have stepped up and made something happen.
I understand policies and hours of operations and whatnot, but in unordinary circumstances, people usually seem willing to fix things.
Reminds me of Abraham’s post on customer service. It sounds like some workers did make attempts to make something work, but maybe they weren’t empowered to go far enough to somehow get the people off the plane.
I suspect that they would have faced physical restraint (in the short run) and arrest (in the medium-run) if they had tried anything.
Personally, I would have been on my feet, looking the attendant (and the Captain) in the eye and saying, “Open that door. Now.” And I would have paid the price gladly.
And then I would sue the airline for forcible detention against my will.
I am always amazed that there aren’t a few people with claustrophobia (either minor or severe) who simply cannot handle it.
The nonsense that there was nobody there “to serve them” or whatever is just that: nonsense.
Are they really saying that if the airplane started on fire, they would have kept the doors closed and not let them off? Of course not.
I don’t think it requires being an anarchist to identify this as unfortunate learned behavior that we dare not protest regulations that are ridiculous.
Well said.
1 more reason not to fly. (My first being that I live about 180 yards from where 3407 dropped from the sky in February)
I’m in the middle of running a holiday club for teenagers. I can’t help feeling that you might broaden your horizons by coming to visit us.
“holiday club” sounds like a Christmas party to me but i doubt that’s right. :]
We’ve got hundreds of young people jammed into the halls. Five year olds are the youngest. They’re like humming birds – there for the sugar. A great bunch!
It’s easier than you think for something like this to happen. Having worked for several years as a customer service agent at a small airport here in PA, we know that once the lights went out at our airport at 11pm, there would be nobody to greet any diversions until 5am the next morning.
On top of that, Rochester isn’t even served by Continental or Continental Express, so it’s not even like the overnight security personnel could have called the station manager or something of that nature.
Outside of MSP, the next nearest Continental cities are Madison or Des Moines, which in this case would have probably been too far due to fuel reasons. Besides that, the crew probably figured that it wouldn’t end up being the all-night ordeal that it became, so they chose an airport very close to MSP.
Based on my experience working at my small airport here, I know that the airport police could have at least let the passengers in the terminal and have them stay in the secure area. Of course at that point, you have the carry-on bags that people would have wanted (with no ground crew to retrieve them). Also, in the event that the captain received clearance to resume the flight to MSP, he probably wanted to be ready to go at a moment’s notice – and if everybody was inside the terminal, that could’ve taken a long time.
A whole bunch of factors go into determining whether to keep people on board an aircraft or letting them disembark.
In regards to the actual statement that Aber made, I agree. I, too, am astonished that 47 people didn’t create more of a fuss than they did — especially after only receiving a small bottle of water and some pretzels!
One word and one word only: waterboarding.
I have been a ‘captive’ on one of these kinds of flights and believe me, you don’t have a choice. Aside from taking over the flight crew and then getting arrested when the doors do finally get opened, you are stuck. It was a horrible experience.
See what happens when they don’t let you carry firearms on board with you? ;)