A Little Dent Will Do Ya!
Nov. 27th, 2023 12:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerVegas Travelog #1½
SJC Airport - Mon, 27 Nov 2023. 11:30am.
Just minutes after I posted that my trip to Las Vegas was off to a smooth start, as my fellow "A" group passengers and I were lined up for boarding, the bad news came.
Our flight was delayed.
But this wasn't the normal Southwest falling-behind-because-the-schedule-is-too-aggressive delay; it was a mechanical delay. That's both better and worse!
The gate agent explained over the PA system that the ramp crew (the people loading bags, etc.) spotted a small dent in the cargo hatch. When that happens they consult a "Dent Log", a book of all known dents, to determine if it has already been certified safe. If it's in the book, the process takes 15 minutes. If it's not, it takes longer to clear it— and way longer if it can't be cleared.
The good news? Our dent was tiny, "about the size of a pea", the agent explained. It seemed he and/or the ground crew had experience with this process. They were confident it would be cleared to fly. But they needed to follow the safety protocol nonetheless.
Ultimately the dent— a pea-sized ding in the sheet metal— was found to be safe. We lined up again for boarding
Well, it's good I planned an earlier flight than strictly necessary to get to the trade show in time. ...That's part of being a pro traveler, BTW. You might think pros are the ones who dance in at the last moment, wasting no time. No, those are the gadflies who miss flights and arrive late to appointments whenever anything bad happens. Pros build allowance into their schedule for ordinary delays that occur so they're always prompt and fresh when showtime starts.
SJC Airport - Mon, 27 Nov 2023. 11:30am.
Just minutes after I posted that my trip to Las Vegas was off to a smooth start, as my fellow "A" group passengers and I were lined up for boarding, the bad news came.
Our flight was delayed.
But this wasn't the normal Southwest falling-behind-because-the-schedule-is-too-aggressive delay; it was a mechanical delay. That's both better and worse!
The gate agent explained over the PA system that the ramp crew (the people loading bags, etc.) spotted a small dent in the cargo hatch. When that happens they consult a "Dent Log", a book of all known dents, to determine if it has already been certified safe. If it's in the book, the process takes 15 minutes. If it's not, it takes longer to clear it— and way longer if it can't be cleared.
Update 1: It's not in the Dent Log
The agent came back on the intercom a few minutes later. Our dent was not in the Dent Log. That meant the ground crew would have to take pictures, send them to safety engineers at HQ in Dallas, and wait for a certification. That process would take an hour.The good news? Our dent was tiny, "about the size of a pea", the agent explained. It seemed he and/or the ground crew had experience with this process. They were confident it would be cleared to fly. But they needed to follow the safety protocol nonetheless.
Ultimately the dent— a pea-sized ding in the sheet metal— was found to be safe. We lined up again for boarding
Well, it's good I planned an earlier flight than strictly necessary to get to the trade show in time. ...That's part of being a pro traveler, BTW. You might think pros are the ones who dance in at the last moment, wasting no time. No, those are the gadflies who miss flights and arrive late to appointments whenever anything bad happens. Pros build allowance into their schedule for ordinary delays that occur so they're always prompt and fresh when showtime starts.
