There is no doubt that the commercial airline industry is a complicated, highly automated industry that generally provides service to a wide range of customers all across the US. It is also true that it is highly dependent on the weather, If one hub shuts down because of weather, the ripple effects are felt everywhere. If several hubs shut down, it becomes a catastrophe. That is where we have been over the past week.
Not to fear though. The Biden administration is on it.
“Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable,” Biden tweeted, urging customers who were affected to visit the Department of Transportation’s website to see if they are entitled to compensation.
I would not, for the record that old Joe is currently sitting his scrawny ass in St. Croix. He flies private on our dime. As does Pete Buttigieg, our current transportation secretary. Pete has proven his deep understanding of incompetence several times. He demonstrates it regularly, from the problems last year, through the supply chain problems, during the impending rail strikes, Pete embraces incompetence at every golden opportunity.
Commercial air travel is a complicated, highly automated industry composed of thousands of different vendors providing hundreds of discrete products and services, all of which has to mesh perfectly for even one plane to get off the ground. When it occasionally works as advertised, it is a testament to the unsung labors of thousands of people, from the pilots who fly to the guy who pumps out the latrines. When the weather conspires against us, people start calling in sick or unable to get to the airport, and schedules start slipping, the hole thing grinds to a halt in short order.
It's a first world problem.
I suspect that the cancelations had more to do with a shortage of air crew than the weather, The problems are more likely due to a "get VAXX'd or get fired" policy.than due to the snow. Many people travel during the Holiday which requires lots of skilled employees. The pilots are in good health and didn't see the point of the risk from a new and untested "vaccine". No crew; no fly.
ReplyDeleteThat it is, exacerbated by SouthWest's 'distributed' system, which is now biting them in the butt...
ReplyDeleteSouthwest's system is prone to the Domino Effect as it is link heavy. Yank half a dozen flights from the mix and you have dozens more affected by the action. But their structural issues aside, what the hell did anyone with half a brain EXPECT to happen with the weather system doing just what was predicted?
ReplyDeleteYes, I understand folks bought tickets months ago, but they nevertheless were playing very bad odds when they left their homes and boarded flights for elsewhere toward those conditions.
AND, here in Florida all that snowy stuff rolls its effects southward, too. I worked the front desk at Walt Disney World for a while and bad weather up there makes issues down here, especially during holidays. Departing guests can't depart, and you'd think incoming wouldn't be. However, there are still plenty of inbounds arriving by car, so the YOU MUST VACATE THAT ROOM dance begins and goes on for days.
Had boudin shipped from Cajun Grocer, BTW. VERY expensive, but Christmas and New Year's happens infrequently. Heh.