Originally Posted by
MiamiFlyer
At EA, we used to call those "kickoff" flights EOM's - Early Morning Originators, and yes aircraft were scheduled so tightly that any early delay cascaded throughout the day. However, we were not allowed to push back a flight early unless everyone was on board. We also had to carefully control the time that went into the public side of the FIDS system. If we posted a delay (i.e. from 1700 to 1800), once again, we could not depart before the posted time unless everyone booked was on board.
This is interesting. A recent thread about Hidden City ticketing had various comments to the effect that buying a ticket A-B-C, then flying A-B (where B is the real desired destination) and leaving the airport does not negatively impact the airline.
According to your quote above, it can. If there is a chance for an early departure on the B-C flight and every booked passenger is on board, except for the Hidden City guy who has already left the airport, then the flight cannot leave early. Therefore, this could cascade delays the rest of the day.
I never thought of it this way, thanks.