Originally Posted by
EWR764
As the day rolls on, focus on D:0 should be shifting toward A:14 anyway, such that closing the door on time for the last flight to a given city out of a hub should be pretty low on the priority list, behind accommodating late-arriving connections (within reason). OTOH, A:14 performance is what's considered by the DOT in on-time statistics, and block-in time has a more direct correlation with legality and crew rest for the following day. So, if a flight can be held a certain amount of time such that A:14 is preserved AND the maximum number of late-arriving connectors can be boarded, then that would be the optimal departure, from an passenger service perspective.
I think this is sort of what UA was getting at when it referred to this program by the more jargon-y term "Dynamic D:0".
As someone who has been stranded at ORD more than once on a sub-15 minute connection due to late arriving aircraft over the years, I can certainly appreciate Dynamic D:0. I've got a 1'15" connection LHR-ORD-YVR next month, which will involve taking the third world bus connection over from T5, as well as rechecking bags. Hopefully Dynamic D:0 will work in my favor then, if needs be.