MSY Evacuation Flights

[LGA777]

As I type this MSY will be closing in the less than 2 hours as Hurricane Gustav approaches with a vingenence. First of all I wish the residents of this part of the country well, and hope they can start rebuilding their lives AGAIN asap from this latest cruel blow from Mother Nature. But I thought some of you might be interested in what numerous airlines are doing to get residents out of harms way.

Many airlines are running extra sections yesterday and today to get passengers out of MSY most earlier than scheduled this holiday weekend. Here at US we ran on Saturday 1 734 extra section to CLT around 2100 last night and it departed full. Today US ran both a 319 and 734 extra section to CLT. But (I think) more interstingly we ran a 319 to TYS and a 320 to BNA on govement sponsored and paid for flights to get local evacuees out of harms away. These flights where worked at MSY by the Military and boarded rampside in front of the former Airport Post office that had been converted for such a situation after the mess before Katrina hit. The TSA had 6 screening lines set up inside complete with Metal Detectors, and evacues where brought to facility by bus from the different centers in the city, proccesed, screened, then boarded onto various flights on the ramp outside. Upon arrival at both Tenn airports the US flights and I assume many of the others at other airprots deplaned on the local Air National Guard ramp. I think some of you might be surprised at the mix of airlines and equipment involved, using flight aware as my source here is a list of such flights between 1700 on Saturday and 0500 Sunday morning,in order of departure.

Shuttle America E170 FSM (Fort Smith Ark)
Republic E170 FSM
Delta 763 IND (New Orleans Saints)
NW 752 SDF
Republic E170 FSM
NW 752 SDF
MIA Air 738 GSO
Sun Country 738 BNA (2 1HR apart)
North Am 757 BNA

Starting at 0500 Sunday
Sun Country 738 TYS
Shuttle America E170 FSM
Republic E170 FSM
NW 752 SDF
MIA Air 738 SDF
NW 752 SDF
US 319 TYS
North Am 757 BNA
Shuttle AM E170 FSM
US 320 BNA
Republic E170 FSM
WN 737 BHM
WN 737 AUS
NW 752 DFW (changed from SDF)
NW 752 DFW (changed from SDF. FLT 9999)
Expjet E145 TYS
MIA Air 738 DFW (changed from BNA)
North Am 752 BNA
Ryan 757 SDF (this appears to be the last flight out)

Again this does not include Airline extra sections for their own stranded paxs that included several B6 A320's to JFK and AA 757 to DFW, 2 UA 757 (ORD and DEN) and numerous WN flights among others.

I hope this interesting to at least a few of you, GODSPEED to all in harms way !

LGA777

[PhilDernerJr]

I'm working on our flights from our control center here in NY, and it really is quite an effort. I'm talking to people on the ground in MSY and they really are moving a lot of people. It is a shame Katrina was such a costly lesson, but if Gustav ends up being as bad as expected, many many lives are being saved as we speak.

[cancidas]

vingenence

even though i know this is serious thread you deserve to be gotten back for your "that looks like matt looking for the airport" comment today. it's spelled vengeance.

now several stations in the US Airways Express system are already shut down until further notice, not expected to open again until sometime tuesday at the earliest. we've also run extra sections to get pax out of PNS, VPS, PFN, MOB, GPT, MSY and IAH. have also been 2 extra section flights operated from MBJ, in addition to the FEMA charters that ron mentioned above.

[LGA777]

Matt, thanks for noticing my spelling error, Phil my biggest wish list item for the site is spell check as my spelling has always sucked.

And intersting little bit of triva, the US A320 departed MSY for BNA and halfway to BNA it was diverted to SDF at the request of FEMA as they appear to be running out of housing for the evacuees at BNA. Also looks like DFW is starting to get evacuee flights now.

Phil thanks for your update from work, very proud our two airlines are involved in this.

LGA777

[mirrodie]

Let's jsut hope everyone is OK.

I heard their mayor on the radio this evening, with the words "get your butts our of New Orleans." Doesn't get much more blunt than that.

[NYCMedic]

BNA is an absolute nightmare right now. I'm across the room from phil watching him try and work some magic so we do not have to divert to SDF...... I think he's about to pull his remaining hair out of his head!! Stellar job Phil!

[LGA777]

I made a few changes/additions to the bottom of the first post in this thread. Looks like the good folks over at hometown airline North American had the last (airliner) arrival at the airport and the second to last departure.

My hat is off to them for doing their (BIG) part to help get innocent people out of harms way.

As I type this 2115L Sunday night it has started raining in New Orleans.

Best of Luck to all effected.

LGA777

[Gerard]

>As I type this 2115L Sunday night it has started raining in New Orleans.
Best of Luck to all effected.<

Best of luck to everyone involved. I was in New Orleans in Aug 05 three weeks before Katrina hit for the AAU Olympics. It was ABSOLUTELY
the best vacation I ever had (LOL, just me and my oldest son and his AAU hockey team) and I have vowed to go back again (with my wife)
but after this storm hits my timetable to return might be pushed back.
:(

[moose135]

Best of Luck to all effected.

Amen to that. And to all the NYCAers helping with the evac and the storm's aftermath, a big thank you!

[emshighway]

Matt, thanks for noticing my spelling error, Phil my biggest wish list item for the site is spell check as my spelling has always sucked.

LGA777

You can always just download ieSpell at http://iespell.com

[PhilDernerJr]

Work has finally slowed down. Was hectic for a little there with a lot of changes going on. We (as in all of the airlines involved) finished getting all of the evacuees out of New Orleans, and many of the flights were cancelled because they simply weren't needed.

Though I didn't have my feet in the mud myself, it was fun watching it all so closely. My crews performed well.

[Matt Molnar]

Matt, thanks for noticing my spelling error, Phil my biggest wish list item for the site is spell check as my spelling has always sucked.

LGA777

You can always just download ieSpell at http://iespell.com

Also, Firefox has built in spellcheck.

[Gerard]

While everyone is running to the North large number of aviation assets are heading in. Two Pave Hawks from the 106th left over the
weekend and two C-130s departed today. I also read that Gov. Patterson ordered a number of CH-47s and medevac UH-1s from the
Rochester area to head down.
Thankfully it looks like Gustav will not be as bad as Katrina.