(Source articles contributing to this hybrid report: Business Week, CNN, Star Tribune)

A Continental Express pilot tried fervently to get her passengers into the Rochester, Minn., airport on Aug. 8 after being diverted from Minneapolis-St. Paul because of bad weather, according to federal transportation officials. The request was denied by Mesaba Aviation, a unit of Delta Air Lines (DAL), the 47 passengers were stuck on the small regional jet for more than six hours.

Mesaba, based in Eagan, Minnesota and owned by Delta Air Lines, was the only carrier able to assist Continental Flight 2816, which was on its way from Houston, Texas, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, when it was diverted because of strong thunderstorms, LaHood said. The flight’s 47 passengers described crying babies, overflowing toilets and cramped conditions.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said a representative of Mesaba Airlines improperly refused requests by the plane’s captain and crew to let passengers off the plane. They remained stuck on the tarmac in Rochester on August 8 from 12:38 a.m. to about 6 a.m. with nothing but pretzels to eat, LaHood said.

“We have determined that the Express Jet crew was not at fault. In fact, the flight crew repeatedly tried to get permission to deplane the passengers at the airport or obtain a bus for them,” U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an Aug. 21 statement. “The local representative of Mesaba Airlines improperly refused the requests of the captain to let her passengers off the plane. The representative incorrectly said that the airport was closed to passengers for security reasons, which led to this nightmare for those stuck on the plane.”

“There was a complete lack of common sense here,” LaHood said in a written statement. “It’s no wonder the flying public is so angry and frustrated.”

In audiotapes released by the Transportation Department, the unnamed captain of the aircraft can be heard pleading with an airline dispatcher to find a way to get the passengers off the plane. According to transcripts of transmissions from the cockpit released Friday, the pilot grew frustrated during the course of what she called a “ridiculous” ordeal, in which passengers on the nearly full plane had virtually nothing to eat, and the toilet and babies on board began to smell.

ExpressJet has posted audio files of conversations between the company and airport officials about how to resolve the problem. “There’s nobody willing to do anything,” an ExpressJet official tells the pilot in one phone call. “We have to do something… I just want to get people off the plane if we can’t fly,” the unidentified captain responds. In a later call, the pilot notes that “they’ve had lawsuits about this kind of stuff.”

“I just can’t sit here any longer,” she radioed to ExpressJet dispatchers in Houston. “… There’s no food, and [the passengers are] just getting really unhappy. … We’re stuck here with no lavs, no nothing. … There are lawsuits about this kind of stuff.”

According to a Department of Transportation preliminary report, Mesaba’s representative refused to help passengers off of the plane, incorrectly saying the airport was closed to passengers for security reasons.

The government is also soliciting public comment on whether it ought to mandate a limit on how long people may be left on planes during extended tarmac delays. A final rule from DOT is expected this fall, and the Continental Express-Mesaba imbroglio will figure into the decision, the agency says.

Mesaba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

“Mesaba respectfully disagrees with the DOT’s preliminary findings as they are incongruent with our initial internal review of the incident,” CEO John Spanjers said in a written statement. “Because Continental Express Flight 2816 diverted to an airport where they have no ground handling service, Mesaba offered assistance as a courtesy during this delay.

Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a statement Friday that he has contacted Continental Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner to “ensure we fully understand the facts of this unfortunate incident. Delta is working with Mesaba to conduct an internal investigation, continue our full cooperation with the DOT and share all the facts with Continental.”

TransportGooru Musings: Amidst this rabid finger pointing exercise, the poor passengers are the ones who are left begging for justice at this juncture! Glad that USDOT is taking a serious look at this issue. MESABA AIRLINES = BIG FAIL!

Minneapolis I-35 Bridge Collapse — A Major Emergency Incident: TSAG Case Studies Workshop & Webinar

Note: This workshop and webinar is a unique learning opportunity offered by the Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG) and the U.S. DOT ITS Joint Program Office’s Talking Technology & Transportation (T3) webinars. The T3 Program is offered by the Joint Program Office’s ITS Professional Capacity Building Program. The workshop will be presented to both a live audience at the workshop location and to remote T3 webinar participants. T3 participants are invited to submit written questions before the webinar as well as during workshop question and answer periods.

Webinar participants may attend remotely for any portion of the 3.5 hour workshop/webinar. An audio of the event’s proceedings, synchronized with its presentations, will be available in the T3 Webinar archives approximately 4 weeks after the workshop.

Background

The Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG) is facilitated and administered by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) to provide input to the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), ITS Joint Program Office’ Public Safety mission. TSAG advises the US DOT on the development and deployment ITS technologies that optimize travel mobility, safety / security, economy and environmental quality. Through its broad membership comprised of transportation and public safety professionals, TSAG initiates programs that promote inter-disciplinary, inter-agency and inter-jurisdictional coordination and cooperation, and that promote partnerships for advancing surface transportation services technologies. TSAG operates through resources provided by the US Department of Transportation and serves its program mission in compliance with US DOT regulations, policies and specified contract provisions.

I-35 Bridge Collapse Case Studies Workshop & Webinar Overview

Within a workshop setting, TSAG members and other public safety professionals review actual public safety related events or incidents for the purpose of identifying management strategies and technology-based applications and corresponding successes, failures, and lessons-learned. The June 3, 2009 Workshop will review the 2007 I-35 (MN) Bridge Collapse.

On August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush hour in the City of Minneapolis. The 1,907-foot bridge fell into the Mississippi River and onto roadways below. The span was packed with rush hour traffic, and dozens of vehicles fell with the bridge leaving scores of dazed commuters scrambling for their lives.

Case Studies Workshop presenters walk the audience through the tragic events of the day, focusing on 9-1-1 operations, Police, Fire, and EMS response, as well as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation and management. Presenters will share lessons learned and highlight the performance of the Minneapolis 911 Center, of local emergency responders and of operations strategies and technologies at the time of and responding to the incident.

Target Audience

Workshop participants include TSAG members and guests. Webinar target audience includes other state and local public safety interests, including public safety managers and transportation operations, emergency communications, and emergency public safety practitioners.

TSAG Case Study Workshop Concept and Objectives

The TSAG Case Studies Workshop concept targets case-studies of actual incidents or events associated with each of the eight (8) TSAG interest-community teams. Communities of Interest include: Transportation Operations, Law Enforcement, Fire and Safety, Academic & Research, Technology and Telematics, Emergency Communications, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management. Workshop objectives revolve around the “technologies for public safety” TSAG mission.

Through reviews of actual recent events, incidents, and first-responder experiences, Case Studies Workshops facilitate after-event discussions by multi-discipline and multi-agency professionals for the purpose of:

• Clarifying actual circumstances of the event / incident
• Discussing established response protocols and procedures
• Reviewing public safety technology applications
• Identifying unique management and response circumstances and challenges
• Reviewing successes, failures, and lessons-leaned

Learning Objectives

The broad learning objectives of the TSAG Case Studies Workshop series include:

• Identify transportation-safety technologies and their real-time applications to actual incident identification, response and management
• Identify inter-agency and inter-discipline coordination successes and failures
• Identify technology successes, failures, and lessons-learned

Workshop/Webinar Agenda

2:00 PM ET — Opening / Webinar Ground Rules (US DOT, Volpe Center)

2:10 PM — Welcome / Introduction of Moderator (Linda Dodge)

2:15 PM — Workshop / Overview / Objectives (Moderator, Ray Fisher)

2:30 PM

• A. I-35 Bridge — The Setting
• B. Key Players / Key Interagency Coordination Protocols
• C. Key Public Safety Technology Applications

Q & A Session #1
3:30 PM

• D. The Event — Circumstances and Public Safety Actions

Q & A Session #2
4:30 PM

• E. Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned

5:00 PM

Q & A Session #3

• F. Open Discussion

5:30 PM

• G. End / Closing Remarks