Tarmac Delays

Learn GoJet’s policies

When events and obstacles beyond our control occur, such as severe weather or Air Traffic Control issues, we strive to minimize delays and passenger inconvenience as much as possible, per the policies stated in our and our partners’ Extended Taxi Delay Plans.

Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delay

GoJet Airlines SOC Master Plan

Downloadable version can be found here.

A.Background

You can locate the DOT approved GoJet Airlines’ Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan at http://www.gojetairlines.com.

Delayed departure aircraft will begin to return to a gate or another suitable disembarkation point no later than three hours for domestic flights and no later than four hours for international flights after the main aircraft door has closed in preparation for departure. GoJet Airlines (GoJet) will not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours before allowing passengers to deplane for domestic arrival flights or more than four hours for international arrival flights after the aircraft has landed.

The Canada Transportation Act – Air Passenger Protection applies to aircraft on Canadian soil where a flight is delayed on the tarmac with the doors of the aircraft closed for take-off or after the flight has landed with a three hours tarmac delay requires a suitable disembarkation location. If the Pilot in Command’s reasonable opinion is that takeoff will occur no later than 3 hours and 45 minutes after the start of the long taxi delay, there is a onetime 45 minutes extension to the rule.

This plan ensures that GoJet Airlines will meet or exceed specified guidance as it pertains to provisioning, as follows: adequate food and potable water no later than two hours if the aircraft remains on the tarmac, unless the pilot-in-command determines that safety or security considerations preclude such service; operable lavatory facilities; medical attention; comfortable cabin temperature, and other customer comfort needs.

B. GoJet Plan and Responsibility

The GoJet System Operations Control (SOC) is responsible for the management, quality, and decision-making of the code share’s master plan for all GoJet flights. The contracted ground handling vendor companies will carry out the plan at the station.

SOC will also be responsible for initiating the GoJet back-up plan when our code share partner is unresponsive, unable to provide an available gate or a viable solution necessary to adhere with the tarmac delay contingency plan.

It will be the goal of the SOC to take all available information and make the best decisions possible to ensure compliance with the plan. In some cases that may mean flights with projected lengthy taxi delays of more than 2 hours:

  • May be canceled before even leaving the gate, or
  • Flights may be instructed to taxi to an available gate (or alternative parking location where passengers can be disembarked) well in advance of the timeline contained in Paragraph C (1-4) of this document, or
  • Flights may be diverted to a less congested airport until the destination airport taxi delays are reduced to less than 1 hour.

When there is a known substantial delay to departure, the SOC will evaluate the length of the delay and will notify the station to hold boarding of the flight when appropriate.

Gates and Facilities

GoJet has contractual relationships with it mainline partners, Delta Air Lines (“Delta”) and United Airlines (“United”) that provide for coordination for the use of gates and associated facilities in delay situations. Both Delta and United have submitted independent plans to the DOT, and much of those plans will also apply to GoJet as the mainline partners provide all ground and gate operations employees and facilities under contractual relationships with GoJet.

Flights on Canadian soil experiencing Lengthy Tarmac Delays may not be required to disembark if Customs/Security does not allow, if ATC does not allow, or if the situation is unsafe/unsecure for customers and crew.

C. SOC Plan

  1. Extended Taxi Delays: The SOC has expanded on its current procedures used for extended taxi delays to ensure the DOT Extended Tarmac Delay Policy and Canada Passenger Rights are enforced. It has identified actions that it needs to take, based on trigger points.
  2. After Boarding Before an Aircraft Leaves a Gate GoJet Airlines will update passengers regarding the status of the delay every 30 minutes (or sooner if required by Code Share Partner) while the aircraft is delayed, including the reasons for the tarmac delay, if known. Passengers shall be reminded that they have the opportunity to deplane from an aircraft that is at the gate or another disembarkation area with the door open, provided the opportunity to deplane actually exists.
  3. Aircraft Away from the Gate
    1. 60 minutes (1 hour)
      1. Identify the delay reason.
      2. Flight Crew receives an auto generated message via ACARS* instructing them to reply to SOC with update.
      3. Flight Crew will report on status.
      4. In the event ACARS is inoperative, communications will be accomplished using alternative methods as identified in the GOM.
    2. 90 minutes (1:30 hours)
      1. Phone Contact is made from SOC to the Manager of SOC and the Flight Operations Manager in operational control to discuss the delay.
        1. Alternates in call order
          1. Director of Operations
          2. Chief Pilot
          3. Vice President of Flight Operations
          4. Chief Operating Officer (COO)
          5. President
          6. Duty Manager or designee will Ensure the following:
            1. Contact Station to advise them of a potential DOT-3 exceedance and review the gate availability plan.
            2. Gauge the event to determine the likelihood of the flight’s potential to depart or return to a location allowing passengers to deplane prior to the 3 hour mark.
            3. Ensure food and beverage service is initiated to be completed prior to 120 minutes (2:00 hours).
          7. SOC sends out a notification to senior management with the following information:
            1. Flight –
            2. City Pair –
            3. Minutes Out –
            4. *Note: if the lavatory is not usable or water is not available, the aircraft must proceed to a passenger egress point.
    3. 120 minutes (2 hours)
      1. Duty Manager (or designee) will initiate the Extended Tarmac Delay Report located on the Company Intranet.
      2. Assess egress opportunity and verify gate availability. 
      3. If the station does not have a gate readily available to accommodate the flight, SOC will initiate contact with other airlines, airport authority, or FBO, as necessary, to obtain an alternate deplaning location. 
      4. In locations where 60 minutes is needed (due to gate availability or taxiway congestion), notify code share partner of the situation and confirm the need to proceed to the alternate location. 
      5. Ensure food and beverage service is complete. 
      6. The Dispatcher will send an ACARS* transmission to Crew with the onboard announcement as follows:
      7. Departure Delays:
        1. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR FLIGHT CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY XXXX. CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE PREVENTING US FROM MAKING A TIMELY DEPARTURE. IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL DOT REQUIREMENTS, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO BEGIN OUR RETURN TO THE GATE OR AN ALTERNATE DEPLANING LOCATION SHORTLY. WE ARE CONTINUING TO COORDINATE THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS TO FIND A RESOLUTION TO OUR CURRENT SITUATION AND WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.
      8. Arrival Delays:
        1. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR FLIGHT CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY XXXX. CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE PREVENTING US FROM MAKING A TIMELY ARRIVAL INTO A GATE. IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL DOT REQUIREMENTS, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO DEPLANE AT AN ALTERNATE LOCATION SHORTLY. WE ARE CONTINUING TO COORDINATE THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS TO FIND A RESOLUTION TO OUR CURRENT SITUATION AND WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.
      9. ACARS* to be returned to dispatch with crew assessment of passenger service issues (food, water, lavatories, mood, etc.)
      10. * In the event ACARS is inoperative, communications will be accomplished using alternative methods as identified in the GOM.  
    4. 135 minutes (2:15 hours):
      1. If instructed by the Director of Operations or Flight Operations Manager in operational control, the SOC Duty Manager shall initiate a bridge line to update the corporate leaders regarding the details of the flight, assessment of the situation and info on communications with the crew between the following:
        1. President 
        2. Vice President/Chief Operating Officer 
        3. Director of Operations o Director of Safety 
        4. Director of SOC/TSH o VP Flight Operations 
        5. Director of Customer and Ground Services 
        6. Manager of SOC 
        7. SOC Duty Manager 
        8. Regional Manager (for affected airport) 
      2. Initiate a return to gate if takeoff is not imminent, (applicable to taxi-out delays and only when decision to return @ 2 hr. mark was not made)
        1. Aircraft on Canadian soil must be at a suitable disembarkation location by 3 hours, unless for departing aircraft, the PIC determines take-off is imminent within 3 hours and 45 minutes by using the 45 minutes extension. 
      3. In locations where 45 minutes is needed (due to gate availability or taxiway congestion), notify code share partner of the situation and confirm the need to proceed to the alternate location. 
      4. If no resolution is imminent the Vice President/Chief Operating Officer will communicate with the affected Code Share Partner’s senior leadership as available for additional assistance in resolving the emergency situation. 
    5. 150 minutes (2:30 hours):
      1. The Dispatcher will send an ACARS* transmission to Crew with the onboard announcement as follows:
      2. Departure Delays:
        1. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR FLIGHT CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY xxxxx. CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE PREVENTING US FROM MAKING A TIMELY DEPARTURE. IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL DOT REQUIREMENTS, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO BEGIN OUR RETURN TO THE GATE OR AN ALTERNATE DEPLANING LOCATION SHORTLY. WE ARE CONTINUING TO COORDINATE THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS TO FIND A RESOLUTION TO OUR CURRENT SITUATION AND WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 
      3. Arrival Delays:
        1. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR FLIGHT CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY xxxxx. CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE PREVENTING US FROM MAKING A TIMELY ARRIVAL INTO A GATE. IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL DOT REQUIREMENTS, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO DEPLANE AT AN ALTERNATE LOCATION SHORTLY. WE ARE CONTINUING TO COORDINATE THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS TO FIND A RESOLUTION TO OUR CURRENT SITUATION AND WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 
      4. ACARS* to be returned to dispatch with crew assessment of passenger service issues (food, water, lavatories, mood, etc.) 
      5. * In the event ACARS is inoperative, communications will be accomplished using alternative methods as identified in the GOM. 
    6. 165 Minutes (2:45 Hours)
      1. For an Arrival, if the aircraft has not parked at the gate or alternate location, or will not meet the requirement of a passenger door being open and passengers having the ability to deplane, the PIC will coordinate with the SOC and Director of Operations or Flight Operations Manager in operational control on emergency declaration notification to airport authorities and Station Operations. 
      2. * An Emergency Declaration will only be accomplished when Fuel exhaustion is imminent or passenger safety is at risk (i.e. lavatories inoperative, food/water exhausted, etc.). 
      3. For a Departure, positive contact must be made with ATC to be granted permission to begin the process of returning to the gate or alternate location. If the aircraft is in an area under the carrier’s control, the crew must begin maneuvering the aircraft to the disembarkation point.
        1. Aircraft on Canadian soil must be at a suitable disembarkation location by 3 hours, unless for departing aircraft, the PIC determines take-off is imminent within 3 hours and 45 minutes by using the 45 minutes extension 
    7. Aircraft Parked & Egress Offered to Customers or A/C Departed After the tarmac delay event concludes, the SOC Duty Manager will complete the Extended Tarmac Delay Report with all the information that is available to the SOC for any event that exceeds 120 minutes. The completed form will then be provided to the Manager of SOC. 
    8. Diversions: Special consideration should be given to cities that are not normal serviced by our partners. These may include:
      1. Monitoring of in-times from stations to assure that “in” means customer have the ability to deplane 
      2. SOC Duty Manager will communicate with ATC desk to prioritize diverted flights and use the Diversion Recovery Tool in the event of a GDP. 
      3. In the case of a diversion the SOC Duty Manager will follow the timeline and procedures established paragraph C. (1-4) of this
Tarmac Delays - GoJet Airlines