Why do flights leave early when connecting passengers will miss them?
Nov 11, 2022, 11:21 am
#46
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: Non-Affiliated
Posts: 7,430
Well it has consequences, and then it doesn't have consequences. I would think that at a minimum, AA agents should be able to confer with dispatch and the crew when 1) the plane departing is the last departure of the night and 2) the plane departing is simply going to RON at the outstation where it is going to.
Now I will admit there are a ton of variables here. For example, departures to Europe are often assigned a specific time slot and routing track. If you miss that track by 15 minutes, you could be in for a nasty delay - which affects everybody. But, if its 10:00 pm at DFW and there are six passengers who have arrived from ORD 20 minutes late and are hoping to make the 10:25 pm departure to LRD (and everybody knows that, after landing in LRD, that plane will just sit on the tarmac until 5:55 am the next morning), what is the absolute rush to get that plane off the gate at 10:25 pm when you will have six additional passengers to rebook for the following day?
Now I will admit there are a ton of variables here. For example, departures to Europe are often assigned a specific time slot and routing track. If you miss that track by 15 minutes, you could be in for a nasty delay - which affects everybody. But, if its 10:00 pm at DFW and there are six passengers who have arrived from ORD 20 minutes late and are hoping to make the 10:25 pm departure to LRD (and everybody knows that, after landing in LRD, that plane will just sit on the tarmac until 5:55 am the next morning), what is the absolute rush to get that plane off the gate at 10:25 pm when you will have six additional passengers to rebook for the following day?
Nov 11, 2022, 1:00 pm
#47
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,970
That's definitely happened to me on AA (well, not the missed connection part): ~6:30am first-flight-of-the-day departed 40 minutes late. Reason was "delayed waiting for crew." My companion asked "How could the crew be on a late arriving connection for the first flight of the day?" Looking up the flight status for the arriving flight the night before revealed that it was late, which pushed back the morning departure due to mandatory crew rest period. Fortunately, we had a 2.5-hour layover built into our international connection.
Nov 11, 2022, 1:34 pm
#48
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,816
Your 10:00 pm DFW-LRD crew will -not- be the crew that flies LRD-DFW at 6:00 am the next morning.
Nov 12, 2022, 7:52 am
#49
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: Non-Affiliated
Posts: 7,430
Nov 12, 2022, 6:50 pm
#50
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AA EP, Hilton Diamond, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 636
This is not necessarily true. The FAs could be doing a stand up/all nighter where its basically just an extended sit overnight at the destination.
Nov 13, 2022, 10:18 am
#51
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,646
I was just on a flight that landed nearly half an hour late. The guy next to me, in first class, had 15 minutes to make a connection to an international flight, which was leaving from only 2 gates away.
I checked the status of his flight. It left 10 minutes early, so surely he missed it. (It’s now scheduled to arrive 10 minutes early.)
Why would AA do that?
If the flight has left on time, a premium-class passenger could have made the connection. But since it left early, he surely missed the connection.
I checked the status of his flight. It left 10 minutes early, so surely he missed it. (It’s now scheduled to arrive 10 minutes early.)
Why would AA do that?
If the flight has left on time, a premium-class passenger could have made the connection. But since it left early, he surely missed the connection.
Perhaps upon arriving to the gate there was a boarding pass ready for same day on a partner carrier with a more direct routing or higher class? (F). a win for everybody?
Or perhaps he had to overnight and take a flight next day. A sure loss for the pax.
You really don't know if overall the outcome was good for your seat mate.
So you can't analyze these things in a vacuum.
Also the anecdotal experience that other airlines wait is pretty flawed. In all my years of flying (20+) I have only witnessed waiting for connecting pax once. It was on the old America West.
If someone says that United or other ones does hold the flight and they have witnessed it several times (to be able to make that generalization) then perhaps there is a problem with that airline that has too many delayed flights. Makes you wonder.
Nov 13, 2022, 1:33 pm
#53
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2,094
His flight was CLT-FRA. Our flight landed and then the door to the gate opened at 5:48pm. The CLT-FRA flight left at 5:50. No way he made it and I am not aware of a more direct routing, as his end destination was FRA. He was in first class with me on the domestic flight so I assume he was already in a premium cabin on the CLT-FRA one.
Last edited by WeekendTraveler; Nov 13, 2022 at 4:14 pm
Nov 13, 2022, 2:09 pm
#54
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,646
His flight was CLT-FRA. Our flight landed and then the door to the gate opened at 5:48pm. The CLT-FRA flight left at 5:50. I doubt that he made it and I am not aware of a more direct routing, as his end destination was FRA. He was in first class with me on the domestic flight so I assume he was already in a premium cabin on the CLT-FRA one.
regardless, in other words, you DONT know when, how or whether he made it to Frankfut or not.
Nov 13, 2022, 3:46 pm
#55
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2,094
How's that?
Last edited by WeekendTraveler; Nov 13, 2022 at 4:15 pm
Nov 13, 2022, 5:11 pm
#56
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Gold, WN A+ & CP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Platinum, National Executive Elite
Posts: 3,246
His flight was CLT-FRA. Our flight landed and then the door to the gate opened at 5:48pm. The CLT-FRA flight left at 5:50. No way he made it and I am not aware of a more direct routing, as his end destination was FRA. He was in first class with me on the domestic flight so I assume he was already in a premium cabin on the CLT-FRA one.
Unfortunate for that passenger but everyone else on board that might have a connection in FRA is, I'm guessing, is relieved that the flight didn't leave late.
Nov 13, 2022, 7:49 pm
#57
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,646
Nov 13, 2022, 7:50 pm
#58
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Wichita
Posts: 628
I have been a frequent flier since the 1970's and you remember correctly.
UA, at one time, ran a TV commercial showing a businesswoman dropping her child off at school, flying to another city and making a presentation, flying back and then picking up her child at school. They were advertising reliability.
UA, at one time, ran a TV commercial showing a businesswoman dropping her child off at school, flying to another city and making a presentation, flying back and then picking up her child at school. They were advertising reliability.
Question for those of you with a lot of historical "experience" - i.e. age. Did AA (and all airlines for that matter) used to be willing to hold a flight if they knew you were running through the airport back in the mid 80's or earlier? I seem to remember this being something done, but I was in my teens back then. I can remember stopping at the first gate agent and telling them to call the gate we were going to let them know we were in the airport and running to the gate and they would hold the flight a few minutes. Am I misremembering? We were not frequent flyers by any stretch back then and enormous changes have occurred involving security and technology.
Nov 14, 2022, 12:36 pm
#59
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DL: Silver; AA: EX PLAT; UA: Silver; HY: DIA; HH: DIA; MR: TIT
Posts: 1,708
Yes, we all know AA has sooooo many connecting passengers at a non-One World hub and that a five-minute delay would wreak havoc on everyone on that flight....
Nov 14, 2022, 9:12 pm
#60
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Gold, WN A+ & CP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Platinum, National Executive Elite
Posts: 3,246
Really? That's what you're going to go with? Aside from the fact that I never said there were so many connecting passengers, it doesn't matter if there were zero connecting. You cannot possibly know that the flight would have been only 5 minutes late and you're missing the entire point. But you do you.