Originally Posted by
asusc
The reel doesn't seem to be available any longer but hardly any flights (regardless of airline) I am on use the APU appreciably. It's usually started a few minutes before pushing back from the gate and (appropriately) shut off after the engines are started. On arrival, it's usually not even used. Airlines figured out years ago that using ground power and air are much cheaper than APU fuel and maintenance. ETOPS flights or inop ground air/power are the only exceptions I can think of.