Airfield Upgrades Cause Afternoon Flights Delays
Planes piled up on the runway this afternoon [May 23], as flight delays saw about half a dozen planes take off late from Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport.
The airport is currently undergoing airfield upgrades that involve the addition of high visibility and energy-efficient runway center-line lighting; improved signage; and in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] – the installation of an enhanced radar surveillance system that will extend Bermuda’s radar coverage from 360 miles to 440 miles.
The Ministry previously warned there may be some delays, saying that “after departing from the gate, passengers may experience a delay on the ground prior to take-off as standard, non-radar procedures that call for a greater-than-usual time separation between arriving and departing flights is in effect.
“It is hoped that these delays can be minimized so that this time can be made up in-flight to ensure an on-time arrival to one’s destination whenever possible.”
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This is nothing new. Last time I flew out we pushed back on time and then sat on the runway for a full hour before we were allowed to take off. Great way for our guests to finish their vacation.
Yes, we were on one of those planes sitting on the runway yesterday for over 2 hours!!! Our flight was due to leave at 2:59 and we finally took off at 5:20. Needless to say most people making connections missed them. I understand that the upgrades are necessary but the length of time we where sitting around was supposed to be the flight time to our destination. This needs to be fixed, and fast.
We were 2nd in line and were 2 hours delayed. There was NO time estimate that air traffic control could give! It was first no idea, maybe 30 mins to an hour, then another 30 mins, then another …… it was embarrassing. On a plane full of tourists Bermuda looked extremely inept. If there are FAA rules about how many planes can take or land per hour without working radar, then the should be known time estimates of when planes are able to take off. It’s a known schedule every day. The airport looked like a bunch of idiots. Pull it together!
The Radar belongs to the FAA – nothing to do with Bda.
Why can’t the work be done at night? I understand the need for additional spacing when radar is down but surely, with so little traffic at any point in time plus, aircraft transponders constantly giving their positions surely something can be done to improve the delays, particularly in good weather when visibility is good.
Hour plus ground holds is an awful long time.
A good place to keep an eye on airport delays is http://www.myAirportStatus.com It shows current delays around the world.
we watched as two planes took off within minutes of each other, one went southshore and the other northshore. so we are thinking great we were number 3 so we were next, 1 1/2 hours later we left
missed my connection flight had to wait another 8hrs for the next one plus ended up at a airport that closed and had to sleep in baggage claim area. now i know what luggage feels like on the conveyor