I plan flights for airlines – how hot weather can see you kicked off a plane
A MAN who plans flights for airlines has explained why you could be kicked off your flight if it’s a really hot day.
The weather plays a huge role in flight planning, with certain conditions making things more dangerous for pilots.
Warren Weston is Delta’s lead meteorologist and is head of a team that monitors global weather to determine which routes their planes should be flying to make the journeys as smooth as possible.
He has explained why hot weather can be just as much of a problem as storms or wind when plotting a flight – and how it could lead to some people being removed from the plane.
He told the New York Times: “When it is really hot, the planes can carry a little bit less weight than they normally would, so that means fewer passengers and less baggage. Even one degree makes a difference.”
That one degree could mean a substantial amount of weight has to be removed from the aircraft in order for it to fly safely.
Warren continued: “If it is hotter than 100F (37.8C), every degree over that is going to mean about 635kg off.”
With the average human weighing 62kg, it could mean as many as ten people are taken off that plane, for only one degree of heat.
This is all because of air density and how it is changed by heat.
High temperatures make the air less dense, which has a significant effect on engine performance and the amount of lift produced as the plane takes off.
Time magazine explained: “That generally means lower takeoff weights and longer takeoff distances are needed to produce sufficient lift.
“As a result, carriers are having to reduce pounds on the planes.”
This summer. Delta had to limit passengers and fuel loads because of higher temperatures in America.
At the time, the airline said in a statement: “Additional protocols have been put in place to address the operational impacts extreme heat has on aircraft, including loading less fuel to account for weight and balance and schedule refuelling along the route when needed.”
Once the planes have taken off, there’s plenty of different factors that could cause the flight to be delayed, or even rerouted.
Warren explained that the main reason planes can’t touch down as scheduled is because of thunderstorms.
He continued: “If you’ve got a thunderstorm over the airport, that will prevent you from landing. That’s probably the main one; another could be thunderstorms en route. That could cause planes to fly a different and longer route.”
Any unexpected storms could also be dangerous for passengers on the planes too, with pilots saying that they can cause very bad turbulence.
Eser Aksan E told Sun Online Travel: “When we get huge thunderstorms, it always makes it turbulent, like big bumps.
“However, we can see where the storm is happening and make a plan to either try and fly around it, or work out how to make it last the shortest amount of time.”
Meanwhile, this is what really happens in the cockpit when pilots have to land during storms.
And this special app is used by pilots to check the weather and keep passengers safe.