HWGeeks

No cancelations for 100 days mainline.

I guess if it takes off and then lands at the same airport a few hours later due to issue it's not considered canceled.

Widgets

cre95

HWGeeks

I have had 1 hour delays and still arrive on time.

ethernal

In fairness, the padding is really for two reasons:

• Account for changes in jetstream. This is a random variable that cannot be predicted with reasonable accuracy until 48-96 hours prior to departure. An unusually strong jetstream can make a "typically" 5 hour flight into a 5 hour and 45 minute flight.
• Account for all too predictable apron/runway congestion

These are factors outside of Delta's control. That said, Delta is highly incented to minimize block times - padding costs money. They won't do it unless they have to.

JFK is a great example of this. For flights arriving / departing at 4-7 PM (peak TATL departure time), flight padding is noticeably greater.

If operational excellence was as easy as padding flight times, United and American would do it.

By the way - Delta's real defining operational excellence factor IS their cancellation rate. I know there are some snide remarks on this thread, but what Delta has done with cancellations is downright remarkable. Yes, some of it is from 12 hour delayed flights, but a significant portion of it is from

I am not a Delta fanboy - but I give credit where credit is due, and Delta's management of cancellations is not just leading among the US-3, it is leading across the entire globe. No other airline (when adjusting for weather, route network, and so on) has such a high completion factor. And it's not even close.

sydneyracquelle

ethernal

You say that - right up until the alternative is cancellation and booking on a flight two days later.

ATLMike1234

This is one of the most common logical fallacies that tends to come up these forums - criticizing an airline for padding their schedule. People seem to think that padding the schedule is just a free way to boost stats.

In reality, it's incredibly expensive. In most cases, it results in reduced aircraft utilization reducing return on fixed assets, increased gate requirements as the plane will sit longer if it arrives early, longer crew sit times that need to be built into the schedules - requiring more individuals to be kept on the payroll to complete the same schedules, and other effects such as these. In effect, the pad in the schedule is the airline paying cold hard cash for a higher on-time rating and the ability to offer their customers predictability. The math of how much to invest has to be balanced with overall profits. Other than maybe the last flight of the day, it's not like they get to just type a longer block time into the system with no consequence.

estedman

I guess that flight that I was on 4/15 JFK/ATL because of crew timeout does not count.

HWGeeks

was it mainline?

tanglin

Actually, there's at least a third reason. See if you can guess what it is.

jacobac00

Correct, that day wouldn't have been added to the 100 day count. (That number is total, not consecutive)

fusionblue

Pity this doesn't apply to regionals.

May 1 I was diverted to another airport, told to hold at the runway line for an hour, cancelled there because of weather (the pilot explicitly said "we've been cancelled") and then rescheduled for another flight (same flight number, crew, plane and seat) 11 hours later.

john2233

Yes, definitely

ethernal

The big one I didn't include was ATC congestion (which I meant to include under apron/runway congestion but didn't). WX delays as well, loosely mixed in with my jetstream comment (e.g., routing around TX).

Not sure what others would be, other than perhaps a couple minutes of padding as a contingency to a late push or gate congestion on arrival (more under Delta's control).