I love following news about travel since I love traveling myself. I love learning new culture, different cuisines, and mostly I love discovering the history of a locale invariably tied to its Architectural style as well.
This incident occurred not too long ago. I would like to make this short and sweet since much has been written about this incident. Regardless that the Continental Regional Jet (operated by a Continental subsidiary or a "contractor" for lack of a better term) was not truly operated by Continental, or who is fully responsible for what transpired in stranding of flight 2816 in Rochester MN, I am amazed that common sense is thrown out the window all in the name of following protocol.
Some excerpts from msnbc.com: ..Airport manager Steve Leqve, however, insists passengers could have come into the airport at anytime. “The decision for that airplane to stay out on that ramp was strictly Continental’s dispatch’s,” he told reporters. “I can't explain why they made the decision to stay on the tarmac. If it was an airport manager’s decision, those people would not have sat on that plane longer than two hours.”
Which leads me to the following conclusion. Rules and protocols are formulated, and are in place to be followed by all "stakeholders." However, when comfort of "customers" are in jeopardy, I believe it was incumbent upon the dispatcher to allow the passengers to disembark from the plane and allow them to enter the airport. Did the dispatcher check on TSA rules about allowing the passengers in the airport since TSA agents had been gone for the night? That question remains to be answered. In sum, I believe customers always come first. Any decision made at any level, when impacting customers--can run counter to common practice or protocol. Those decisions have to be made, and if counter to some protocol--some exceptions have to be made. In the name of the customer.
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