Narrative:

Sea ramp control routinely cleared our flight to taxi out between the concourses. An aircraft had pushed from gate and stopped about 50 ft back from start of push (into taxiway). Their ramp crew moved to a position near aft part of their aircraft and tried to wave our aircraft to taxi by; ensuring proper clearance. This would have required our aircraft to deviate nearly 50 ft north of the marked taxiway and into the safety area for the 'north' concourse; without anyone posituationioned on aircraft right to ensure our clearance from the numerous parked and unlighted ground support vehicles and bag carts. We declined the kind invitation and the aircraft was towed forward to allow normal taxi clearance. What was the ramp controller thinking? There clearly was no room to taxi on the centerline past the aircraft. It was nighttime. There were no taxi safety directors on the side of our aircraft that was expected to move into a ramp area with unlighted vehicles and equipment. Not only was this clearly a hazard for collision; it was also a hazard for our aircraft to cause jetblast damage by blowing over carts as we turned to regain the taxi line.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND CREW DIRECTS B737 CREW TO TAXI AROUND ACFT BLOCKING TXWY IN GATE AREA.

Narrative: SEA RAMP CTL ROUTINELY CLRED OUR FLT TO TAXI OUT BTWN THE CONCOURSES. AN ACFT HAD PUSHED FROM GATE AND STOPPED ABOUT 50 FT BACK FROM START OF PUSH (INTO TXWY). THEIR RAMP CREW MOVED TO A POS NEAR AFT PART OF THEIR ACFT AND TRIED TO WAVE OUR ACFT TO TAXI BY; ENSURING PROPER CLRNC. THIS WOULD HAVE REQUIRED OUR ACFT TO DEVIATE NEARLY 50 FT N OF THE MARKED TXWY AND INTO THE SAFETY AREA FOR THE 'N' CONCOURSE; WITHOUT ANYONE POSITUATIONIONED ON ACFT RIGHT TO ENSURE OUR CLRNC FROM THE NUMEROUS PARKED AND UNLIGHTED GND SUPPORT VEHICLES AND BAG CARTS. WE DECLINED THE KIND INVITATION AND THE ACFT WAS TOWED FORWARD TO ALLOW NORMAL TAXI CLRNC. WHAT WAS THE RAMP CTLR THINKING? THERE CLRLY WAS NO ROOM TO TAXI ON THE CTRLINE PAST THE ACFT. IT WAS NIGHTTIME. THERE WERE NO TAXI SAFETY DIRECTORS ON THE SIDE OF OUR ACFT THAT WAS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO A RAMP AREA WITH UNLIGHTED VEHICLES AND EQUIP. NOT ONLY WAS THIS CLRLY A HAZARD FOR COLLISION; IT WAS ALSO A HAZARD FOR OUR ACFT TO CAUSE JETBLAST DAMAGE BY BLOWING OVER CARTS AS WE TURNED TO REGAIN THE TAXI LINE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.