FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Why is a flight late?

Dec 15, 2011 | 3:13 am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by kileysmom

For example, BA 297 LHR-ORD has been late (one day this week nearly 5 hours late!) for the last few days and I am curious why.

The last two days look like they might well have been for different reasons.

It's scheduled to depart at 1615 and arrive at 1845, ie a duration of 8:30.

On Tuesday:-

Code:

* OPERATIONAL FLIGHT INFO *            BA 297   -2 TU 13DEC     
CITY INFO                                       HOUR (LOCAL)  
  
LHR  ESTIMATED TIME OF DEPARTURE                2100            
     LEFT THE GATE                              2107            
     TOOK OFF                                   2131            
     DELAY OPERATIONAL REASON                                   
     ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL                  2344  ORD       
ORD  AIRCRAFT LANDED                            2332            
     ARRIVED                                    2339

That's a block time of 8:32, pretty much bang on scheduled duration, with 8:01 in the air. So all of the delay was pre-departure, perhaps because an aircraft had to be fixed or swapped, or an aircraft was very late getting to LHR to operate the flight.

On Wednesday:-

Code:

* OPERATIONAL FLIGHT INFO *            BA 297   -1 WE 14DEC     
CITY INFO                                       HOUR (LOCAL)  
  
LHR  ESTIMATED TIME OF DEPARTURE                1650            
     LEFT THE GATE                              1700            
     TOOK OFF                                   1722            
     DELAY OPERATIONAL REASON                                   
     ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL                  2001  ORD       
ORD  AIRCRAFT LANDED                            1952            
     ARRIVED                                    2001

That's a block time of 9:01, with 8:30 in the air - presumably either due to adverse winds or routing, or having to hold in the air somewhere. So while the flight was 45 minutes late departing (irritating but not particularly unusual), the more significantly late arrival was due to more time being lost during the actual flight - so the total delay was probably a combination of different reasons from the day before.

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