[mtezel]

Living in San Antoni I usually have to fly American through DFW. About 80% of the time my plane arrives at DFW, only to get an announcement from the captain that the gate is not ready for us. After an hour or more flight, when American knew the plane is on its way, can't they get a gate ready somewhere at DFW?

I've also had flights delayed or cancelled because of lightning within 10 miles of DFW. At this point they pull the ground crews from the tarmac, and stop prepping the plane. I understand being safe, but this almost seems a little extreme, especially in the DFW area, where small storms pass through often.

To me, American needs to fix there ground operations at DFW. If you are going to use it as a hub, make sure that it operates well. It just creates problems for everyone else.

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by mtezel

I've also had flights delayed or cancelled because of lightning within 10 miles of DFW. At this point they pull the ground crews from the tarmac, and stop prepping the plane. I understand being safe, but this almost seems a little extreme, especially in the DFW area, where small storms pass through often

Same thing in Florida. Read this.

It doesn't matter if they have small storms pass on a regular basis or not, the rampers prefer not to die on the job, or at least get injured. 10 miles in a standard distance for any airline. The rampers in the news story above should never have been out there.

[PHXFlyer]

Gate space is finite. If AA is having issues and a gate isn't immediately available for your flight they can't just hijack a gate from another airline. You could always fly Continental through Houston or Norwelta through Memphis or Atlanta but at any hub you're going to find the same thing happens from time to time. Southwest claims to not follow the "hub and spoke" model of the legacies but in fact they do have "de facto hubs" at DAL, PHX, BWI, etc. You just won't be able to avoid it sometimes.

[Corbel]

Originally Posted by mtezel

I've also had flights delayed or cancelled because of lightning within 10 miles of DFW. At this point they pull the ground crews from the tarmac, and stop prepping the plane. I understand being safe, but this almost seems a little extreme, especially in the DFW area, where small storms pass through often.

i was in mississippi last week, doing a military flight. the troops were loading the bags, it started rai,ning, appearantly there was lighting about 20 miles away they pulled all the guys in and stopped loading the bags, after that they came back. it happend about 4 times. we ended up timing out and couldn't go anywhere then. point is, i wouldnt nor would i want anybody being hurt because of lightning. it can strike anywhere anytime.

[justme]

10 miles is a standard distance because there have been documented accounts of lightning striking from a cloud that is 10 miles away. I'll do my best to find a link and post it here when I do. I'm sure lightning can go further, but 10 miles is a regular occurrence which is why it is the threshold for most airlines/airports.

[justme]

OK, found a good site. Lightning can actually go MUCH MUCH further than 10 miles, one notable lightning bolt traveled 110 MILES!!

Originally Posted by Lightning Facts and Myths Website

The average lightning bolt is 6-8 miles long and can easily travel 25 to 40 miles horizontally prior to turning downward toward the ground. In October 2001, the visual lightning detection system measured a single bolt that traveled from Waco to Fort Worth and then Dallas, Texas – a total distance of more than 110 miles.

Read here for more interesting facts.