Narrative:

After landing rollout on runway 27, tower directed us to exit at taxiway B5 to the gate, contact ground clear of runway. Contacted ground, were told to hold short of taxiway B parallel to allow a commuter eastbound on taxiway B to pass, then after air carrier large transport pushed off gate #X, we were cleared 'to the gate.' after the commuter passed us eastbound, it was obvious that the large transport was pushing back into the ramp between both east terminal satellites and was blocking our path to gate Y. I acknowledged the 'cleared to gate' call and proceeded with the after landing checklist and flow head down. I soon was aware we were not stopping and looked up just in time to realize my captain was going to taxi in front of the large transport, between his pushback tug and his gate #X. Being caught by surprise, I only had time to quickly clear our wing area and monitor the air carrier tug and crew man for wing tip clearance. My captain blocked into gate Y and beginning to unstrap, apparently did not hear the air carrier captain's protests to san diego ground. Still somewhat in a state of surprise, I told my captain 'you're getting your ass chewed out on ground, maybe you'd like to hear this,' and turned on the overhead speaker. After hearing the air carrier captain's protests, my captain looked at me with genuine surprise and asked 'what's his problem, it didn't look close to me,' didn't you think we had plenty of room?' at that point I responded, 'well, we had room but I don't think I'd have done that. I don't think taxiing between a pushback and his jetway is what we need to be doing, there are letters out on that!' my captain looked taken aback for the first time. I tried to smooth things over with ground control on a discrete frequency, but at the end of the conversation the air carrier crew, who were eavesdropping on the conversation, broke in and said, 'well, you can expect a letter on this one!' then all left the frequency. It's my belief my captain was so concerned with 'on-time arrival' that he got tunnel vision, saw a gap and drove through it. Also, it is common at our company for 1 company aircraft to push off a gate and another company aircraft to pull right into the same gate before the first tug is unhooked. Due to tight scheduling and rapid turnaround times, this is actually quite common. So common in fact that I think my captain momentarily went 'color blind' and didn't even realize that air carrier probably didn't share similar enthusiasm for this kind of ground operation. At no time was there a 'close clearance' problem as we had at least 20-35 ft clearance off both wings. (I'd bet the air carrier captain saw it differently from his point, however, judging from his reaction). In fact, the air carrier contributed to the perception problem by pushing back so far, almost with his main gear on the parallel taxiway, estimated by me at approximately 50 yards off his gate. I can see where my captain, as he stated later, thought air carrier was intentionally pushing back far enough to 'let us pass in front.' but in light of the current competitive mentality in the domestic airline industry between 'no-frills carriers' and the big 3, I suggested to my captain that I doubted an air carrier captain would do anything to help our company flight crew get to their gate on time. Especially since the ceo at air carrier has been telling all his union pilots for months that our company is going to force pay cuts and layoffs at air carrier. I suspect the anger will worsen.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR TAXIES BTWN LGT ON PUSHBACK AND THE GATE FROM WHICH HE JUST DEPARTED. LGT CAPT NOT HAPPY.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG ROLLOUT ON RWY 27, TWR DIRECTED US TO EXIT AT TXWY B5 TO THE GATE, CONTACT GND CLR OF RWY. CONTACTED GND, WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY B PARALLEL TO ALLOW A COMMUTER EBOUND ON TXWY B TO PASS, THEN AFTER ACR LGT PUSHED OFF GATE #X, WE WERE CLRED 'TO THE GATE.' AFTER THE COMMUTER PASSED US EBOUND, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE LGT WAS PUSHING BACK INTO THE RAMP BTWN BOTH E TERMINAL SATELLITES AND WAS BLOCKING OUR PATH TO GATE Y. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE 'CLRED TO GATE' CALL AND PROCEEDED WITH THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST AND FLOW HEAD DOWN. I SOON WAS AWARE WE WERE NOT STOPPING AND LOOKED UP JUST IN TIME TO REALIZE MY CAPT WAS GOING TO TAXI IN FRONT OF THE LGT, BTWN HIS PUSHBACK TUG AND HIS GATE #X. BEING CAUGHT BY SURPRISE, I ONLY HAD TIME TO QUICKLY CLR OUR WING AREA AND MONITOR THE ACR TUG AND CREW MAN FOR WING TIP CLRNC. MY CAPT BLOCKED INTO GATE Y AND BEGINNING TO UNSTRAP, APPARENTLY DID NOT HEAR THE ACR CAPT'S PROTESTS TO SAN DIEGO GND. STILL SOMEWHAT IN A STATE OF SURPRISE, I TOLD MY CAPT 'YOU'RE GETTING YOUR ASS CHEWED OUT ON GND, MAYBE YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR THIS,' AND TURNED ON THE OVERHEAD SPEAKER. AFTER HEARING THE ACR CAPT'S PROTESTS, MY CAPT LOOKED AT ME WITH GENUINE SURPRISE AND ASKED 'WHAT'S HIS PROB, IT DIDN'T LOOK CLOSE TO ME,' DIDN'T YOU THINK WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM?' AT THAT POINT I RESPONDED, 'WELL, WE HAD ROOM BUT I DON'T THINK I'D HAVE DONE THAT. I DON'T THINK TAXIING BTWN A PUSHBACK AND HIS JETWAY IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING, THERE ARE LETTERS OUT ON THAT!' MY CAPT LOOKED TAKEN ABACK FOR THE FIRST TIME. I TRIED TO SMOOTH THINGS OVER WITH GND CTL ON A DISCRETE FREQ, BUT AT THE END OF THE CONVERSATION THE ACR CREW, WHO WERE EAVESDROPPING ON THE CONVERSATION, BROKE IN AND SAID, 'WELL, YOU CAN EXPECT A LETTER ON THIS ONE!' THEN ALL LEFT THE FREQ. IT'S MY BELIEF MY CAPT WAS SO CONCERNED WITH 'ON-TIME ARR' THAT HE GOT TUNNEL VISION, SAW A GAP AND DROVE THROUGH IT. ALSO, IT IS COMMON AT OUR COMPANY FOR 1 COMPANY ACFT TO PUSH OFF A GATE AND ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT TO PULL RIGHT INTO THE SAME GATE BEFORE THE FIRST TUG IS UNHOOKED. DUE TO TIGHT SCHEDULING AND RAPID TURNAROUND TIMES, THIS IS ACTUALLY QUITE COMMON. SO COMMON IN FACT THAT I THINK MY CAPT MOMENTARILY WENT 'COLOR BLIND' AND DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT ACR PROBABLY DIDN'T SHARE SIMILAR ENTHUSIASM FOR THIS KIND OF GND OP. AT NO TIME WAS THERE A 'CLOSE CLRNC' PROB AS WE HAD AT LEAST 20-35 FT CLRNC OFF BOTH WINGS. (I'D BET THE ACR CAPT SAW IT DIFFERENTLY FROM HIS POINT, HOWEVER, JUDGING FROM HIS REACTION). IN FACT, THE ACR CONTRIBUTED TO THE PERCEPTION PROB BY PUSHING BACK SO FAR, ALMOST WITH HIS MAIN GEAR ON THE PARALLEL TXWY, ESTIMATED BY ME AT APPROX 50 YARDS OFF HIS GATE. I CAN SEE WHERE MY CAPT, AS HE STATED LATER, THOUGHT ACR WAS INTENTIONALLY PUSHING BACK FAR ENOUGH TO 'LET US PASS IN FRONT.' BUT IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT COMPETITIVE MENTALITY IN THE DOMESTIC AIRLINE INDUSTRY BTWN 'NO-FRILLS CARRIERS' AND THE BIG 3, I SUGGESTED TO MY CAPT THAT I DOUBTED AN ACR CAPT WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP OUR COMPANY FLC GET TO THEIR GATE ON TIME. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CEO AT ACR HAS BEEN TELLING ALL HIS UNION PLTS FOR MONTHS THAT OUR COMPANY IS GOING TO FORCE PAY CUTS AND LAYOFFS AT ACR. I SUSPECT THE ANGER WILL WORSEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.