Originally Posted by
ademanuele
I am waiting for the MAN-LHR shuttle, a flight that is invariably delayed and is only in the air for around 30 minutes. BA are scheduling this flight for 1 hour 10 minutes. Is this just a cynical approach by airlines to avoid compensation for delays and if so why has the regulator not acted? I appreciate that some flexibility is necessary, but for a route like MAN-LHR it gives airlines the opportunity to allow significant delays (with no consequences) and perhaps deprioritise behind other flights. On this particular route BA need a stick to improve performance…
Surely this is a good thing and increases the chance of you arriving on time? What with all the uncertainties in air travel (takeoff slots that change, queues to get to the runway, headwinds or tailwinds, having to wait 5-10-15 minutes in the stack before landing, etc) your actual journey time from doors closed to doors open can easily vary by half an hour over the week. The airline quotes the arrival time before which they expect to be able to get you there with a high enough degree of confidence to help with your planning.