X-flight and flash pass

[chester016]

How does everybody think X-flight will work with flash pass this year? Will it be available on flash pass during its first summer open at all? Will it be available only on platinum and gold? What does everybody think the wait times are going to be even if a flash pass is used?

[coasterkidd100]

I would imagine that X-Flight will be on the flash pass system this summer. I don't see why they wouldn't sense they would probably make quite a bit of money off of the ride in flash pass sales. As far as the wait time goes I could see it being a hour or more even with a flash pass.

[sfgam#1]

I think X-flight won't be on flash pass till mid- season. And it would most likely be on platinum !!

[CoasterDemon]

How about just run the rides at high efficiency and not let people pay to cut?

[FParker185]

While I fully agree with coasterdemon, I bet it will be on Platnum but not regular. Maybe gold too.

Anyone who's ridden Wild Eagle, what was the capacity like? Is it as abysmal as it looks on paper?

[Johnny.Ink]

How about just run the rides at high efficiency and not let people pay to cut?

As nice as that would be - they make money, and most of the time, flash pass only adds a smaller amount of time for the wait. So, uh, I don't think they'll be getting rid of it...

[Johnny.Ink]

While I fully agree with coasterdemon, I bet it will be on Platnum but not regular. Maybe gold too.

Anyone who's ridden Wild Eagle, what was the capacity like? Is it as abysmal as it looks on paper?

Instead of us speculating, we could always just call them and ask. That's how I found out when the Xtreme pass was going on sale etc...

I'll call later and see if they have the info.

[CoasterDemon]

How about just run the rides at high efficiency and not let people pay to cut?

As nice as that would be - they make money, and most of the time, flash pass only adds a smaller amount of time for the wait. So, uh, I don't think they'll be getting rid of it...

If that were truly the case, I would never say anything. Ok, I wouldn't say much...

But the truth is that the park knows VERY well that they are capitalizing on lazy and poor operations. You can stand in the queue of Raging Bull at any moment and count all the single riders on every single train. As many as 12 empty seats is not uncommon. I was going to do a compilation video of it, but I'm way too lazy for that.

When I worked on the Blue Streak (here I go again) at CP, when it was still a "Classic" and all manual, we could do over 1,200 people per hour. That's with 2, 24 passenger trains. We had to get the trains out at the bell or the ride would shut down. We were quick and efficient; each crew had to be trained to get the trains out on time, AND pair up single riders and get all those lap bars checked, etc. We also figured out a way to let people wait for the front seat (even though we didn't have to.)

Of course, things have changed, everything is triple checked, etc. My point is that - it CAN be done. A crew really can fill all the seats, and get trains out on time. Six Flags will not figure it out or put the money into training to do that (I have a feeling places like Holidayworld an Dollywood DO spend the time and money to figure it out); instead, they just say 'whatever' and then offer a pay to cut scheme. Boo!

I have even talked to some ride operators in the past couple seasons (I know... not the Lemon Chill guy!) who want to do better or have figured out way to increase capacity - and it 'came down from corporate' - the instructions to do things slow (such as holding people in pre-show on Dark Knight, while there are empty cars going out and a long line; leaving the 5th car on Demon empty - even when there are NO flash pass folks, etc.) so they can offer pay to cut.

It's so freaking clear and crappy, I can't believe none of the news stations have picked up a story on shoddy operations.

Another point - they opt for a flash pass line instead of a single rider line. Bah!

[DejaVu2001]

leaving the 5th car on Demon empty - even when there are NO flash pass folks

With two trains, they should be filling it. With 3 trains, unless there's guests right there that are paying attention, there is no time. The gates have to close, and the train has to go.

[CoasterDemon]

Hmmm... remembering a time when a train would go down the first drop, as one came into the sunlight out of the lift rocks.... I know, it's different now. Busy "getting over it"

[BP317]

When I worked on the Blue Streak (here I go again) at CP, when it was still a "Classic" and all manual, we could do over 1,200 people per hour.

I've gotten over 1,200 people per hour on Demon and it wasn't that long ago.

I agree with your general laziness assesment combined with the huge increase in litigation the past 30 years things have swayed away from efficiency and more towards cover your butt. Whizzer used to run 5 trains and Eagle ran 6, there is no way any park these days would even consider that anymore. Eagle had the 1 buzz-bar that went over the whole row with no seatbelts and at the time and I believe it also had a shorter height requirement than it does now.

[CoasterDemon]

From what I hear, they can get high capacities in Germany People must be more attentive and not as sensitive, as they are here.

Actually, Blue Streak was rated at 1,250 maximum per hour, and we could sometimes do 1,300. A couple times we got 1,400 - but that's when we were pushing trains out.

1,200 on Demon? Pretty nice! I seem to remember these little dry erase boards in the past couple years at the rides, and it always seems like the numbers are like 680, 400 something, etc... they just seem unusually low.

[DejaVu2001]

Demon should be 800-900 with 2 and 900-1150 with 3 trains on average.

[wishman35]

Why the assumption that it will only be on Platinum? Sure that makes the sales of them jump BUT then you will have a sleuth of Platinum flash pass people re-riding and making the lines longer, people feistier, and more complaints.

If its on one flash pass, its on all of them. I doubt there is a way to even program those little Q-Bot devices to only make a ride work for one time of flash pass.

[Ilovthevu']

I thought at Magic Mountain they have a separate tier for X^2, so what could happen for SFGAm is that they figure that a lot of people are going to want to ride the brand new ride a lot, so I yeah I can see a higher rate being for it.

Edit: "X2 (available for an additional fee on Gold and Platinum Flash Passes, limited availability)" from Magic Mountain website.

Also, they have done it on another more "thrilling" NEWER ride of Green Lantern. That one they make you buy Platinum.

[Ace]

leaving the 5th car on Demon empty - even when there are NO flash pass folks

With two trains, they should be filling it. With 3 trains, unless there's guests right there that are paying attention, there is no time. The gates have to close, and the train has to go.

Even with three trains we always tried to fill it there is no excuse for sending that car empy even with three trains it takes all of two seconds to look and see there is no flashpass line and go an be proactive to get 3-4 more people in that car

[CoasterDemon]

I haven't seen Demon run 3 trains without stacking for years. I'd say over 10 years. It's nice to fill seats, but if you are stacking trains - what's the difference?

In the 80s there was always a ride op at the station entrance pairing up single riders; people were much friendlier it seemed back then. Ahh... those Demon ride op uniforms - complete with capes

[Johnny.Ink]

...Ahh... those Demon ride op uniforms - complete with capes

Now that would be a cool picture to see

[BP317]

[Johnny.Ink]

That's cool. Yours?

[CoasterDemon]

Wow BP! Thanks for sharing that. I don't think I've seen one of those since... maybe 1985? I remember the ride ops would sit on lifeguard chairs to watch for line jumpers. As a kid - that Demon song/story actually scared the crap out of me. The first couple rides I had, anyway. Ahhh... the orange train with fire down the side!

[Luxornv]

Capacity on Wild Eagle could have been better. The line moves at a rather average pace before the split and slows up considerably once in the station like most rides tend to. I timed Wild Eagle at 2 minutes per train, unload, load, and dispatch. They were running 2 trains but let them stack. This worked out to about 840 ppl/hr. I think things may be able to move a little faster on that once they get a rhythm figured out. For X-Flight, I would predict slower lines than that just for the general slowness Six Flags seems to have.

I would love it if there were a single rider line, but I think that's all a fantasy along with Coaster Justin's Screaming Swing.

[BURTONxBLUNT]

the most expensive flash pass will be available for X-Flight which means everyone will be re-riding it and lines will be terrible

[Johnny.Ink]

the most expensive flash pass will be available for X-Flight which means everyone will be re-riding it and lines will be terrible

Are you seeing this from the website or another source or just upset that the platinum flash pass will have people doing that?

I mean that pass has been around for a bit no, and it's not super horrible on say Raging Bull.

With brand new rides I am gonna base it off of when Iron Wolf, Batman and Raging Bull first came on the scene - we'll be waiting 2-4 hours to ride it. Which means I won't wait that long, but use the Exit pass on it.

Next year it should hopefully die down a bit hopefully...

[Ilovthevu']

Capacity on Wild Eagle could have been better. The line moves at a rather average pace before the split and slows up considerably once in the station like most rides tend to. I timed Wild Eagle at 2 minutes per train, unload, load, and dispatch. They were running 2 trains but let them stack. This worked out to about 840 ppl/hr. I think things may be able to move a little faster on that once they get a rhythm figured out. For X-Flight, I would predict slower lines than that just for the general slowness Six Flags seems to have.

I would love it if there were a single rider line, but I think that's all a fantasy along with Coaster Justin's Screaming Swing.

Sounds like Superman's loading / unloading time which is why the line is so long all the time except on rare days. I don't think loading times will ever be that fast because of one entrance and one exit. People (meaning customers) have to walk further to go to their seat, and just through pictures, I think these trains are longer as in length like Superman so than the workers are going to walk more to go from seat to seat which is part of the reason Superman takes so long. Walking to most people is not a big deal, but it adds time to the loading and unloading of any roller coaster. That's why I think that stations (the part where the track is) should be small, and the exits really should be in the middle. What the park likes to do though is keep the exits towards the front or back so they don't have to hire another person to just watch over the exits. Remember, they also use the exits for handicap, and exit pass people, so they definitely a worker nearby.

A station (by the track) which I think is terrible is Demon because they just made it big. It's too far (as in walking) for people to get to the bins, and their is way too much room for people to just stand around there after they are done with the ride, and than the people feel like they can just stay there. All the time, employees have to say can you please exit?

I think the perfect station (by the track) is really Whizzer. I'm not talking about lines. And the reason is, is because it's small and the exit is actually towards the middle.