Lessons Learned as the 2009 Snow Season Wraps Up in Denver and Milwaukee
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Winter 2008-2009 turned out to have been a busy one, particularly in the upper Midwest and the Northeast. This month, we talk to key players at Denver and Milwaukee for their takes on the highlights of the season.
DEN - This was the first year DEN used PASSUR OPSnet's Departure Slot Allocation Manager (DSAM). Denver's Keith Mays explains, "We wanted to raise awareness of the actual departure demand and not focus solely on arrivals during snow events." Keith had the carriers enter their planned taxi times, even if formal slot allocation was not in effect. He then assigned each flight a departure slot using the DSAM, which was viewable by all users. This provided the airport operator and the FAA with real-time departure demand numbers and allowed for efficient scheduling of runway treatment activities and optimal arrival and departure flow rates. Both the DSAM and the Master Coordination Screen became highly reliable departure demand indicators. Combining this information with the chat function became a very effective tool for keeping everyone in the loop.
MKE - Milwaukee's Mitchell Airport had 70 inches of snow this season, nearly 50% above average, and a snow event means that the airport is almost always down to one runway at MKE. Mitchell's Terry Blue used PASSUR OPSnet to form the core of the communication and coordination network. Eight hours or more before a forecasted snow event, a s now alert was called, a meeting was held, and a plan was created that was sent to all airport users via PASSUR OPSnet (online and email).
According to Terry, "This has a significant impact on arrival and departure flow and ratios. A runway plowing strategy is developed and air carriers are given planned runway closure times. Both day and evening shifts are expanded to 12 hours providing around the clock coverage. Friction test results are posted on OPSnet. PASSUR Portal is used to track arrival and departure demand and assess best times to take runways for plowing. Air carriers like OPSnet very much as they do not have to send staff to man the snow operations desk." This procedure will also be used this spring and summer as MKE enters the construction season.
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OPSnet as an Equipment Tracking Tool
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A very important part of the day-to-day operation at a major airport is monitoring ground support equipment (GSE). Carts, tugs, transporters, belt loaders, tow bars and many other types of expensive equipment can be found lying around at many parts of the airport. The cost of losing the use of this GSE is high, and more importantly, unsecured equipment can pose a safety hazard during high wind conditions. PASSUR OPSnet has been used to identify waylaid GSE and provide a single source for all airport tenants to locate this equipment and recover it. Each terminal operator or facility should do a daily check for misplaced GSE and post it in the "RAMP" remarks box in their Terminal Facility Screen (for full PASSUR OPSnet users). Users with the FCR-only module can use the chat area to inform the airport of their equipment status, which can then be posted by the airport in a designated content area.
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Reminder: Airline SOCs Can Now Access all PASSUR OPSnet Sites
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System Ops personnel - including airline dispatchers, ATC coordinators, schedulers and customer service coordinators - make better decisions when they are made directly and immediately aware of the status of an airport operation through OPSnet. Several airline SOCs are already regular users of several OPSnet sites; the goal is to have them all become part of the OPSnet network.
Since we first sent this notice out in December, several more airline SOCs have contacted us to get PASSUR OPSnet access. There is no additional cost to carriers or airports to extend this service.
If you would like to have an airline SOC become a member of the PASSUR OPSnet community, simply email customerservice@passur.com and make the request. We will need your contact info, as well as a contact at the SOC.
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nd the Northeast. 