Originally Posted by
bernardd
The problem with returning to a gate after 2 hours is it automatically turns a 2 hour delay into 3+. As one who has sat through a bunch of 2-3 hour waits at DFW and ORD I know I can handle 3-4 hours, and I would hate to stretch that out by un-necessary returns to a gate. IMO if you get on a plane in DFW or ORD, or you're traveling to either, at certain times of the year you need to go mentally and physically prepared for a 3 hour wait because it's pretty common.
I agree. I think 4 hours is reasonable. If you check
www.fly.faa.gov regularly, you will see that 4-hour ground delay programs do happen from time to time when there's particularly bad weather (e.g. thunderstorms or fog sitting all day right over a major airport).