Narrative:

Freezing rain and snow was forecast. Although heavy snow accumulation did not affect phl, snow and ice did cover aircraft. Extreme congestion and sequential parking of a series of aircraft, air carrier Y, all awaiting outbound deicing. Although the passenger terminal is some distance from our cargo facility, evidently air carrier Y was using the txwys near our parking area as a 'spill-over' area to accommodate their difficult ground situation. Approaching the aircraft, I asked the maintenance team to join me in the cockpit to assess the situation. I determined that phl did not have the 'new' super-type ii fluid permitting greater holdover periods. I asked if they were planning on using the type ii fluid at our ramp gate, or closer to the runway. They indicated that our company did not have the authority/authorized to deice/anti-ice anywhere but on our own property. Many delays ensued. Loading problems, late trucks, etc. During the interim, we attempted to get a handle on 'how' we could expect to expedite our ramp/runway departure. Phl ATIS noted that the phl 'snow/ice plan' was in effect. Nowhere in our pubs was there an outline of what that meant. I called clearance delivery to better understand what we could expect. He declared air carrier Y was handling all ramp operations (including the cargo area) and to call them. They directed us to call their maintenance on yet another frequency. Clearance/ground turned over all traffic/movement control to air carrier Y ramp, because virtually everybody else was using air carrier Y for their own deicing anti-icing procedures. I discussed with air carrier Y ramp and maintenance our plan and the necessity to talk with them when we were ready. Both folks denied it necessary to speak with them directly, since we were not using their services. After about 3:30 of delays, having spoken with our dispatch control by telephone of the problems there in phl, our maintenance was ready to continue preparing for our departure. I again asked if we could move closer to the runway prior to applying the type ii fluid. Not allowed. Asked if maintenance could push us back onto the taxiway, and we could start engines prior to type ii fluid application. They said no. We again contacted ground control for the 'anticipated' taxi plan we could expect. Only because they changed runways on us, could we make the limited window. Type ii fluid began, the fluid application time/initials were noted, our holdover time began. Advising ground control of our pushback (required by our ramp company 'insert' page) met with the same 'run-around' as before. Ground giving complete control to ramp, ramp desiring our contacting maintenance, etc. Eventually, we broadcast our intentions on all frequencys, verified clear area behind us with our own maintenance and began the close-in pushback from the cargo ramp. We called ground when ready to taxi without further delay and headed for runway 09R as planned. We were lucky in that there were no other aircraft positioned in front of us upon arriving at the departure end of runway 09R. We happened to be #1 for takeoff. Even with this luck, we almost ran out of 'holdover' time. We were the 'first' aircraft departing from runway 09R. Tower had no braking action report for the runway. By this time the maximum crosswind limitations were abated and the takeoff was uneventful. My observations are several and disturb me from several angles: no 'official' braking action reports at phl were available. No information on the phl snow/ice plan available. ATC giving up traffic movement responsibility to one sole operator, who in turn cares nothing about our movement, nor who exercises any operational control. No coordination between the big operator on the field and others to assure unabated traverse to/from their parking spots without being bottled by other awaiting aircraft in the 'queue' to be deiced. Probable waste of fluids and likely return to the ramp to begin process all over again, unless an approach similar to air carrier Y's 'car-wash' deicing process is initiated near the end of the departure runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PART 121 CARGO CARRIER PIC EXPERIENCES MANY DELAYS AND GND CREW FLC COORD PROBS DUE TO TERMINAL AREA WX. TXWY RWY SURFACE CONDITION ICE SNOW. DEICING PROC PROBS.

Narrative: FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW WAS FORECAST. ALTHOUGH HVY SNOW ACCUMULATION DID NOT AFFECT PHL, SNOW AND ICE DID COVER ACFT. EXTREME CONGESTION AND SEQUENTIAL PARKING OF A SERIES OF ACFT, ACR Y, ALL AWAITING OUTBOUND DEICING. ALTHOUGH THE PAX TERMINAL IS SOME DISTANCE FROM OUR CARGO FACILITY, EVIDENTLY ACR Y WAS USING THE TXWYS NEAR OUR PARKING AREA AS A 'SPILL-OVER' AREA TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR DIFFICULT GND SIT. APCHING THE ACFT, I ASKED THE MAINT TEAM TO JOIN ME IN THE COCKPIT TO ASSESS THE SIT. I DETERMINED THAT PHL DID NOT HAVE THE 'NEW' SUPER-TYPE II FLUID PERMITTING GREATER HOLDOVER PERIODS. I ASKED IF THEY WERE PLANNING ON USING THE TYPE II FLUID AT OUR RAMP GATE, OR CLOSER TO THE RWY. THEY INDICATED THAT OUR COMPANY DID NOT HAVE THE AUTH TO DEICE/ANTI-ICE ANYWHERE BUT ON OUR OWN PROPERTY. MANY DELAYS ENSUED. LOADING PROBS, LATE TRUCKS, ETC. DURING THE INTERIM, WE ATTEMPTED TO GET A HANDLE ON 'HOW' WE COULD EXPECT TO EXPEDITE OUR RAMP/RWY DEP. PHL ATIS NOTED THAT THE PHL 'SNOW/ICE PLAN' WAS IN EFFECT. NOWHERE IN OUR PUBS WAS THERE AN OUTLINE OF WHAT THAT MEANT. I CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT WE COULD EXPECT. HE DECLARED ACR Y WAS HANDLING ALL RAMP OPS (INCLUDING THE CARGO AREA) AND TO CALL THEM. THEY DIRECTED US TO CALL THEIR MAINT ON YET ANOTHER FREQ. CLRNC/GND TURNED OVER ALL TFC/MOVEMENT CTL TO ACR Y RAMP, BECAUSE VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY ELSE WAS USING ACR Y FOR THEIR OWN DEICING ANTI-ICING PROCS. I DISCUSSED WITH ACR Y RAMP AND MAINT OUR PLAN AND THE NECESSITY TO TALK WITH THEM WHEN WE WERE READY. BOTH FOLKS DENIED IT NECESSARY TO SPEAK WITH THEM DIRECTLY, SINCE WE WERE NOT USING THEIR SVCS. AFTER ABOUT 3:30 OF DELAYS, HAVING SPOKEN WITH OUR DISPATCH CTL BY TELEPHONE OF THE PROBS THERE IN PHL, OUR MAINT WAS READY TO CONTINUE PREPARING FOR OUR DEP. I AGAIN ASKED IF WE COULD MOVE CLOSER TO THE RWY PRIOR TO APPLYING THE TYPE II FLUID. NOT ALLOWED. ASKED IF MAINT COULD PUSH US BACK ONTO THE TXWY, AND WE COULD START ENGS PRIOR TO TYPE II FLUID APPLICATION. THEY SAID NO. WE AGAIN CONTACTED GND CTL FOR THE 'ANTICIPATED' TAXI PLAN WE COULD EXPECT. ONLY BECAUSE THEY CHANGED RWYS ON US, COULD WE MAKE THE LIMITED WINDOW. TYPE II FLUID BEGAN, THE FLUID APPLICATION TIME/INITIALS WERE NOTED, OUR HOLDOVER TIME BEGAN. ADVISING GND CTL OF OUR PUSHBACK (REQUIRED BY OUR RAMP COMPANY 'INSERT' PAGE) MET WITH THE SAME 'RUN-AROUND' AS BEFORE. GND GIVING COMPLETE CTL TO RAMP, RAMP DESIRING OUR CONTACTING MAINT, ETC. EVENTUALLY, WE BROADCAST OUR INTENTIONS ON ALL FREQS, VERIFIED CLR AREA BEHIND US WITH OUR OWN MAINT AND BEGAN THE CLOSE-IN PUSHBACK FROM THE CARGO RAMP. WE CALLED GND WHEN READY TO TAXI WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY AND HEADED FOR RWY 09R AS PLANNED. WE WERE LUCKY IN THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT POSITIONED IN FRONT OF US UPON ARRIVING AT THE DEP END OF RWY 09R. WE HAPPENED TO BE #1 FOR TKOF. EVEN WITH THIS LUCK, WE ALMOST RAN OUT OF 'HOLDOVER' TIME. WE WERE THE 'FIRST' ACFT DEPARTING FROM RWY 09R. TWR HAD NO BRAKING ACTION RPT FOR THE RWY. BY THIS TIME THE MAX XWIND LIMITATIONS WERE ABATED AND THE TKOF WAS UNEVENTFUL. MY OBSERVATIONS ARE SEVERAL AND DISTURB ME FROM SEVERAL ANGLES: NO 'OFFICIAL' BRAKING ACTION RPTS AT PHL WERE AVAILABLE. NO INFO ON THE PHL SNOW/ICE PLAN AVAILABLE. ATC GIVING UP TFC MOVEMENT RESPONSIBILITY TO ONE SOLE OPERATOR, WHO IN TURN CARES NOTHING ABOUT OUR MOVEMENT, NOR WHO EXERCISES ANY OPERATIONAL CTL. NO COORD BTWN THE BIG OPERATOR ON THE FIELD AND OTHERS TO ASSURE UNABATED TRAVERSE TO/FROM THEIR PARKING SPOTS WITHOUT BEING BOTTLED BY OTHER AWAITING ACFT IN THE 'QUEUE' TO BE DEICED. PROBABLE WASTE OF FLUIDS AND LIKELY RETURN TO THE RAMP TO BEGIN PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN, UNLESS AN APCH SIMILAR TO ACR Y'S 'CAR-WASH' DEICING PROCESS IS INITIATED NEAR THE END OF THE DEP RWY.

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.