55 min. before scheduled departure, DL notifies me that departure is advanced 15 min.
Apr 22, 2015, 9:13 pm
#1
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55 min. before scheduled departure, DL notifies me that departure is advanced 15 min.
This might be another instance of DL really not knowing what time it is, or at least not understanding the international date line.
After a longhaul international flight, I discovered an email from DL advising me of a schedule change. I hadn't noticed any schedule change and didn't hear an announcement in the airport, so I was a bit puzzled. Later I decided to check when the email had been sentandd look carefully at the flight status on delta.dumb.
When I converted the email timestamp to local time at the departure airport, I was shocked that DL would move up the departure time so close to departure and after the check in cutoff time, when people are in the airport terminal and really aren't prepared to rush to get to the gate fifteen minutes sooner than they had planned, even if they do receive the message before departure. [Normally I check airport/lounge monitors and update flight status on the app often, but I don't check email shortly before boarding unless I'm expecting something important or urgent.]
The email was sent/received exactly 55 minutes before scheduled departure time. It told people that departure would now be in 40 mintues rather than 55 minutes in a very large airport with long lines (for security and passport control) and long walks. To me, this seems unreasonable. People can't be expected to get to the gate that much earlier than planned with so little advanced warning. Moreover, if it's done to rush passengers to the gate (as happens to times posted on monitors in AMS, for example, where supposedly DL doesn't really mean it but just wants passengers to hurry), it could easily cause unnecessary panic.
BTW, the actual times that morning were a case of split the difference. According to flight status on the DL app, we left 7 minutes after the newly announced departure time but 8 minutes earlier than the previously scheduled departure time. We arrived exactly on schedule, although on the flight itself it seemed to me that we actually left about a half hour later than the schedule in terms of when the aircraft really started to move as opposed to when the doors may have officially been closed.
ADDED: The flight apparently boarded at exactly the time shown on my boarding pass, which was printed before the new departure time was announced. I didn't hear last call, so I assume that if it was moved forward, it could have been only by a few minutes.
After a longhaul international flight, I discovered an email from DL advising me of a schedule change. I hadn't noticed any schedule change and didn't hear an announcement in the airport, so I was a bit puzzled. Later I decided to check when the email had been sentandd look carefully at the flight status on delta.dumb.
When I converted the email timestamp to local time at the departure airport, I was shocked that DL would move up the departure time so close to departure and after the check in cutoff time, when people are in the airport terminal and really aren't prepared to rush to get to the gate fifteen minutes sooner than they had planned, even if they do receive the message before departure. [Normally I check airport/lounge monitors and update flight status on the app often, but I don't check email shortly before boarding unless I'm expecting something important or urgent.]
The email was sent/received exactly 55 minutes before scheduled departure time. It told people that departure would now be in 40 mintues rather than 55 minutes in a very large airport with long lines (for security and passport control) and long walks. To me, this seems unreasonable. People can't be expected to get to the gate that much earlier than planned with so little advanced warning. Moreover, if it's done to rush passengers to the gate (as happens to times posted on monitors in AMS, for example, where supposedly DL doesn't really mean it but just wants passengers to hurry), it could easily cause unnecessary panic.
BTW, the actual times that morning were a case of split the difference. According to flight status on the DL app, we left 7 minutes after the newly announced departure time but 8 minutes earlier than the previously scheduled departure time. We arrived exactly on schedule, although on the flight itself it seemed to me that we actually left about a half hour later than the schedule in terms of when the aircraft really started to move as opposed to when the doors may have officially been closed.
ADDED: The flight apparently boarded at exactly the time shown on my boarding pass, which was printed before the new departure time was announced. I didn't hear last call, so I assume that if it was moved forward, it could have been only by a few minutes.
Last edited by MSPeconomist; Apr 22, 2015 at 9:22 pm
Apr 22, 2015, 9:55 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,939
I think locations matter here. Was there any weather at origination or destination airports? There have been some crazy storms in places. Perhaps DL thought it was better to beat the weather... better some people make the flight, plane & crew gets repositioned compared to nobody going anywhere.
Apr 22, 2015, 10:00 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2012
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This might be another instance of DL really not knowing what time it is, or at least not understanding the international date line.
After a longhaul international flight, I discovered an email from DL advising me of a schedule change. I hadn't noticed any schedule change and didn't hear an announcement in the airport, so I was a bit puzzled. Later I decided to check when the email had been sentandd look carefully at the flight status on delta.dumb.
When I converted the email timestamp to local time at the departure airport, I was shocked that DL would move up the departure time so close to departure and after the check in cutoff time, when people are in the airport terminal and really aren't prepared to rush to get to the gate fifteen minutes sooner than they had planned, even if they do receive the message before departure. [Normally I check airport/lounge monitors and update flight status on the app often, but I don't check email shortly before boarding unless I'm expecting something important or urgent.]
The email was sent/received exactly 55 minutes before scheduled departure time. It told people that departure would now be in 40 mintues rather than 55 minutes in a very large airport with long lines (for security and passport control) and long walks. To me, this seems unreasonable. People can't be expected to get to the gate that much earlier than planned with so little advanced warning. Moreover, if it's done to rush passengers to the gate (as happens to times posted on monitors in AMS, for example, where supposedly DL doesn't really mean it but just wants passengers to hurry), it could easily cause unnecessary panic.
BTW, the actual times that morning were a case of split the difference. According to flight status on the DL app, we left 7 minutes after the newly announced departure time but 8 minutes earlier than the previously scheduled departure time. We arrived exactly on schedule, although on the flight itself it seemed to me that we actually left about a half hour later than the schedule in terms of when the aircraft really started to move as opposed to when the doors may have officially been closed.
ADDED: The flight apparently boarded at exactly the time shown on my boarding pass, which was printed before the new departure time was announced. I didn't hear last call, so I assume that if it was moved forward, it could have been only by a few minutes.
After a longhaul international flight, I discovered an email from DL advising me of a schedule change. I hadn't noticed any schedule change and didn't hear an announcement in the airport, so I was a bit puzzled. Later I decided to check when the email had been sentandd look carefully at the flight status on delta.dumb.
When I converted the email timestamp to local time at the departure airport, I was shocked that DL would move up the departure time so close to departure and after the check in cutoff time, when people are in the airport terminal and really aren't prepared to rush to get to the gate fifteen minutes sooner than they had planned, even if they do receive the message before departure. [Normally I check airport/lounge monitors and update flight status on the app often, but I don't check email shortly before boarding unless I'm expecting something important or urgent.]
The email was sent/received exactly 55 minutes before scheduled departure time. It told people that departure would now be in 40 mintues rather than 55 minutes in a very large airport with long lines (for security and passport control) and long walks. To me, this seems unreasonable. People can't be expected to get to the gate that much earlier than planned with so little advanced warning. Moreover, if it's done to rush passengers to the gate (as happens to times posted on monitors in AMS, for example, where supposedly DL doesn't really mean it but just wants passengers to hurry), it could easily cause unnecessary panic.
BTW, the actual times that morning were a case of split the difference. According to flight status on the DL app, we left 7 minutes after the newly announced departure time but 8 minutes earlier than the previously scheduled departure time. We arrived exactly on schedule, although on the flight itself it seemed to me that we actually left about a half hour later than the schedule in terms of when the aircraft really started to move as opposed to when the doors may have officially been closed.
ADDED: The flight apparently boarded at exactly the time shown on my boarding pass, which was printed before the new departure time was announced. I didn't hear last call, so I assume that if it was moved forward, it could have been only by a few minutes.
Apr 22, 2015, 10:05 pm
#4
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I think locations matter here. Was there any weather at origination or destination airports? There have been some crazy storms in places. Perhaps DL thought it was better to beat the weather... better some people make the flight, plane & crew gets repositioned compared to nobody going anywhere.
Apr 22, 2015, 10:41 pm
#5
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I had this happen to me SIN-NRT by 10 or 15 minutes. I think it was 15 minutes but not sure. I was notified a little more than an hour before departure just as I was going through security.
Apr 23, 2015, 12:10 am
#6
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 31
I've certainly seen DL change the expected arrival time, on the day of departure, to be earlier than scheduled, perhaps as an indication that they think they won't need all the padding in the schedule that day.
Perhaps they have done the same with departure times, hoping that everyone will be on board 10-15 minutes early, consistent with their request for everyone to make that happen and warning that the boarding door will be closed at that time to "ensure an on-time departure." That seems a bit cruel to me, but seem to be how the system has worked for many years now.
That said, the expected boarding time on the boarding pass seems like a complete fiction to me. On many domestic flights, the listed time is often before the plane planned for the flight is even scheduled to arrive at the gate. It seems there is a simple algorithm to post a boarding time of 45 minutes before scheduled departure (at least for domestic flights) even if the flight is on a CR2.
Perhaps they have done the same with departure times, hoping that everyone will be on board 10-15 minutes early, consistent with their request for everyone to make that happen and warning that the boarding door will be closed at that time to "ensure an on-time departure." That seems a bit cruel to me, but seem to be how the system has worked for many years now.
That said, the expected boarding time on the boarding pass seems like a complete fiction to me. On many domestic flights, the listed time is often before the plane planned for the flight is even scheduled to arrive at the gate. It seems there is a simple algorithm to post a boarding time of 45 minutes before scheduled departure (at least for domestic flights) even if the flight is on a CR2.
Apr 23, 2015, 2:18 am
#7
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I've certainly seen DL change the expected arrival time, on the day of departure, to be earlier than scheduled, perhaps as an indication that they think they won't need all the padding in the schedule that day.
Perhaps they have done the same with departure times, hoping that everyone will be on board 10-15 minutes early, consistent with their request for everyone to make that happen and warning that the boarding door will be closed at that time to "ensure an on-time departure." That seems a bit cruel to me, but seem to be how the system has worked for many years now.
That said, the expected boarding time on the boarding pass seems like a complete fiction to me. On many domestic flights, the listed time is often before the plane planned for the flight is even scheduled to arrive at the gate. It seems there is a simple algorithm to post a boarding time of 45 minutes before scheduled departure (at least for domestic flights) even if the flight is on a CR2.
Perhaps they have done the same with departure times, hoping that everyone will be on board 10-15 minutes early, consistent with their request for everyone to make that happen and warning that the boarding door will be closed at that time to "ensure an on-time departure." That seems a bit cruel to me, but seem to be how the system has worked for many years now.
That said, the expected boarding time on the boarding pass seems like a complete fiction to me. On many domestic flights, the listed time is often before the plane planned for the flight is even scheduled to arrive at the gate. It seems there is a simple algorithm to post a boarding time of 45 minutes before scheduled departure (at least for domestic flights) even if the flight is on a CR2.
Apr 23, 2015, 4:14 am
#8
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I think locations matter here. Was there any weather at origination or destination airports? There have been some crazy storms in places. Perhaps DL thought it was better to beat the weather... better some people make the flight, plane & crew gets repositioned compared to nobody going anywhere.
Apr 23, 2015, 10:30 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2007
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...another DL IT Feature
I got the same on Monday in Shanghai (PVG) on my flight to SEA, a 15 minute earlier departure. Of course we didn't actually leave earlier though. We hit the original departure.
Then when landing in SEA I found a 10 minute bump earlier for my departure to LAX. Which I saw on a departures board. Caused a double take because my first inclination was to think it was 50 minutes late. Don't know how that one worked out because I changed flights.
I think the international flights do that to encourage stragglers to not be late. Had the same thing in Singapore (SIN-NRT) over a year ago. Problem is that information comes in at a time when you couldn't do much about it. My Singapore departure bumped from 7:00AM to 6:45AM but that info went out at 2:00AM while I was sleeping. Thus when I woke up it made me hustle to catch a cab, but I figured I had already allowed enough leeway. As I recall the door might have closed closer to 7AM than 6:45
Then when landing in SEA I found a 10 minute bump earlier for my departure to LAX. Which I saw on a departures board. Caused a double take because my first inclination was to think it was 50 minutes late. Don't know how that one worked out because I changed flights.
I think the international flights do that to encourage stragglers to not be late. Had the same thing in Singapore (SIN-NRT) over a year ago. Problem is that information comes in at a time when you couldn't do much about it. My Singapore departure bumped from 7:00AM to 6:45AM but that info went out at 2:00AM while I was sleeping. Thus when I woke up it made me hustle to catch a cab, but I figured I had already allowed enough leeway. As I recall the door might have closed closer to 7AM than 6:45
Apr 23, 2015, 10:34 am
#13
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In my experience, they always do this in certain Asian airports - SIN is the most consistent that comes to mind. I've always assumed it's because they do gate security, so they "lie" about the departure time in an attempt to get everyone to hustle to the gate as quickly as possible.
When I see this done, it's always exactly 15 minutes...
When I see this done, it's always exactly 15 minutes...
Apr 23, 2015, 10:36 am
#14
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This happened to me when I flew EZE - ATL. They wanted to leave early due to unfavorable wind conditions, but it still took longer to get everyone on board that they anticipated and they left close to on time (and arrived late).
Apr 23, 2015, 10:51 am
#15
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I have had flights delayed at boarding time. That is when they found the problem, or as an example, the domestic flight was using an inbound international aircraft. Cleaning and the security sweep was not done yet, so it was delayed at the last moment