Originally Posted by tshevlin

I was on an AA flight last night to DFW, and the flight was over an hour delayed. As we were landing one of the FAs got on the PA and said something to the effect of, "If you're connecting to Phoenix or San Francisco [I may be making the cities up, I'm not sure], please make your way immediately to your gates, as these flights are protected."

What does "protected" mean, here? Does it mean that they held the planes for the connecting pax? Does it mean that they're in a certain stage before they shut the aircraft door? I've never heard this term used before.