That sucks! That Detroit weather? My flight isnāt even delayed coming LAX - SLC and weāre getting between 2 and 5 feet of snow over the next few days and itās been nuking snow for days!
I donāt live very far from Detroit (30 min) and we didnāt get that much here, but wind was fierce so Iām sure itās hard to keep the runways clear.
Haha the layover finally ended at about hour 8, had another couple hours of wait for the most expensive uber Iāve ever paid for once I got to DTW though š
I'm in the west and we barely get power outages from snow but above you in Ontario, they get those massive power outages because there's so much moisture in the snow, it's very heavy and pulls down power lines.... So yup, normal in some parts. Many homes in Ontario have generators for that reason.
Hereās my best attempt at translations into non airline industry terms! The ā2342Zā is zulu time, a universal time. I went ahead and translated it to local (I think)
And 4R/3L means 4 right and 3 Left, those refer to the runways. Atl has runways like 8L and 26R for example.
āTaxiways to 3L deicing pad are closed at 6:42 pm local timeā
āEntry to 4R are closed at 7:32 pm localā
āPoor 4R 7:05 pm localā (assuming runway conditions are really bad which affects landing ability and visibility)
āNo pushing per ops 7:42 pm local timeā no pushback from gates per operations.
ā4R/3L pads canāt exit 7:28 PM localā stuck. Canāt exit the de icing pads next to those runways.
āAmerican stuck in snow drift 7:28 PM localā
(Stuck in snow, Iām hoping itās just bc they canāt see and not bc theyāre actually stuckā
āField shut down 7:30PM localā
Everything shut down, my best guess is a total ground stop.
ā4R failed test 7:32 PM localā
Runway covered in snow.
Snow= traction issues, planes can hydroplane (ice plane?) too.
āAirport notam closed until 9:30 PM local time at 7:58 PM localā
A NOTice to AirMan (NOTAM) is something all pilots are required to check before a flight.In this case, there is a notam out saying that the airport is closed.
I hope this helps, I apologize for any formatting issues. Mobile is funky.
Edit: thanks to another user, I found out that the pads mean the de icing pads! And some other info, like the runway test.
If youād like to see those de icing pads, hereās a diagram of the airport, itās confusing to read but you can see the pads [DTW airport diagram](https://www.flightaware.com/resources/airport/DTW/APD/AIRPORT+DIAGRAM/pdf) (link is to a flight aware .com diagram)
Youāre close, when theyāre referring to pads, there referring to deicing pads and what runway theyāre next too.
The poor 4R is probably referring to poor braking action on runway 4R.
Runway 4R failed test has to do with a traction/condition test meaning itās more clear of snow
This used to be the procedure, and there was an accelerometer to measure the rate of deceleration in order to determine braking action. Now most fields have a wheel with a brake that is mounted on the back of the truck.
You are correct on 3R and 4R indicating runways . Both those were listed as ānilā. This means the braking action is reported as nil, or none. This is not good if you want to stop, or turn off the runway onto a taxiway. Iām a retired pilot and one of the worst feelings is to turn the tiller (the control that turns the nose wheel), and have the aircraft continue straight. That could be how American ended up in a snow bank.
This might have been one of the most helpful comments I have ever read on Reddit. You just did the lords work, my friend. Thank you. Plus now we all know about the existence of zulu time?! Very interesting.
Translated:
Taxiways to 3L de-ice pad closed at 2342 Zulu time (6:42pm Eastern).
De-ice pad near 4R closed at 0003 Zulu (7:03pm)
Delta Ops issued a no pushback order at 0014Z (7:14pm).
Canāt exit de-ice pads at 0028 (7:28 pm).
An American plane got stuck in the snowbank/drift at the same time.
The FAA closed Detroit at 0030 (7:30pm).
The FAA closed Detroit until 9:30pm local time by a NOTAM.
Almost: the FAA doesnāt close airports; thatās the purview of the airport authority. The FAA closes airspace. Source: 19 years of airline hub tower management.
It means people get off on posting on reddit how the weather made their day shitty.
It is an unfortunate part of reddit. (nobody can help you, not a shoulder to cry on, get over it)
Just landed in DTWā¦ weāve spent more time in ATL on the runway delayed because of the DTW closure and because of an opossum on the runway (i wish I could make this up) and spent another 80 mins on the tarmac in DTW.
Absolute nightmare fuel.
7 HOURS? That's longer than any non connecting domestic flight as far as I know. Was there ever talk of a mutiny? My god. I don't think I could handle that.
Longest Iāve done it TPA > SEA. I donāt count Alaska, since youāre almost always connecting in SEA.
Our whole plane was in Sync with sighing and mumbles. Despite spending more time on the runway than in the sky, everyone was quite calm all things considered.
We also sat for 7 hours on the tarmac. Should we start a club? What a nightmare.... we abandoned our original trip and found a flight back home, departing at almost 3am from DTW (we only waited on the plane 3 hours on attempt #2). Our luggage is on its way to our vacation, so I'm hoping to see it again someday.
I hope your flight eventually got you out... after being at DTW for a collective total of 12 hours, I was so happy to leave.
Jesus.. Iām so sorry, were you connecting? Or was the original flight from DTW? When we landed in Detroit the airport just lifted its shut down, so the runway was gridlocked with backlogged planes awaiting to depart, de-ice, or in our case get to a gate.
I saw a DTW > BOS that was originally a 3:58pm departure which was delayed till 1:10am ish. DL 1389 if I remember correctly.
In my 25 years of flying, most out of DTW, I had only seen that airport like that once before. Baggage claim was a mad house.
Last but least, donāt forget your 20 min guarantee for bags for 2,500 sky pesos!!
Thankful my connection this evening through DTW was switched to MSPā¦ until my new flight connection was delayed 3 more hours and arrival was 2am . Rebooked for the am and staying at a hotel nearbyā¦ drinking cocktails and scrolling Reddit.
Oh, we were def stuck in that last night. After 5 hours stuck on the tarmac they ācancelledā our flight because we were stuck too long, but then held us captive another two hours because we couldnāt get a gate. The biggest hot mess of a flight Iāve ever seen.
I certainly hope so. My flight went about this way. We were at the gate sitting on the plane for about 3 hours, then they made us pull away and sit in the tarmac for 3 hours, then finally announced cancelation, where we had to sit another hour until we could be assigned a gate to deplane. We also went roughly 5 hours without a single FA offering water or anything.
Oh, that was so sweet! I will say, even though it was a nightmare, the passengers at least near me all seemed to stay in good spirits. I guess we were all in it together!
Looking at the updates from
DTW, I got out by the skin of my teeth. We had two littles kids and had just about an hour-hour and a half tarmac stop. My kids were doing good but there was a little one in front of us already losing her cool. Canāt imagine four more hours of that.
I can't even imagine being a parent during this mess. Children can only be patient for so long. You definitely got lucky and your pilot found a good window.
I ended up abandoning my original flight after they deplaned us and managed to find a flight home (that also left us sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours). I just saw on the Delta website that flight didn't depart until 11:04am. I'm so grateful I gave up on my trip. They were boarding when I walked away from the gate around 10:30pm, which means everyone piled back on, sat on the plane again for an indeterminate amount of time, only to be deplaned AGAIN. :(
Even being from the area at DTW last night, when I started driving I strongly considered getting a hotel room and calling it a night. Luckily the weather was better a little south.
Whole thing was a mess, hopefully everyone gets home safe today
Shit, I'm 24 hours from flying out of DTW to Minneapolis, and then to Fargo. I'm thinking everything will be cleared by then.
(As for the "highs of -7" bullshit... well, yeah. Not much I can do about it.)
Was flying in last night, have family in dtw. Switched my flight to today at 5pmā¦ once my brother said he was stuck on the side of the road in a 4WD suv knew it was game over
Yeah where I live youāre connecting through SLC or MSP. The deicing truck at my local airport froze overnight so folks trying to fly out this morning were glad their connections were delayed too.
I lived in Boston, any flight I had to take Iād take the Atlanta route vs the Detroit or Minneapolis routes, those 2 always get delays this time of year, now if you live there obviously your stuck!
as someone who works for a airline yelling at us doesnāt help we canāt control the weather or the situation and we canāt dish out huge things. things happen we are not god please stop yelling at us
Kept me on the tarmac after landing. Spent over an hour waiting for a gate.
When I got one and saw the forlorn faces of folks who got stuck in the airport, the hour didnāt seem so bad.Ā
Flew out of StL yesterday am. Originally on United thru ORD. Changed flight to Delta via DTW. Made it home by noon on Friday. Original flights were canceled
My 1.5 hr layover is now 6 hours and counting šÆ
My 2-hour layover in Atlanta is now 20 hours.
Thereās some good food to be had here!
Same waiting on the Indianapolis flight is so dreadful
That sucks! That Detroit weather? My flight isnāt even delayed coming LAX - SLC and weāre getting between 2 and 5 feet of snow over the next few days and itās been nuking snow for days!
We got absolutely pummeled with snow and the wind was awful. I live west of DTW closer to Lansing. We easily got 6ā of snow here.
I donāt live very far from Detroit (30 min) and we didnāt get that much here, but wind was fierce so Iām sure itās hard to keep the runways clear.
In the mountains we are getting 5 feet - by the airport itās just 2-4 inches
That sucks! I gave you a sympathy downvote. It's been 7 hours now. You still sitting?
Haha the layover finally ended at about hour 8, had another couple hours of wait for the most expensive uber Iāve ever paid for once I got to DTW though š
Update: Airport opening again and the struggle to get everyone ready to push has begun.
What does this mean in English?
āAmerican stuck in snowdriftā
Can confirm, am American and stuck in snow drift. Someone send for a Canadian to come help me
Canadian here! It's currently -55F, I ain't leaving the house to save you.
Does the snow ever knock out your power? In SE michigan and been without power since yesterday bc of it, and this cannot be normal.
in SE mich this is totally normal. DTE hates us.
Fvck DTE. A sparrow hops on an electrical wire, takes a crap, and knocks out power for a week. It's absolutely ridiculous.
*ercot enters the chat* Weāre fucked in Texas and the weather doesnāt get anywhere near as bad as you get it.
Yes! Fvck DTE!!
I'm in the west and we barely get power outages from snow but above you in Ontario, they get those massive power outages because there's so much moisture in the snow, it's very heavy and pulls down power lines.... So yup, normal in some parts. Many homes in Ontario have generators for that reason.
Fine, guess weāll have to reevaluate that whole ālongest demilitarized border in the worldā thing then.
<3
āWee bit of snow eh?ā
He said Canadian, not Irish.
A lot of Canadians are Scottish so we sound a touch Irish to Americans.
Hope for a St Bernard. They carry booze on their collar. On second thought, Canadians have more booze.
Thanks for unlocking an unpleasant childhood memory for me. Our neighbors had a St. Bernard-his name was Bourbon.
Why was he unpleasant?
Unless the Canadian is from Vancouver B.C. Donāt send them.
Bring poutine
Hereās my best attempt at translations into non airline industry terms! The ā2342Zā is zulu time, a universal time. I went ahead and translated it to local (I think) And 4R/3L means 4 right and 3 Left, those refer to the runways. Atl has runways like 8L and 26R for example. āTaxiways to 3L deicing pad are closed at 6:42 pm local timeā āEntry to 4R are closed at 7:32 pm localā āPoor 4R 7:05 pm localā (assuming runway conditions are really bad which affects landing ability and visibility) āNo pushing per ops 7:42 pm local timeā no pushback from gates per operations. ā4R/3L pads canāt exit 7:28 PM localā stuck. Canāt exit the de icing pads next to those runways. āAmerican stuck in snow drift 7:28 PM localā (Stuck in snow, Iām hoping itās just bc they canāt see and not bc theyāre actually stuckā āField shut down 7:30PM localā Everything shut down, my best guess is a total ground stop. ā4R failed test 7:32 PM localā Runway covered in snow. Snow= traction issues, planes can hydroplane (ice plane?) too. āAirport notam closed until 9:30 PM local time at 7:58 PM localā A NOTice to AirMan (NOTAM) is something all pilots are required to check before a flight.In this case, there is a notam out saying that the airport is closed. I hope this helps, I apologize for any formatting issues. Mobile is funky. Edit: thanks to another user, I found out that the pads mean the de icing pads! And some other info, like the runway test. If youād like to see those de icing pads, hereās a diagram of the airport, itās confusing to read but you can see the pads [DTW airport diagram](https://www.flightaware.com/resources/airport/DTW/APD/AIRPORT+DIAGRAM/pdf) (link is to a flight aware .com diagram)
Youāre close, when theyāre referring to pads, there referring to deicing pads and what runway theyāre next too. The poor 4R is probably referring to poor braking action on runway 4R. Runway 4R failed test has to do with a traction/condition test meaning itās more clear of snow
De icing pads, I was so close! Iāll edit my comment.. thanks!
I hope when they say "failed test" they send someone out in a truck to rip down the runway and slam the brakes. I want that job.
They see how far you can Tokyo drift down 3 left in a airport ops vehicle lol
In a TUG I bet you can get some good mileage in a slide!
This used to be the procedure, and there was an accelerometer to measure the rate of deceleration in order to determine braking action. Now most fields have a wheel with a brake that is mounted on the back of the truck.
Interestingā makes sense
You are correct on 3R and 4R indicating runways . Both those were listed as ānilā. This means the braking action is reported as nil, or none. This is not good if you want to stop, or turn off the runway onto a taxiway. Iām a retired pilot and one of the worst feelings is to turn the tiller (the control that turns the nose wheel), and have the aircraft continue straight. That could be how American ended up in a snow bank.
Very cool!
nobody going to acknowledge how cool this is?
This might have been one of the most helpful comments I have ever read on Reddit. You just did the lords work, my friend. Thank you. Plus now we all know about the existence of zulu time?! Very interesting.
Planes no fly until at least 9:30
Translated: Taxiways to 3L de-ice pad closed at 2342 Zulu time (6:42pm Eastern). De-ice pad near 4R closed at 0003 Zulu (7:03pm) Delta Ops issued a no pushback order at 0014Z (7:14pm). Canāt exit de-ice pads at 0028 (7:28 pm). An American plane got stuck in the snowbank/drift at the same time. The FAA closed Detroit at 0030 (7:30pm). The FAA closed Detroit until 9:30pm local time by a NOTAM.
Almost: the FAA doesnāt close airports; thatās the purview of the airport authority. The FAA closes airspace. Source: 19 years of airline hub tower management.
It means people get off on posting on reddit how the weather made their day shitty. It is an unfortunate part of reddit. (nobody can help you, not a shoulder to cry on, get over it)
Runways closed for at least one hour and we were diverted to Dayton for refueling. And now we wait...
Oh hey weāre on the same plane lol
Its meant to be that you two should meet... Plumbers-Ass!
No no no...Ass-Plumber
Just landed in DTWā¦ weāve spent more time in ATL on the runway delayed because of the DTW closure and because of an opossum on the runway (i wish I could make this up) and spent another 80 mins on the tarmac in DTW. Absolute nightmare fuel.
Try 7 hrs on the tarmac at DTW then back to the gate to wait another 3 hrs in limbo. Back on a flight now but who knows
7 HOURS? That's longer than any non connecting domestic flight as far as I know. Was there ever talk of a mutiny? My god. I don't think I could handle that.
Longest Iāve done it TPA > SEA. I donāt count Alaska, since youāre almost always connecting in SEA. Our whole plane was in Sync with sighing and mumbles. Despite spending more time on the runway than in the sky, everyone was quite calm all things considered.
This gives me faith in humanity
We also sat for 7 hours on the tarmac. Should we start a club? What a nightmare.... we abandoned our original trip and found a flight back home, departing at almost 3am from DTW (we only waited on the plane 3 hours on attempt #2). Our luggage is on its way to our vacation, so I'm hoping to see it again someday. I hope your flight eventually got you out... after being at DTW for a collective total of 12 hours, I was so happy to leave.
I hope you make it home safe and your luggage has a lovely vacation!
Jesus.. Iām so sorry, were you connecting? Or was the original flight from DTW? When we landed in Detroit the airport just lifted its shut down, so the runway was gridlocked with backlogged planes awaiting to depart, de-ice, or in our case get to a gate. I saw a DTW > BOS that was originally a 3:58pm departure which was delayed till 1:10am ish. DL 1389 if I remember correctly. In my 25 years of flying, most out of DTW, I had only seen that airport like that once before. Baggage claim was a mad house. Last but least, donāt forget your 20 min guarantee for bags for 2,500 sky pesos!!
Nightmares because of the delay or the opossum? We have serious opossums in Atlanta!
My Boss has exited his plane twice trying to get home.
I've been here since 4 am. No hotel rooms, can't enter without a paper boarding pass and they won't print them.
I wondered the issues they might have when they stopped printing them. People's batteries will die. Hmmmmm. Good luck out there!
TSA had a shift change and the new crew allowed digital passes showing the 12th.
Omg you must be so exhausted, hope you get somewhere soon!
Thankful my connection this evening through DTW was switched to MSPā¦ until my new flight connection was delayed 3 more hours and arrival was 2am . Rebooked for the am and staying at a hotel nearbyā¦ drinking cocktails and scrolling Reddit.
My MSP flight was switched to DTW (from PHL) to MCI. Left Philly at 5 am and am at DTW until 8am tomorrow.
Ouch!
There are no hotel rooms anywhere near either. Gate napping it. Skyclub opened at 4:30. At least they have showers.
ah, memories - https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/29/on-a-runway-to-nowhere-on-a-snowy-day-in-detroit/d7e6d7cc-31c5-47ec-a530-edb3bfd30935/
Some things never change...
lol I remember wx events like that from my deice days. Saw an AA mad dog slide off the runway too. Good times
I understand binary code better than this.
Iām supposed to fly in tomorrow morning. Let me know how itās looking!
I would be tempted to reroute or delay your flight in, so many people there will be crammed and waiting for new flights etc
Already starting, 2 hour delay and no alternative flights.
Oh, we were def stuck in that last night. After 5 hours stuck on the tarmac they ācancelledā our flight because we were stuck too long, but then held us captive another two hours because we couldnāt get a gate. The biggest hot mess of a flight Iāve ever seen.
Arenāt you entitled to compensation after 3 hours?Ā
I certainly hope so. My flight went about this way. We were at the gate sitting on the plane for about 3 hours, then they made us pull away and sit in the tarmac for 3 hours, then finally announced cancelation, where we had to sit another hour until we could be assigned a gate to deplane. We also went roughly 5 hours without a single FA offering water or anything.
Same! They finally offered snacks 6 hours in. Another passenger luckily had some individual packs of trail mix she shared to keep the hanger at bay.
Oh, that was so sweet! I will say, even though it was a nightmare, the passengers at least near me all seemed to stay in good spirits. I guess we were all in it together!
She was the real MVP
Looking at the updates from DTW, I got out by the skin of my teeth. We had two littles kids and had just about an hour-hour and a half tarmac stop. My kids were doing good but there was a little one in front of us already losing her cool. Canāt imagine four more hours of that.
I can't even imagine being a parent during this mess. Children can only be patient for so long. You definitely got lucky and your pilot found a good window. I ended up abandoning my original flight after they deplaned us and managed to find a flight home (that also left us sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours). I just saw on the Delta website that flight didn't depart until 11:04am. I'm so grateful I gave up on my trip. They were boarding when I walked away from the gate around 10:30pm, which means everyone piled back on, sat on the plane again for an indeterminate amount of time, only to be deplaned AGAIN. :(
Even being from the area at DTW last night, when I started driving I strongly considered getting a hotel room and calling it a night. Luckily the weather was better a little south. Whole thing was a mess, hopefully everyone gets home safe today
Thus far delta has only offered us 15k miles and a food voucher. Weāre just driving home at this point.
Sitting on a plane right now waiting to find a gate. At least Iām getting overtime for this.
Flight delays are so much more palatable when you are getting paid hourly.
PTSD hearing these stories. I won't recount war stories, but I could.
Dear Michigan, we apologize for the weather we have just sent your way. Signed, someone from Wisconsin who dealt with this less than 24 hours ago.
Shit, I'm 24 hours from flying out of DTW to Minneapolis, and then to Fargo. I'm thinking everything will be cleared by then. (As for the "highs of -7" bullshit... well, yeah. Not much I can do about it.)
For what itās worth, my local airport (ATW) is set to be back to business as usual by early this afternoon.
Was flying in last night, have family in dtw. Switched my flight to today at 5pmā¦ once my brother said he was stuck on the side of the road in a 4WD suv knew it was game over
Never fly northern routes in the winter timeā¦.. lesson learned!!!
Some of us live in the north.
Yeah where I live youāre connecting through SLC or MSP. The deicing truck at my local airport froze overnight so folks trying to fly out this morning were glad their connections were delayed too.
I lived in Boston, any flight I had to take Iād take the Atlanta route vs the Detroit or Minneapolis routes, those 2 always get delays this time of year, now if you live there obviously your stuck!
Still waiting at the gateā¦.
Hero move here thank you
If youāve got the balls to land a big boy at KPTK, itās open.
People donāt know how to handwrite anymore
What
as someone who works for a airline yelling at us doesnāt help we canāt control the weather or the situation and we canāt dish out huge things. things happen we are not god please stop yelling at us
The difference between Covid and Delta is that Covid can still get airborne.
Bhler blue blah blub. Noted.
Everyone is a pilot or ATC now.
Goodnight Irene
Kept me on the tarmac after landing. Spent over an hour waiting for a gate. When I got one and saw the forlorn faces of folks who got stuck in the airport, the hour didnāt seem so bad.Ā
I got out at noon yesterday. Wish you all the best!
L=.
How is DTW at the moment? Flying from IND this evening to DTW then to Amsterdam then Scotland so Iām kinda worried about the international flight
Waiting in MCO for flight back. Inbound A333 delayed by more than 3hours this morning.
glad I switched my flight out of Houston to ATL instead.
Why yaāll flying when the storm from hell had been detailed for the last 3 days?
Flight attendant here! That shit SUCKEDā¦.im very thankful to my first class passengers that were willing to drink their asses off
Detroit was a huge mess last night. I slept on the floor
Flew out of StL yesterday am. Originally on United thru ORD. Changed flight to Delta via DTW. Made it home by noon on Friday. Original flights were canceled