Why cancel a non weather related delayed flight?
On Friday March 10, ExpressJet flight 5145 was cancelled by Delta after a 5 hour delay repairing what they initially stated was a minor issue with the hydraulic system on the jet. WHY? Minneapolis, where the flight was to originate, is Delta's second largest hub, so why couldn't operations find a replacement jet? Is their fleet that tight that on a Friday night (scheduled departure was 551pm) EVERY other jet was in use? And if there wasn't one at MSP, what about Detroit, another major hub of theirs? Many of the people on this crowded flight had been travelling since early morning from places like Philadelphia and Seattle and were extremely tired already and looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds last Friday. The decision to scrub the flight surely was expensive for Delta to get hotel or shuttle accomodations for the passengers, but in cancelling they also made dozens extremely upset/angry since a valid explanation for why was never provided. I have been on flights in the past cancelled for weather related issues, but not because operations didn't think it was a priority to locate a replacement aircraft.
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