What Happens To An Aircraft During Its Turnaround?
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- Опубликовано: 5 май 2024
- The airport turnaround is a vital part of flight operations. Indeed, it’s one big factor that will determine whether your flight takes off on time or is delayed.
Minimizing time at the gate is essential at busy airports and helps airlines keep aircraft flying. No one makes money when an aircraft is sitting around! Not surprisingly, the turnaround of an aircraft is a well-developed and meticulously orchestrated process for many airlines. In today’s video, we take a closer look at all the steps involved in this impressive process.
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Working at a major airport in europe in different positions such as ramp dispatch and even airline representative, my record is 33 min for a flag airline (not a low cost) on a fully booked 737 during summer. The aircraft arrived late which meant we had to do a short turnaround (speed up the process to cut on the delay). We used every tick un the book and unloaded 180 passenger and loaded another batch back in the plane in 35 min. Another impressive performance was to fully board a 747 with 522 passengers in 17 minutes (from the moment the first passenger was allowed in and the last one entered the aircraft). I was responsible for the turnaround at the time, so I was in charge of the boarding strategy. It was a major success I was not able to replicate again hahaha
"No one makes money when an aircraft is sitting around"
Airport parking fees: *Allow us to introduce ourselves*
I've been on flights where the did everything but push us onto the plane and into our seats. One in particular was a flight to MDW (Chicago Midway) on SW, the tower in our departing city gave our flight 15 min to be in the air due to a small window of good weather before a severe t-storm was scheduled to hit Chicago. I know this because one of the flight attendants was telling a passenger who needed a fire lit under them. This was a full flight, as SW flights to hub airports out of smaller airports usually are, and luckily for all involved this flight had relatively experienced passengers who knew how to hustle (we all just want to "get there" don't we?) and once the word got around that we needed to either get in the air fast or risk deplaning and waiting an hour or more for Chicago's weather to clear, the door was closed before the last few passengers got to their seats and seatbelts were still clicking shut as we pushed back and began to taxi. There was no traffic and when we reached the runway the plane made it's turn onto it and without a seconds hesitation rolled down and we were in the air with seconds to spare. And that storm in Chicago? I truly have no memory of it ever rolling through. This was all based on the fact that flight time was approx 1 hour and they could have dissipated as we were in flight. I do remember later that night waking up to loud claps of thunder.
If only all passengers could do this our job would be so much easier
Thanks for the information!
I used to be ground staff working with a major airline and we only had a team of 4 people to turn our flights. And time was very limited. For a regional jet, we only had 24 minutes to park, empty, service, load and push a flight. For a narrow body mainline jet, we had the same number of staff, but with up to 189 passengers onboard, we were given 34 minutes to do everything. Funny how this is the expectation demanded in outstations, yet the hubs are staffed with a greater number of people (usually 6 just for the outside) working that very same aircraft a flight and always get a greater amount of time (45 minutes plus) to do the same job.
Interestingly, due to circumstances that almost impossible to deal with, we actually turned a 50 seat regional jet in 8 minutes. It was a very well choreographed event. The crew contacted us via company radio and told us they were going to "time out" before arriving back in the destination city if a standard turn of 24 minutes happened and thus, the flight would have to be delayed or canceled. However, could we make it work to get them out faster. We got our heads together and made it happen in 8. Our gate agent gave a pep talk to the passengers for that flight about their rapid cooperation if they wanted to get on the flight, any delay would cause cancelation due to pilot work hour limitations. She outlined exactly what everyone needed to do. The ground staff had the same we must fire on all cylinders pep talk. The pilots and flight attendant gave a speech to the passengers on the inbound flight about get up and get out immediately to make this happen. It was mind-blowing how everything worked out. None of the arriving passengers even complained about our not bringing their bags right to the carousel immediately...allowing all our staff to turn that plane first. The pilot must have given a good speech to them.
The captain even put us in for an award for the effort and told us when they landed at the destination, they had only 2 more minutes they were allowed to work...that was how close we cut it to make a success out of what was to be an absolute failure of a situation that the events of that day conspired to make us fail by. 13 minutes was the next closest turn time I ever had.
One of my very first turnaround moment was my flight from Singapore to Jakarta back in 2017 using Lion Airlines. I just got checked in, cleared customs, walked to the gate, and saw passangers from the previous flight deplane from the same plane, suddenly after clearing security (which took around 15 mins) we got called in to board. In total the plane took only 30 mins on the gate
As a turnaround manager I managed to turn around a Boeing 767 270in/270 out in 30 minutes one evening. Many steps were shortened but necessary for an on time departure. Many thanks for the assistance of the crew.
Quickest i managed was a 787 in 25 minutes (all be it, the front haul was empty on outbound) 😅
not the first time we done that 🙃 had targets for when the easyJets landed, and you never made the timed targets if you followed procedures, so we always use to just forget the cones and cholk the nose gear.
The person putting the front stairs on would look at the aircraft and leading edge of the wing for damage. guy with the rear stairs would do the same for the back of the plane. i would power the AC and then o0pen the holds and do the same thing on the other side of the AC.
@@stiffyscotland we would by pass the cones too. Put the belt straight on hold 5 to offload the pushchairs as their priority. Then another guy would open the back door and offload the pax ULDs . After which the guy from the belt will go and open the front hold with the FMC. Offload the cargo then we just load it again straight after. While also loading the rear hold. Shut everything down and push… usually waiting for clearance was the longest as u can imagine what its like in heathrow
@@FlyingDxtchman the exact same in Glasgow 🤣 was mostly the Ryanair's and the KLM that got cheesed off with ground control as they were always told to wait due to other AC movements or the fact that most of the time it was cause they had slots
Turning around international widebody planes is what I do for a living in Florida, it's hot, it's wet but it's so worth it sitting in that cargo hold after loading all the ULDS and pallets and just having a moment before bagroom brings you the last uld, just sitting there getting the breeze blowing into the plane from the cargo door that's outlooking the active runway and you can see aircraft taking off and landing . SO PRETTY. Also I've seen fueling trucks pull up on the plane 20 minutes before departure... lol menzies suck. Thank them for the delays!!
I do it in Sweden and the warm cargo hold is such a lovely place when it’s freezing and snowing☺️
Southwest built their entire business model around a fast turn around time. The original CEO even assisted with the work that had to be done.
Herb was a great guy. A very good family friend began flying for WN in 1976 and back then it was still a small airline with a very “family run company” feel to it. Herb was a very down to earth guy and even attended the friend’s wedding when he got married a few years later. Oh and who could forget the “Malice in Dallas” arm wrestling match between Kelleher and Stevens Aviation CEO Kurt Herwald in 1992? 😂
They do a grand job not cleaning snot off the windows, grime out of the seats, spit and food off the trays and tray slots. Not to mention all of the above off and around the arm rests, toilets, head rests etc and so on
Absolute bullshit
@@dba750 Literally no airline has the time to clean each individual tray table and grime between the seats during every turnaround. It’s gonna happen, so deal with it
Team work! Fast turnaround times are great…as long as the plane is safe for the next leg! I think boarding the plane from the rear makes more sense as it doesn’t create a traffic jam in the aisle. Also if people were courteous enough to “leave no trace” the cleaning crew would be faster not to mention appreciate it! Great video
Hi, first of all great video! I have had an experience with a quick turnaround before with delta as a passenger in Atlanta a few years ago (before Covid) where the previous aircraft on our gate was awaiting pushback clearance and once our plane got on the gate it was pretty quick until we were boarded and on our way!
Thank you for watching, Zephan. 😊✈️
I flew from my native country of Sweden yesterday back to the United States onboard a Scandinavian Airlines A330. I was amazed to see what a plane like that is capable of carrying. Not only a couple of hundred passengers and so many crew members but also, of course, the weight of the plane itself, fuel, tons of cargo and even animals. It's pretty amazing to see a plane like that turn around in a short time.
Aircraft maintenance technician here.
Great video!
Not many seem to know what we truly do in the turnaround so let me try to clarify.
1) See the person with the flashlight and high viz jacket looking at the aircraft? That's maintenance doing the post flight and pre flight walkaround check.
2) We service the engine oil and the hydraulic reservoir if the quantities are low.
3) We fill out the aircraft refuelling sheet.
4) We check the logbook for any discrepancies/open items.
5) And lastly we sign the airworthiness release in the aircraft logbook, declaring that this aircraft is indeed safe to fly.
Without that signature the aircraft isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Cheers.
What's the aircraft refueling sheet?
@@ATLMike94 good question. It's basically this sheet of paper we have to fill out and hand 1 copy to the captain in which he double checks our calculations and signs it if he/she is happy. It includes the: fuel density, amount of fuel in each tank, and tolerance, because us in Saudi the aircraft displays the fuel in KG/LITER, but the fuel truck has the fuel in KG/US GALLON, so we need to convert between the two. Not all airlines have this.
@@rayanaltowayan9558 the aircraft fuelers don't handle that?
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
I always dread flying into a hub (though never had this problem at Pearson) and we’re waiting for the jetway to appear….when the aircraft has been flying around all day with steps of its own in the door. I recall landing, pulling up to the gate, and then bloop, we’re here, now get out. Noope, now waiting on the jet bridge that we don’t need (not once did we require it for ADA compliance). At Pearson (and fairly rarely at Philly and Charlotte, hit or miss at Logan) we just use the stairs and are out in no time flat.
A turnaround is a time trial for the handling staff.
That's what makes the job fun😉
Good information. Worth noting if a new cabin crew arrives on the aircraft turnaround they'd have to check safety equipment is in order first.
I witnessed a 10 minute turnaround. This was an Air Zimbabwe flight from Harare that had landed in Bulawayo and was flying to Victoria Falls. Literally 18 mins between the time the 737 touched down and turned towards the terminal halfway down the runway and takeoff. Of course the smaller airport and zero traffic played a part too.
Generally, I enjoy watching your videos because they're normally accurate and brief...
However, I have to set you straight on a couple of bits on this one.
I was an aircraft dispatch officer (ADO)/Redcap (or The Ringmaster, because you were coordinating a circus and you were the one with the whip!) for many years. In all of the video, you assume that everyone knows their job and just gets on with it - and unfortunately, that's totally inaccurate. Everyone needs the Ringmaster to coordinate the lot, and drive that turnaround harder.
They all look to one person to coordinate the lot. It is their role that's essential in a turn around. This seemed to be missing in the video. There was a brief mention of 'Turn Around Managers' (maybe that's the modern term?), but you gave no idea of what they do. This is what they do...
Long before the aircraft arrives, the dispatch officer is busy calculating the weight and balance of the aircraft with it's predicted load to aim for a correct CoG, along with a guesstimate fuel loading - dependent on it's specific gravity of the fuel at the time you request it (to be finalized by the flight deck on arrival). All along with calculated trim settings.
Departure slots have to be communicated to the relevant centre, in the case of the UK, that was Brussels, back when I did the job.This is all before the aircraft arrives.
Then, when the bird lands, and let's assume it's a big one, say a 747, you have 900 off and on pax to sort, up to 30 crew off and on because there'll be a change in a big bird...
Fuellers, baggage handlers, caterers, cleaners, potable water, honey cart, pushback tugs, special requirement passenger handlers, ATC as well if you have problems with the aircraft (one - meeting it's schedule - or Two, a problem with the aircraft or crew themselves. Don't be under any illusion - the ADO can cancel your slot at a moment's notice if they're not happy with that flight - and I've done it when the Captain says they want to go and I say they don't!).
The best way to think of an ADO is, it might be the Skipper's aircraft in the air, but on the ground, it's mine (even though the Skipper is in charge ultimately - most captains know that you know your job and defer to you until you release that aircraft for flight. Most skippers rely on their ADO like their right hand on the ground).
Coordinating almost 1000 people in total, in an hour when thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars are involved in a delay. You need to know your job and do it with skill, knowledge and confidence.
BTW - personal record for a Ryanair B738 (MAN-DUB), full pax load in and out, and already round-trip fuelled - 21min from brakes on arrival to brakes off pushback! Let me know if you can beat that 😁
I hope my rantings have demonstrated a little more clearly what happens on a turn around. Those years have passed for me, but when you see that ADO, give them a hug, because they're the ones pushing hard to get you away on time or even early, yet nobody even sees them!
Yeahhh. In ky country, Load Planner officers usually plan 4 hours ahead of time before a turnaround flight. And also the last person the captain sees before the aircraft doors are closed.
Wow! I’m going to save this comment and reference you if I am in a situation where I need to talk about dispatchers (I’m a lecturer at an aviation university)
@@nashmiarashid5161 Please, feel free to Nashmia
Great video! EK203 from DXB to JFK has a turnaround time of about 3.50 hrs before flying back to DXB. The aircraft is an Airbus A380.
Here in India, Indigo has the fastest turnaround time according to me, around 30-40 mins for domestic flights and an hour or so for international flights out of India. But their on-time performance is helpful in making cleaning more effective. Most of their flights arrive at destinations 20-30 mins before time.
nice a flying book store
Saw a quick turnaround of Ryan air flight of mine flying into london from Dublin. The plane arrived late but probably the quickest turnaround Iv seen. Probably around 15m and only arrived 10m late to london.
I was the one controlling all the activities during aircraft on ground who called Red Cap. The most delayed reason for an aircraft was offloaded the late show or no show passenger’s checked in luggage ……all other activities are well planned so it is not an issue for turn around. I really advised all passengers should arrived at gate 15 mins prior departure which makes all staff’s life easier.
Please do a vid on ethiopian airlines
A longer turnaround was after we boarded the Captain could not get one of the systems online, so we had to declare and wait for a replacement. Interestingly the airline had unassigned seats, and while the first boarding was very fast, the reboarding took much longer even though it was the same people boarding in the same sequence.
Fastest turnaround I've witnessed was a Ryanair flight in 2006 into Göteborg City Airport in Sweden while on a group trip. Once we got through immigration and exited the terminal (which due to the size of the terminal and number of flights, did not take long), we witnessed our plane taking back off again
You think things are bad now,
Back in '85, we weighed all passenger carry-on bags AND THE PASSENGERS, as we loaded/boarded the ProvincetownBostonAirways DC-3
Not a commercial carrier but an RAF VC10 at Gutersloh. Landed, discharged its pax, loaded outgoing pax and took off. I don't know if this was routine or for a particular reason.
6:44: Southwest Airlines actually has both flight crew and ramp agents looking for any damage. Or, at least, they're supposed to. I got terminated from that company for pointing out to the flight crew that they had zero oil in the right hand engine. (This involves looking at a sight gauge; nothing is unscrewed or otherwise manipulated on the engine.) This caused a 30 minute delay while the mechanics added oil, and I was terminated for a "frivoulous" delay. (The engineers at Boeing, having written the aircraft's minimum equipment list, beg to differ as to the frivoulousness.) I also found things such as FOD damage under the fuselage (about the size of my fist, and as deep, and showing the black composite under the blue paint,) dents on the horizontal stabilizer, and severely erroded engine spinners. (All of which were missed by the flight crews and more senior ramp agents.)
But what am I but a simple ramp agent? Clearly, I'm too stupid to do anything but sling baggage and drain toilets. Its not like I've been in this industry for awhile, servicing everything from Cessna 172 to Gulfstream G650s to A340s and Boeing 737s. Not like I'm well on my way to being a commercial pilot myself.
No such thing as a "simple ramp agent" because you know as much about the aircraft as anybody else does.
one of my ryanair flights we were in the jetbridge waiting to board and the passengers from the last flight were still disembarking.
The thing I find interesting is at my local airport Southwest typically does somewhere between 30-40 minute turns but Spirit does 50-70 minute turns.
I didn't see this myself but there was a media article years ago about a Virgin Blue (as it was known at the time) Boeing 737-800 turning around in Sydney in 12 minutes!
Heard that some newer aircraft will be outfitted with a front motorized wheel (wheel tug) allowing for them to do their own unassisted pushbacks... well, without a pushback tug. Spotters will still be needed.
Yeah, RyanAir, they wanted us to turn them around in 20 mins, the moment the incoming passengers were off the plane, the outgoing passengers were already waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the aircraft waiting for the crew to confirm their checks are complete and that the passengers can commence boarding. Fasted time that me and my crew managed to turn a RyanAir was 19 minutes
20 minutes? I'm now worried that Ryanair might not clear their sewage on the planes.
Wow!
@@cupcake0011 they do. But only when they go back to their point of origin. As its normally European flights they do, their tanks dont fully fill up so they can wait till back at their base.
If need be. Just before they land. They can call ahead and request the sewage truck to be there on arrival. Which does happen from time to time
@@stiffyscotland so basically, you'd still be flying on a plane where there is left over sewage from previous flights? That not only sounds like it may cause some odor, but highly unhygienic (especially in today's times). Makes me wonder what else they don't do with such a quick turn around time. Then again, Ryanair is the time of airline that cuts corners and tries to maximize profit as much as possible. So I guess im not surprised...
@@StallionFX1 of all the flights i have spun, they were the only ones to do this.. when RyanAir used to have an Aircraft based at Glasgow Airport, that used to always get emptied and the water replenished every time it came back to glasgow. It was never emptied at the other airport.
Costs them money each time they book the sewage truck. So most of the time its every second airport for them.
Strange. It is seen in the video for flight Fr2906 going to Bremen yet when you Google that flight, it shows as London Stanstead to Santorini
Why would you switch to a minor key, in the music, during for the refueling process of the video?
Fastest I’ve experienced are all on low cost/budget airlines like AirAsia and definitely depends on how short the flight is. If the flight is within SEA, then it’s usually a 15-20min turnaround.
Earlier this month an Iphone spent 3 days on a Qantas flight. It makes you question are the planes being cleaned.
RAF cargo aircraft can have a fast turnaround if they are just doing drop offs. Going from Europe to Scotland Via Brize Norton on an A400 Atlas a few years back. Plane landed and kept engines running. Then around 10 passengers walked off the ramp carrying their own 'hold' baggage (since the whole plane is a cargo hold). A couple of fresh passengers then got on and the aircraft set off for the rest of its journey. Probably on the ground around 20 minutes max.
I once was on an international flight with one of the largest carriers and watched as baggage was left out in a rain storm. All my bags were full of water and dripping even after reaching home. Unfortunately the airline didn't really reimburse any damages.
When I worked for delta in AUStin Texas we had a flight that needed fuel so they came to me. From the time they landed to the time the wheels were off the ground 18 minutes I got them fuel, catering, lavatory service, and the passengers did NOT get off.
Was able to get a POLAR 763 turn-around under a hr with unloading and uploading the aircraft
I recall once flying from San Francisco to Hawaii. There was connecting flight in Honolulu, where I watched a baggage handler moving my golf clubs from a conveyor onto a cart. I had recently purchased a "hard case" for my clubs, and the handler lifted them up over his head, turned to the side, and body-slammed them down like a WWE dummy.
Aloha !
Only been to Honolulu Int’l once. I had high hopes for the airport since it was the only Hawaiian airport I visited that wasn’t hot, muggy and outdoors. Security was long asf, everyone was pissed off at each other, and they were *throwing* our bags, like it was a dodgeball. 2/10 experience
I had an incredibly quick security check when leaving Jamaica once.
Fastest turnaround I ever saw wasn't a plane, but a train... This was in downtown Reno, before they put in the train trench, so the train was blocking who knows how much downtown traffic...
5 minutes flat from arrival to departure, and you should have SEEN those crews... moved so fast you'd think they were flying.
I was stressed that I might trip boarding and hold everything up, but it worked out fine; one of the crew helped me on.
While all theese happen, line maintenance tasks like daily check, weekly or ramp check, engine and hydraulic oil servicing, cargo light replacement of course for B737 :), and again for 737's which dont have QAR (Quick Access Recorder) PCMCIA card changes of DFDAU ( Digital Flight Data Acqusition Unit), T/log replacement, Co-mail loading can be done.
They did test on the show Mythbuster that the fastest way to load the is the passengers first, the middle seats & finally the aisle seats. This will avoid the people in aisle seat getting up to get the window or middle seat in so I don’t why airlines don’t implement this method to improve turnaround.
Some mad turn around times in the UK. 30/40 minutes open /shut push back gone
Yes I see fast turn around
Was ET624/625 from ADD to MCT 33 minutes full turn around The aircraft was B737-760 ng
On short haul flights I’ve taken here in Australia, I don’t think I’ve ever once seen the plane refuelled during turnaround, though I’m not a frequent flyer. I think there are some times where it may be cheaper to completely fill the tanks, then use it for multiple flights that day, no refuelling. It can be more expensive doing it this way, but it’s also easier and saves time, so if it saves time at several turnarounds for one aircraft for one day, you can imagine that time saving is gonna add up pretty quick, which will pay for the extra fuel burn from the higher weight.
Also fuel prices that airlines get are different on almost every airport. That particular airline might have their own fuel station on a previous airport and thus refuel more fuel to avoid the much more expensive fuel buying from a different company. They cant fuel too much though that it will offset the savings due to the heavier takeoff weight.
Very interesting and thank you. Honestly though the airplane uses a rather dated model and is inefficient in a lot of practices.
One thing I know that passengers can do to help speed things up...Don't pack any checked in luggage. A carry on will do for most flights people take everyday.
Our flight was delayed several years ago because of a flat tire on the plane. They jacked up the plane and changed the tire with everyone on board and ready to go.
100% convinced that a narrow body with a 2-2-2 configuration and a wider entrance door would be a huge success. Probably could cut 10 minutes off a turnaround. Plus better pasex and more cargo capacity. Space for a larger center fuel tanks gives it increased range.
Go dnata!!
Can you do the Philippine airlines fleet next? (Day 2)
The best turnaround time that the domestic carriers have used was the back to front method. Even if you board first class first, the back to front method is always the quickest. They need to go back to that.
i work ramp and i think my fastest turn has been like 20min with air canada
If they could Ryanair would have passengers boarding and disembarking at the same time 😂😂😂🤪🤪🤪🤪
Ryanair can do 20 minutes turnaround. The most of the time usually takes an airport clearance to depart
Try to beat 25 minutes T/A time here in Manila for cebpac and Air Asia Philippines 🇵🇭!
You are the best
It’s interesting to learn about the hotbed of activity that happens when a plane lands/departs again. If people would take a few minutes to understand the whole process, maybe there’s be less air travel rage moments
I flew with Ryanair recently and cabin was not that cleaned up it was dirty
I don't want a fast turnaround time, I want a thorough turnaround time.
easyJet can have a fast turnaround time
Congratulations for 100K hope I get 1k soon
Hot Take: Southwest isn't an LCC
Fly safair South Africa 30 max turn around 😁
Please make a video on IndiGo airline
Spirit Airlines: take notes take notes.
I witnessed cleaning of an Emirates plane in Rio De Janeiro. It was an absolute disgrace
We learn more about planes
Try Vietnam airlines or vietjet
We need a video about Wizzzzzzzz
bs they clean it between every flight
U
40 minutes, SCOOT Airlines.
BA lol. Its a joke. Used to be nice... 20 years ago ...
Extra cleaning during the fictional viris sca.mdemic.....lol
oh yes