Delta’s Mysterious Thanksgiving Meltdown

All the fault is on the airline here. What about people for not using common sense regarding traveling through the holiday? I thought CDC warned not to travel. I thought record spreading of the virus in the US...So, these people should risk getting infected because their job is for something people voluntarily do.

@ Steve 64 Thank you for the detailed response. I accept all these facts and things I have heard and yet verified by someone of your stature. My seatbelt is on from boarding on, I have seen aircraft hit before pushback, LOL. The confluence of delays and things happening on that flight made me wonder if any decisions were avoided or done in the interest of timing, possibly my bad. I did remain with a feeling that Delta staff really does not always care. After a multi hour delay and unpleasant experience the lounge should not have said no to entering with valid credentials 28 minutes before closing. A few moments and a drink (non alcoholic) was all the regrouping necessary to proceed.

I couldn’t get past the incorrect statement that Delta once used the slogan “ the on-time machine”. That great slogan belonged to American Airlines in the 80’s.

@Donato A cockpit crew is not required for boarding. Having worked AA Ops many years, I can say that updated ETDs for flights affected by late arriving flights are typically "short quoted". If the delay is expected to be less than 10 minutes, we usually don't even post a new ETD. Reason being is that the late arrival isn't arriving along with the rest of the flights as scheduled. At a hub, this means the flight isn't arriving at the same time as dozens of other flights ... it'd typically a lone arrival. As such, the crew can often "make up lost time" by cutting corners on the descent, request a runway closer to the gate etc. For departing flights with a cockpit crew expected to get to the outbound plane close to departure time, it is SOP to go ahead and board ... have the plane ready to go as soon as the pilots are ready ... it saves time for everyone. The Captain legally shares responsibility with the Dispatcher for the safe operation of the flight. Neither would be willing to risk their FAA Certifications to hastily send a flight out without knowing the weather. The Dispatcher doesn't have the "time crunch" that a late arriving Captain has. Throughout their shift they're aware of the "big picture" around the country/globe with weather, turbulence, etc and how everything is affecting traffic flow. They will determine the route of flight and altitude then electronically file the flight plan, send it to FAA ATC and making it available for the Captain to access when able. The Captain already knows the general expected weather for the day from their previous flight. Dispatch is well aware of the pilots running a tad late and may have added notes on changes from earlier forecasts. If the Captain doesn't agree on any aspect of the flight plan then they'll contact the Dispatcher and agree on a resolution. The sudden, sharp and apparently unexpected turbulence you describe sounds like classic Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). CAT can be hard to forecast because as its name suggests, it isn't associated with storms, cold fronts, wind patterns etc. It might be there one minute and gone the next. It can be a few jiggles or a major upset. It is the reason why on... Every. Single. Flight ...you are told to keep your seatbelt on, even when the seatbelt sign is off. The flight plan is based on FORECAST weather and turbulence. But flights operate REALTIME. Pilots and ATC constantly communicate realtime updates with each other. Pilots will report back to the Dispatch Center. The Dispatcher is tracking the flight and will communicate updates as needed. TL;DR Your pilots didn't just hop onboard and leave without having a clue on how the flight will progress. The "system" has other folks also responsible as a "check-n-balance". There are procedures in place to communicate updates through out the flight. Unexpected turbulence is always a possibility.

Ben -- I'm a Travelers Aid volunteer at Washington Dulles airport On Sat 21 Nov Delta flew four flights between IAD and ATL between noon and the last flight at 7:30pm. That was an increase of three from the previous Saturday. On Thanksgiving Day they had two scheduled in that timeframe but neither one flew. Both showed on the IAD public website. Neither showed on the departure boards. Working that terminal I went to the Delta gates and asked. Staff told me that, at 1:30pm, Delta had no more departures for the day. I was a little surprised. BUT, American was also done! United had a morning bank [50 in, 50 out] and in the pm only had flights to its hubs. I think Delta just looked and said -- we got no passengers! Generally the airport was a ghost town! Keep up the good work!