26 Comments

• WoundedKnee | Dec 28, 2010, 02:49 PM EST

  seamusmoore has threatened me with being murdered by the IRA in South Armagh. I have reported seamusmoore's death threat made against me. I don't expect Irish Cntral to do much about it, because they allow this kind of abuse to fester unchecked until it goes to its logical extreme--a death threat by seamusmoore. However, regardless of Irish Central's failure to police this site, all posters should be aware of this death threat by seamus moore.

• Derbhla | Dec 27, 2010, 11:01 AM EST

  Alyward and George thank you for that information as we speak its is 3.40 irish time the second leg of my daughter's journey which was cancelled yeterday due to adverse weather conditions was due to take off at 7am us time acccording to flights stats it on course after a 128 minutes deday. According to US airways website its delayed and im am trying to connect US airways in Dublin there is no answer, not that am i surprised. I lived in Boston years ago and visit differnt states in the US every other year and i can honestly say that the way most us citizens greetings and helpfulness was always something i spoke about Sadly and with regret the same sentiments will not be felt towards US airways There is a lot more to my story and dealings with US airways but i will save them for another time.

• Aylward | Dec 27, 2010, 10:19 AM EST

  This CANNOT happen in the US because on April 29th, 2010, the US Department of Transportation's Passengers' Bill of Rights went into effect for passengers on domestic (IN the US) flights. The DOT's rules now state that any plane which spends more than three hours on a tarmac is required to go back to the gate and allow the passengers to de-plane. Failure to do so will result in a $27,500 fine per passenger. For the major airlines with large aircraft like Continental, Delta, United, American, US Airways and others, this could mean huge fines - millions of dollars - if they fail to comply. In addition to this, food and drinking water must be made available to passengers within two hours of being delayed. Lavatory facilities must be made available and the airlines must be willing to provide medical treatment if necessary. Currently, there are some exceptions to these guidelines. If the safety or security of an aircraft or the passengers are at risk, airlines can be made exempt from the rules. Also, air traffic control can advise the pilot of a need to keep the aircraft where it is. Other exceptions are being explored for reasons such as delays due to airport construction and other needs. Another factor is the contracts of flight attendants and pilots. A crews' hours can be increased by 4 to 6 hours once a plane has left the gate and the doors are closed. However, if an aircraft de-planes, then the crew goes back to their regular hours and may need to time out before they can take off, further delaying a flight that has to go back to the gate. Note that the new rules were passed by the Department of Transportation and that legislation for a Passenger Bill of Rights is currently being debated in Congress. The new rules could change with a new administration or new Secretary of Transportation as these are not laws. And believe me, with the new GOP majority in the US Senate, the airlines will be lobbying huge $$$ to get rid of these regulations.

• GeorgeDillon | Dec 27, 2010, 09:36 AM EST

  When you get a lousy airline like USAir operating from a lousy airport like Dublin you're guaranteed a lousy experience. Good Luck to Derbhla fighting with USAir, it's very hard to get anywhere complaining to a company that doesn't care about customer service and has no pride in its reputation. USAir is opening a connection Dublin-Charlotte shortly. That would suit me real good as I live in the South, but I don't think I'll be using it.

• Derbhla | Dec 27, 2010, 09:10 AM EST

  At the moment i am waiting on a return call from the Aviation Regulator in Ireland as to Us Airways handling of the flight. I have never come across such incompetence before, I will be seeking a full investigation in to Us Airways also i do not undertstand issusing Irish Passengers with US free phones numbers one of which when you get thru to Atat regarding trying to get yourself accommodation you need a pin as this service is just for Us customers. I found US to be the most unprofessional airline to deal with in every respect on the ground and also over the phone Basically they have total disregard and total lack of respect for their customers .In two words never again I will comment further when i have all the facts as to what went wrong with this flight but i think i do know it was totally against regulation to leave passengers sitting on the plane for over seven hours,

• GeorgeDillon | Dec 27, 2010, 07:13 AM EST

  jacersagain: Don't defend the indefensible. Dublin Airport is an utter dump. Badly managed, expensive, inefficient, dirty. And of course the boss of Dublin Airport gets paid about half a million bucks a year! That's Mad Ireland for you.

• Selketre | Dec 26, 2010, 11:08 PM EST

  My Son was on that flight....now he's hung up in Philadelphia, same flight. They boarded them this afternoon, held them for an hour and then let them off again. The plane was suppose to leave a couple of hours ago, but we still don't know if in fact it lifted off.- His Mom, waiting out west.

• seagreen | Dec 26, 2010, 09:52 PM EST

  I understand there are so many Canadians, Irish, and what ever else out there that hate the USA. Can we just get a thread here to get everyone out of the closet, and call the US anything they choose, dirtbags, murderers, obnoxious, oppressive, crude, overbearing, and whatever else. Lets get it out there, then move on to other non national opinions. I realize that the first responder will say that I described Americans quite well! That being said, lets try to move on without the ankle biting and covered righteousness, and try to address why there was no ####### glycol to de ice the plane

• jacersagain | Dec 26, 2010, 09:17 PM EST

  As a Dubliner, I wholly sympathise with travellers in to and out of Dublin these last few days. I was driving to and from work in the bad snowy weather and I had a few skids on icy roads, even the best snow treated ones. It was scary going every trip and I saw a few cars abandoned and few crashed ones too by the roadsides. I would not have been happy to be aboard a plane that could possibly not take off or land in Dublin’s Airport. Passenger and aircraft safety is paramount, and much more preferable, even if it means sleeping on a hard floor to the risk of hurtling down a runway that might see deaths at the end of the risk. Congratulations and heartfelt empathy to the groundworkers at Dublin Airport... your decisions meant that nobody died and everybody lived to tell their tales.

• dryships | Dec 26, 2010, 08:16 PM EST

  Blame DAA not US AIR. We travelled AER LINGUS, Flt EI136 11/29/10 to Boston and waited 2 3/4 hours on the tarmac plus a 6 hr flight home. DAA simply is ill prepared for snow and ice removal.

• Ajreaper | Dec 26, 2010, 08:08 PM EST

  IrishCanuck has a serious case of "American envy" It must be hard being so close yet so far away ;) Good Lord that USAir jet was under the direction of air traffic control in Dublin, they decide who moves where and when at any airport. Nobody in any capacity with USair could decide to that plane and deboard the passengers without the ok from the tower. But who really cares who is to blame- it was a terrible situation for those passengers and USair should make it right.

• bobby40 | Dec 26, 2010, 06:15 PM EST

  I agree with IrishCanuck. This is clearly the airlines fault. 7 hours? disgraceful. However does anyone know what the EU regulations are concerning this? Are they guidlines or set rules? I take it US Airways have to follow EU rules as they were on Irish Soil?

• JudithSW | Dec 26, 2010, 06:04 PM EST

  A few years ago, in the US, this airline had a really bad reputation and safety record (has it improved?). Because of numerous "incidents" it was known as US'Scareways'! I will not fly on US Air if at all possible. By the way 'IrishCanuck', I am all American... Just because a company has "American" in it's name, it does not represent the United States, nor do we Americans feel any necessity to defend them or not recognize their bad deeds.

• Conchubar | Dec 26, 2010, 02:13 PM EST

  @IrishCanuk: your anti-America bias is showing. That was well understood by your first post. You didn't get any reaction so you thought you'd try again?

• IrishCanuck | Dec 26, 2010, 12:58 PM EST

  Well as I feel for these folks left on the planes for some seven hours, I wonder why the plane didn't go back to the airport, they must have known that they would be there for awhile and they say there was a de-icing fluid shortage surely they would have known that before they left the dock. US Air is in the wrong here and anyone who doesn't think that has not read this very well or just is to American to admit it.

• eiregirl | Dec 26, 2010, 12:56 PM EST

  Please explain "adverse" weather conditions in your writing. Airport closures, below freezing temperatures, inability to move airplanes is more apt to what you should be saying. This is on US Airways for their non communication efforts. I've been on this flight before and it's been cancelled due to mechanical reasons, no snow, no ice, no storm, nada. Lack of staffing in airport to due their inability to get to work has a factor. The weather in Western Europe is becoming more severe due to a change in the Gulf Stream, dragging colder air down from the artic. Iceland and Greenland are experiencing weather much like what Ireland usually does. Everyone just needs to realize that the weather is going to get worse in winter, and should prepare better, thanks to global warming. The de-icer ran out, no one expected weather this harse. Give someone a break PLEASE.

• carnation | Dec 26, 2010, 12:39 PM EST

  well, as for aer lingus, i can only tell you that i was left at the airplane for two hours before we disembarked to wait inside the airport for further information --- as they did many times before, they later on just cancelled the flight. it's not only USAir. actually after waiting several days, many passengers were left with 18 cancelled flights of aer lingus on christmas eve! imagine thousands of people being stuck at an airport at christmas eve. imagine you queue for several hours to be told that the two staff members who were left with all these passengers wanted to get home on time and did not even serve the twenty people left in front of their desk at 7pm, stating they should come back two days later. everybody else was told to leave earlier. getting into a hotel, aer lingus booked me into, I saw on the screen that there was at least one aer lingus flight leaving the airport after they told us there were no planes to take people home. i know, those people at the USAir plane must have felt horrible, I saw several people breaking down from the stress that just occupied dublin airport since last week and believe me, they should ALL work on their behaviour towards their customers!

• GeorgeDillon | Dec 26, 2010, 12:30 PM EST

  The last two times I flew USAir to Ireland I missed my connection on the way back. That's because Philadelphia Airport is one of the greatest maladministered dumps on the planet. And I don't blame USAir in this case. They got me into Philadelphia about 90 minutes ahead of my connection for Hilton Head SC. But utterly chaotic security checks at Philadelphia, disgracefil incompetence by TAA or whatever they are called--the ones who do the security check--meant that I arrived at the gate for Hilton Head just as the plane was pulling away. On another occasion we were locked out after disembarking from the USAir plane from Ireland. Someone had forgotten to open the door to let us thru into the customs area. Took maybe a half hour to find the guy who had the key. Philadelphia Airport--now that's where journeys from hell arrive into another hell.

• IrishCanuck | Dec 26, 2010, 12:06 PM EST

  I have flown out of Dublin airport many times on Aerlinggus and Air Canada and have had absolutely no problem. Any airline that would leave passengers stranded on the tarmac for seven hours needs to have there licences pulled and never to fly again. I thought that Air Canada was bad but after reading this I think they are fine. Anyone who is blamiing the Dublin airport must be American they can do no wrong, give your head a shake this is US Airs mistake and no one elses.

• mcginleynj | Dec 26, 2010, 11:54 AM EST

  Communication, Communication, Communication!!!

• Ajreaper | Dec 26, 2010, 11:28 AM EST

  It seems you would either know or not know if you had the needed de-icing agents and if not, when and if you'd be able to aquire more. I flew into Dublin last year on US Air and the outgoing leg involved 7 flight delays, 2 cancelled flights and an unscheduled stay over night in charlotte NC.

• borefield | Dec 26, 2010, 11:20 AM EST

  US air should be put out of business. They should be fined millions and make repay the passengers. Total disregard for human safety.

• teddybeartwo | Dec 26, 2010, 10:41 AM EST

  Another good reason not to fly US Air?

• Dublinjas | Dec 26, 2010, 10:38 AM EST

  toscany There is no additional docking fee as you call it, If an Airport cannot dispatch you it's down to them not your fault or added expense. It is the Airports who are to blame for these egregious delays on the Tarmac and they should now be fined millions for it, To keep any human being confined on an aircraft going nowhere for seven hours is an abuse of human rights and it is time lawmakers made it official by framing appropriate legislation to stop this dastardly obscene abuse.

• toscany | Dec 26, 2010, 10:20 AM EST

  I am sure it was not profitable for USAir to return to the gate and pay Dublin an additional docking fee, much less the free coupons they will give out to the angry passengers.

• Towngate | Dec 26, 2010, 08:00 AM EST

  Perhaps the Dublin Airport Authority by-line has been modified from "DAA - helping you on your way" by adding: and making sure you don't come back!"