A bit of a tongue-in-cheek observation / question of course but do any airlines get preferential treatment at airports?
Without fail at Gatwick, on a BA plane we usually get out to the holding point and seem to sit there for a minimum 10-15 minutes whilst a string of Easyjet planes go past us and take-off. Usually it seems at least 50% of these have arrived at the holding area after the BA one I am on - but then depart ahead of us. It can't be due to plane types for separation distance as they are all A32X series. Whether they are turning left or right on departure maybe?
Plus regarding push-back times, one frequently will hear a member of the flight deck say "we are ready to go so are
negotiating with air traffic for an earlier departure". Now to most the word "negotiate" means to trade something in exchange for something in return and a quick google of the meaning is: to transfer to another in return for something of equal value. Therefore what exactly does a member of the flight deck have to offer the fine chap in ATC in return for a better slot time?
So maybe during the push-back time "negotiation" the Easyjet pilots have more up their sleeve to offer the ATC chaps and get the priority first onto the runway?
Negotiating is just lazy speak for begging😁 What we mean is that we will tell ATC that we are ready to move and if someone else cannot make their time, we might slip into that spot. There’s no real horse trading. When BMI was still in existence, BA pilots used to joke that the most frequently heard comment on LHR Ground Frequency, was “after the BMI” and that the second most common phrase was “after the second BMI”. When we merged our, now, colleagues said they had the same joke only with “after the BA” etc. It’s a matter of perception, we go when it’s our turn and that turn is determined fairly - that is unless we are at CDG or FRA, of course🤣