Originally Posted by
memb86753
How come the Boarding passes now say boarding is 40 minutes before takeoff, but I have never had any any domestic flight board earlier than 30 minutes?
What are the boarding times for DL flights?
I have been told by several GAs that the fictional, additional 10 minutes was added to the BPs to ensure that PAX are at the gate in time to board at T-30... an easy to believe theory, since the practice seemed to have started about the same time DL management rolled out the initial, screwed-up Sky Priority Boarding fiasco.
Previously, you only saw a T-40 domestic boarding on some of the transcon, larger jets, IIRC.
Many times, when I am at the gate at T-40, I am there before the inbound aircraft. And, only about half of my flights are boarding by T-30 anyway.
The most farcical aspect of this, IMO, is putting T-40 on the BPs for regional carriers.
Despite all of the above, you will encounter an occasional situation where the inbound plane is on time, and an overzealous GA will try to board at T-40. So, if you are in one of the early boarding zones, and if you value space in the overheads, be advised.
Bottom line, the T-40 time on the BP just provides another opportunity for DL service inconsistency.