OneAndOneIs2

Mon, Dec 21, 2009

Airports

• Post categories: Omni, Rant, My Life

I went to the airport for my second attempt at leaving the country to see my family today.

After spending some six hours at Gatwick waiting for them to reopen the runway, my flight went from "delayed" to "cancelled".

Again.

Can somebody explain to me why it is that every main road in the county is running fine and completely devoid of snow, yet a major international airport is screwing thousands of people over because it can't keep a few hundred yards of runway in a usable condition after a ten minute snow shower?

It's not like icy conditions in this country are a rare and unexpected event.

Seriously: WTF?!?

12 comments » •

12 comments

Comment from: Timmy [Visitor]

· http://blog.tsmacdonald.com

I don't think it's just an issue of the runway: they're also concerned about the atmospheric conditions of the from-airport, the to-airport, and everywhere in between.

21/12/09 @ 22:08

Comment from: oneandoneis2 [Member] · http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/

No, it's just the runway.

You can tell, because the messages are "This is the Gatwick officials. The runway is closed due to the weather, we're working hard to get it open again" and not "This is your airline, we've decided not to risk flying"

21/12/09 @ 22:11

Comment from: Hari [Member] · http://harishankar.org/blog/

A metal tin can was never designed to fly at hundreds of kms/hr at 39,000 feet above the ground. Any time you take a flight remember that there are so many sensitive factors that go into a successful flight, the minimum deviation from which can cause an increase in the risk of an accident.

Personally I would avoid flying unless I had to absolutely cross a huge chunk of ocean. Either the technology for aviation must drastically improve from what it is now and become at least 200% safer, or we must return to the seas sooner or later.

22/12/09 @ 03:24

Comment from: oneandoneis2 [Member] · http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/

Actually, I think you'll find that that's exactly what the metal tin cans in question were designed for..

22/12/09 @ 09:28

Comment from: Hari [Member] · http://harishankar.org/blog/

I don't consider aircraft to be fit for flying - it's a metal monstrosity. Human science hasn't perfected the art of flying yet otherwise we would have made it much safer than it is today. I feel tense even thinking about the pressure difference between the atmosphere at such a high altitude and the inside of the aircraft, let alone other factors.

Only god's grace is keeping those giants in the sky.

22/12/09 @ 11:14

Comment from: sinn3r [Member]

· http://sinn3r.org/

God is dead.

Good luck at your third attempt. :)

22/12/09 @ 13:02

Comment from: Hari [Member] · http://harishankar.org/blog/

The Papa Hari Sinner Detection and Reformation Commission is after you for that statement. Expect a call anytime soon :)

22/12/09 @ 13:46

Comment from: oneandoneis2 [Member] · http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/

> I feel tense even thinking about the pressure difference between the atmosphere at such a high altitude and the inside of the aircraft

Hmm.. what does the thought of the pressure difference in a submarine do to you..?

22/12/09 @ 17:18

Comment from: sinn3r [Member]

· http://sinn3r.org/

>The Papa Hari Sinner Detection and Reformation Commission is after you for that statement. Expect a call anytime soon :)

I am looking forward to it.

22/12/09 @ 19:01

Comment from: Dion Moult [Visitor] · http://thinkmoult.com

My brother got stranded in philadelphia airport for a good 2 and a half days due to the very same snowstorm.

22/12/09 @ 19:39

Comment from: Hari [Member] · http://harishankar.org/blog/

> Hmm.. what does the thought of the pressure difference in a submarine do to you..?

Same thing.

In fact, the thought of being inside a submarine makes me even more nervous.

Fact is, I prefer surface transport over all other methods of travel. I cannot explain it rationally or scientifically though. The few times I was on a flight, I was counting the hours to landing. Best to sleep off that period, I guess.

23/12/09 @ 04:05

Comment from: tuxdev [Member]

> In fact, the thought of being inside a submarine makes me even more nervous.
I'm with you there. At least with an airplane if something bad happens and you aren't 10 seconds away from death you can at least parachute out and probably survive somehow. Submarines.. not so much.

I'll stick with trains myself, not dealing with crazy-but-pointless security is a Very Good Thing.

25/12/09 @ 20:54

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