Airport Delays

[My 2 cents]

Even with parts and staff on hand to do the repairs there will be delays because the repair itself will take time.  The best way to mitigate this is to have spare aircraft on hand to replace the broken ones while they’re being repaired.

Same with TSA, gotta have spare gates.  Shootz, might as well just have a spare airport standing by.  Just in case.

Seriously, if the goal is to have enough spare parts to be able to “repair any possible problems immediately”, you are indeed talking about having enough parts on hand to build a complete new aircraft or security checkpoint.  Those parts will take up a lot less room if they are assembled.

[HiloJulie]

I must say, the acceptance of 3 and a half days of delays over getting the parts needed to repair the airline security machine is amazing. This is not something that would cost multi-millions of dollars to have accessible and be able to have been repaired within hours versus 3 and one half days. And even if so, I am sure the TSA could demand the supplier provide the parts free with payment due upon installment of any such part(s).

Airport security delays effect a whole plethora of downwind connections on virtually every airline. Who pays for all the possible missed connections and re-bookings - or - even more delays?

In the case of a damaged jet that needs repair, at a minimum, the effected airline would have a replacement jet on the ground within several hours, assuming the repair was not something that could be done locally within a reasonable amount of time. Back when United was running its ITO-LAX red-eye, there were numerous times a "shadow" 737 was brought in due to issues with the original aircraft - granted they were flown in either from KOA or HNL. And several times the 10PM departure time was more like 10AM the following morning.

Does anyone remember the escalator debacle at ITO several years back?????

But I digress. Having spare parts to fix the security machines is way too much of an ask, so we should all just accept it.

But how dare the DMV demand a weight certificate when registering an out of state car!

[TomK]

I must say, the acceptance of 3 and a half days of delays over getting the parts needed to repair the airline security machine is amazing. This is not something that would cost multi-millions of dollars to have accessible and be able to have been repaired within hours versus 3 and one half days. And even if so, I am sure the TSA could demand the supplier provide the parts free with payment due upon installment of any such part(s).

The same thing would happen at any small airport around the world, including the States. I'm not aware of any of the passengers having a three-and-a-half-day delay and although it's not fun being delayed, it's happened to me around the world, it's happened to me less if not at all at Hilo. And I have no idea how the TSA can demand anything if there's no way their demand can be met.

Have you gone to a car mechanic and demanded they have the part your broken car needs without delay? This is an island in the middle of the Pacific. We don't have everything here.

As for replacement aircraft just waiting to be used as a spare, how is that economical for the airline? It doesn't happen because they want all their planes to be flying as much as they can. They don't make money by having planes stand around at some airport just in case they're needed. It would be wonderful if we could have an airline industry that would cater to everyone's needs and have spare planes standing by everywhere with the flight crew that could fly them at a moment's notice, but that's not the reality. No one would be able to afford to fly anywhere, let alone inter-island.

[My 2 cents]

“As for replacement aircraft just waiting to be used as a spare, how is that economical for the airline?”

It’s not.  My point was that it would be more compact than the warehouse(s) that would be required to store a complete line of replacement parts and the only way to avoid delay altogether.  It’s a more feasible suggestion than Julie’s, but still far, far away from economically viable.

I failed Sarcasm 101 but I keep trying.

[kalakoa]

rather than living next to a major airport where some spare parts might be available

Major airports have multiple security gates...

[Obie]

Hilo is not a major airport.

---

The 1st year I worked at HNL, Western Airlines had just started DC10 service.
At Christmas time we had an engine fail on takeoff. We only had a couple of DC10's so flying in a spare airplane was kind of hard. Due to it being Christmas there were no vacant hotel rooms.
The passengers got to spend at least 24 hours living on that airplane. They could get off the plane and walk around the airport and sleep wherever they could find space. Most chose to sleep on the airplane.

---

Having a 2 hour wait to get thru security is hardly the end of the world.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

hardly the end of the world.

If I had a choice, I’d prefer an engine fails before the plane is in the air, and then have to sleep on the intact plane while it’s being repaired.  Rather than the alternative, like the engine failing at 30,000 feet.

[randomq]

If the equipment is standardized across all the islands, it would make sense to keep at least one spare or one sacrificial extra lane at HNL that could be borrowed from, or regional spare parts on the US west coast ready to load on the next flight.

But yes, at least a panel (plug door) didn't explode off of a plane halfway to/from Hilo, so we have that going for us.

[HiloJulie]

I guess I have to be clearer.

I am discussing spare parts being on hand to repair the checked and carry-on baggage scanning machines which failed at Hilo airport last week. It took three- and one-half days to fix.

I am not discussing replacement jet engines or spare aircraft(s) sitting around just in case there is a failure. I am discussing the equipment used for the TSA bag screening process which failed. And has failed prior times in the past, resulting in hour long delays and taking 3 to 5 days to be repaired. 

Almost a year ago, under similar circumstances, the commitment was to have these spare parts on hand, but for whatever reason, clearly was not implemented.

(From 9 months ago)

https://youtu.be/xZd5F1JvTmM?si=gOyyjZqfLx_NtQao

Let me be even clearer. TSA runs security. Airlines run airlines. TSA is an 11-billion-dollar plus government funded bureaucracy. Airlines are multibillion dollar for profit corporations.

Further being even more clear, I am not discussing airports around the world, I am discussing Hilo airport specifically and in general American air travel passenger security.

And lastly, to be even more clear, if you are delayed enough at any airport security checkpoint and that delay causes you to miss connecting flights, you may be totally out of luck - the airlines owe you nothing at that point.

[kalakoa]

Hilo airport specifically

Which is to say: a tiny regional airport which doesn't have either spares or a second screening line.

TSA is an 11-billion-dollar plus government funded bureaucracy. Airlines are multibillion dollar for profit corporations.

In either case, Hilo doesn't make the cut in a cost/benefit analysis.

American air travel passenger security.

PreCheck means passing through an old-fashioned metal detector. Cheap insurance.

at least a panel (plug door) didn't explode off of a plane halfway to/from Hilo

The plane in question was rated for trans-oceanic flights, but rescheduled to avoid these due to a persistent "cabin pressurization" warning.