So I'm flying Alaska Air recently, from Seattle to Anchorage, and as they're getting set to take off, a stewardess discovers that one of the overhead bins won't stay closed. So we wait. Finally a mechanic comes on board, closes it with duct tape, and leaves.
We wait some more.
Eventually the pilot comes on the speaker and tells us that we have to wait while they do the paperwork on that "maintenance" item. Everybody groans.
We wait some more.
Then the same mechanic comes back on board, tears off the duct tape, and replaces it with another kind of tape, while explaining to the irritated passengers that duct tape isn't approved by the FAA for that kind of repair.
We wait some more. Passengers are getting sarcastic with the flight crew. It's almost midnight already, the incoming flight had been 20 minutes late getting there, and we're already aware that a head wind will slow our progress to Anchorage by an hour.
Finally the maintenance guy comes back on board, slaps some kind of official sticker on the offending overhead bin, and leaves quickly before the unruly passengers lynch him.
When the plane leaves, these delays have cost us an hour and a half. We get into Anchorage almost 3 hours behind schedule.
So my question is, how many of these "maintenance violations" the government alleges, are any concern, and how many are government paperwork and bull---- like that? |
