Stop the early boarding (D0) stupidity
Mar 1, 2019, 1:17 pm
#61
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,670
Reading this reminds me of how screwed up air travel is in the US between this latest nonsense, the inevitable sitting on the tarmac forever...ugh.
Every European flight I take boards 30 minutes in advance (with a few exceptions). How is it that these flights can properly board in that timeframe and AA flights cannot?
Every European flight I take boards 30 minutes in advance (with a few exceptions). How is it that these flights can properly board in that timeframe and AA flights cannot?
ppl in europe check their bags, even the tiny ones, so no scrum or delay waiting for ppl to hoist mammoth trunks
no waiting for first class to get situated or pdbs because eurobiz is weak
Mar 1, 2019, 1:17 pm
#62
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CLT
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Posts: 1,133
Being a wheelchair user, this issue complicates things for me tremendously as I need to be at the gate to preboard before regular boarding starts. Always a great unknown when that is. I always leave room and go to gate very early before heading to lounge and ask GA what time to return to preboard. Even getting there 5-10 minutes before the time I was told, I have often seen them already on group 4. It is quite annoying to have everyone stare at you while you are wheeled down the aisle by incompetent people and then have to move the folks in B/C to get to A.
Mar 1, 2019, 1:27 pm
#63
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Paris
Programs: AA LT Plat (4m+), AF Plat, A3 Gold, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat/Ambassador
Posts: 2,648
Not really-- checking bags is as expensive as in the US.
That said Europeans travel with less "stuff"...
And agreed, the whole upgrade process does slow things down- good point.
That said Europeans travel with less "stuff"...
And agreed, the whole upgrade process does slow things down- good point.
Mar 1, 2019, 1:52 pm
#64
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold but PlatPro thanks to LPs
Posts: 4,439
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight.
And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute.
Mar 1, 2019, 5:41 pm
#65
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Hoboken, NJ
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 194
Data Point:
I was standing-by on AA1456 today (currently waiting on tarmac at DFW, ugh). It was a totally booked flight and I was #6/20 on the standby list.
They cleared #1 on the standby list at T-18 to departure. I cleared at T-13, and there were others that cleared after me. Not sure if the guy who cleared at T-18 was taking the seat of someone who they knew wouldn’t make the flight or what...
I rarely fly on “completely full flights” so I usually find myself clearing standby at T-45 so I don’t have much other anecdotal eveidence to share.
I was standing-by on AA1456 today (currently waiting on tarmac at DFW, ugh). It was a totally booked flight and I was #6/20 on the standby list.
They cleared #1 on the standby list at T-18 to departure. I cleared at T-13, and there were others that cleared after me. Not sure if the guy who cleared at T-18 was taking the seat of someone who they knew wouldn’t make the flight or what...
I rarely fly on “completely full flights” so I usually find myself clearing standby at T-45 so I don’t have much other anecdotal eveidence to share.
Mar 1, 2019, 6:36 pm
#66
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 152
Another data point at DFW on Eagle (Envoy) on a ERD today, 4:25 departure, leave lounge at 3:52, get to gate at 4:03 and they are paging “for an on time departure”, sitting in 1A and the FA asks me if there were others waiting to board, I said it appeared so and she huffed and said they should be on the plane already. I pointed out that they had 7 minutes to hit T-15 and 12 for door close, she huffed saying they “had” to get out on time and people needed to board earlier. I just smiled and put my headphones back on.
AA going for great indeed, if you have a MCT of 40 minutes it feels more like 10-15 when going Eagle to Eagle waiting on valet bags.
AA going for great indeed, if you have a MCT of 40 minutes it feels more like 10-15 when going Eagle to Eagle waiting on valet bags.
Last edited by jliehr; Mar 1, 2019 at 6:41 pm
Mar 1, 2019, 7:31 pm
#67
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Glob (Barely); Marriott Plat Life; AA Up and Down Now Plat; Hilton, UA, BA, HA Peasant
Posts: 2,668
Another data point at DFW on Eagle (Envoy) on a ERD today, 4:25 departure, leave lounge at 3:52, get to gate at 4:03 and they are paging “for an on time departure”. . . .
We have more than once been on time, but already been replaced by standby passengers. Got on but relegated to much worse seats than I had snagged. No I was not happy but I learned some things just are. Yes I have seen them close the door. I would really not be happy if they left me.
Of course in an earlier period of my life I was frequently the standby traveling for business on very short notice just hoping they would give me somebody's seat because I was supposed to be somewhere by morning.
Last edited by jayer; Mar 1, 2019 at 7:37 pm
Mar 1, 2019, 9:03 pm
#68
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
Listen to ATC recordings on YouTube. Pilots need approval for all ground movement. They simply can't drive off to and from the gate as they please. In fact when you listen to ground controllers at large airports there's often testy communication with pilots. If the controller has a tarmac full of planes he/she likely won't let an aircraft push early.
Not necessarily driving around the tarmac
(Look at the records filed with FAA on flightstats.com, you can see planned, actual times for all sorts of things)
So a pilot CAN 'depart the gate' (in terms of that metric that AA posts publicly) without moving. Then sit there for as long as AA wants, before the tower clears them to move into 'their turf".
IMO
Mar 1, 2019, 11:26 pm
#70
Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: AA EXP. HH DIAMOND.
Posts: 224
If you are at the gate at T-60 and can you sit in the gate area by the door until T-15? If they close the door is this IDB?
I ask as I saw a group watching some NBA game in CLT E and the GA was visibly frustrated with them. (My flight was next from E35z)
I ask as I saw a group watching some NBA game in CLT E and the GA was visibly frustrated with them. (My flight was next from E35z)
Mar 2, 2019, 12:31 am
#71
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
Personally I like to be at the gate well in advance of the boarding time.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight.
And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight.
And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute.
Mar 2, 2019, 1:02 am
#72
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K (until it expires then never again), *wood Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,239
Personally I like to be at the gate well in advance of the boarding time.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight.
And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight.
And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute.
oh and please sign up for a credit card.
Mar 2, 2019, 8:03 am
#74
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Here and there
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,551
7. 'Gate departure time' is the instance when the pilot releases the aircraft parking brake after passengers have loaded and aircraft doors have been closed.
Mar 2, 2019, 11:02 am
#75
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
I never seem to be any of these flights that board early. All of mine even when the crew and the a/c is ready they wait for the countdown from the boarding signage. Yes I've noticed that AA will post a departure time of when the door is closed. You can be sitting there 20 minutes later and the flight shows departed.