Stop the early boarding (D0) stupidity
#91
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
I don't see what is so onerous about a 45 minute check in (at most US airports) in this context of boarding flights early.
#92
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Can you prove that? I thought AA had one of the worst on-time performances.
#93
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,313
#94
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
#95
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
The DOT sets the rule for recording departure time as:
They close door, release brake- and they have departed.
WHen they MOVE off the gate and onto the taxiway is a different story.
#96
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Amb Elite & LT Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,230
Oddly aa.com give you more information than the app. i.e. app says departed, aa.com says awaiting takeoff.
At LGA, if you are in the aa club, you can see gates 1-5, I'll just take a look to see if the plane has come to the gate and start the clock ticking to get to the gate.
DOT has established the measure for on time departures to include closing the door, I'm not surprised that it leads to bad behavior that negatively impact the pax.
#97
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA LT Gold; BA Silver; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,081
Happened to me at CLT. I had to use the restroom and we still had around 20 minutes before boarding started. All of a sudden they start boarding early - I have never seen a plane board that fast in my life. I was all like 😦
AA app didn’t say anything, that app is not always up to date.
AA app didn’t say anything, that app is not always up to date.
It would certainly help if the app had correct info about flight status, including when a flight has started boarding.
#98
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Platinum, Pro, Marriott Platinum, Sonesta Preferred
Posts: 115
I actually got refused boarding because I arrive T minus 15 mins before departure for an oversold flight PHL-BOS. I was trying to argue with the GA that I was supposed to be able to board because I was not late. But he insisted that "you were late".
#99
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Traverse City, MI USA
Programs: Delta Skymiles
Posts: 5
It happened to me recently with AA
I was flying DFW to KOA on AA Boeing 772 last month. There were three of us flying from DTW with a connection time in DFW of about 1.5 hours. We decided to go to the American Express Centurion lounge to have breakfast and relax before the next 8+ hours flight (we were flying economy!). When we arrived in DFW, the connecting flight to KOA was showing at the same terminal where the lounge was, so short walking distance I thought. While in the lounge I checked the status of our next flight and it changed the gate to a different terminal. I panicked a bit not knowing how long it will take to reach the gate and left the lounge in a hurry about T-40. It took us 20 minutes to get to the gate but when we were about 3 gates away I received a call from AA asking if we are still going to make the flight because everyone else was boarded. I told the GA that we were seconds away. When we got to the gate the GA was nice and joked with us. I was surprised they boarded everyone in such a big plane and wondered when did they actually start boarding. The flight left the gate a few minutes late.
#100
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Delta Diamond Medallion, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle, Marriott Platinum Elite
Posts: 7
Based on what you posted yourself, AA's rules state that if you're not on board 15 minutes before departure on domestic flights, they can reassign your seat to another passenger. You can complain all you want, but they are following their contract of carriage if they deny you boarding at T-10. I agree that "bothering" you at T-20 is a little excessive; however, it was a courtesy call from a gate agent who was probably trying to get the flight out early (as you also mentioned). The fact that you ended up departing late could be due to the fact that the aircraft lost the opportunity/window for an early departure while waiting for that last minute passenger to arrive.
#101
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 140
Assuming all the times are correct, the OP should have been allowed to board according to the airline's own rules. It doesn't matter if he was sitting in a lounge or racing from a delayed inbound flight.
Personally (flying UA), I'm always travelling with a roll-aboard so I get to the gate at or before the boarding time. I'm enjoying the relatively new 1K preboard policy - it eliminates the need to get in a lengthy Group 1 line. (The other day I saw a couple start the Group 1 line at T-60!) I like to get my gear stowed, headphones and work out, etc. before the crush. With UA, I find that boarding times vary by airport. I fly out of AUS, and it's common for UA to start boarding 5 (or more) minutes early. At their hubs and other airports, early boarding seems to be less common.
Personally (flying UA), I'm always travelling with a roll-aboard so I get to the gate at or before the boarding time. I'm enjoying the relatively new 1K preboard policy - it eliminates the need to get in a lengthy Group 1 line. (The other day I saw a couple start the Group 1 line at T-60!) I like to get my gear stowed, headphones and work out, etc. before the crush. With UA, I find that boarding times vary by airport. I fly out of AUS, and it's common for UA to start boarding 5 (or more) minutes early. At their hubs and other airports, early boarding seems to be less common.
#102
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: NYC/LAX/ATL
Programs: JAL Diamond, BAEC Gold, AS 75K, VS Gold, AC 50K, WoH Globalist, HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 237
AA's boarding process is really a mystery.
Situation 1: at LAX, left FL lounge at T-30 sharp heading to Gate 42B for a tcon flight. Took me less than 5 minutes on the way and when I arrived at the gate it seemed the majority had boarded and there's no line at gate at that time. Good thing about tcon was there's still plenty OH space in F.
Situation 2: at MIA. I was closely monitoring the incoming flight on flightradar24 as the incoming a/c was still held on the taxiway. The app showed "boarding now" despite the a/c had not yet arrived at the gate. Asked an AAgent at lounge she said it should board pretty soon you should head to the gate. Boarding ended up commencing 20 min after scheduled departure. That's way more than enough time to take a shower and grab some small bites.
Situation 1: at LAX, left FL lounge at T-30 sharp heading to Gate 42B for a tcon flight. Took me less than 5 minutes on the way and when I arrived at the gate it seemed the majority had boarded and there's no line at gate at that time. Good thing about tcon was there's still plenty OH space in F.
Situation 2: at MIA. I was closely monitoring the incoming flight on flightradar24 as the incoming a/c was still held on the taxiway. The app showed "boarding now" despite the a/c had not yet arrived at the gate. Asked an AAgent at lounge she said it should board pretty soon you should head to the gate. Boarding ended up commencing 20 min after scheduled departure. That's way more than enough time to take a shower and grab some small bites.
#103
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
Eh, sort of. DOT does track that, but the primary statistic they publish is on-time arrival. The fact that AA obsesses about D0 is because they've chosen to focus on the metric they feel like they have the most control over instead of the one that their customers care about.
#105
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 152
I was flying DFW to KOA on AA Boeing 772 last month. There were three of us flying from DTW with a connection time in DFW of about 1.5 hours. We decided to go to the American Express Centurion lounge to have breakfast and relax before the next 8+ hours flight (we were flying economy!). When we arrived in DFW, the connecting flight to KOA was showing at the same terminal where the lounge was, so short walking distance I thought. While in the lounge I checked the status of our next flight and it changed the gate to a different terminal. I panicked a bit not knowing how long it will take to reach the gate and left the lounge in a hurry about T-40. It took us 20 minutes to get to the gate but when we were about 3 gates away I received a call from AA asking if we are still going to make the flight because everyone else was boarded. I told the GA that we were seconds away. When we got to the gate the GA was nice and joked with us. I was surprised they boarded everyone in such a big plane and wondered when did they actually start boarding. The flight left the gate a few minutes late.