Tracer_SEA

Sorry to hear about this, OP

I would venture to say that most "veteran" travelers would go to the gate after checking in for a delayed flight, to speak with the gate agent and assess the delay (are we waiting for crew? Inbound aircraft? etc.) and to specifically ask if it's likely that the delay might move, etc.

I would do that before hunkering down for a meal or going off to find a lounge or unoccupied gate to kill time at

I also agree with the advice to frequently check flight status (and the status of the inbound a/c, when relevant) via the mobile app -- but with the caveat that United Express flight info is vastly less accurate and updated far less timely than Mainline, which is in itself a giant PITA....

mzrn

This thread is really quite insightful.

I usually use FlightTrack Pro to manage all my flights from my phone. If it says there is a substantial delay, I don't go to the gate until maybe 30min before the projected time.

I haven't been burned yet, but it may just be luck.

Is this a mistake?

manneca

I have been sitting in a club, and suddenly the flight status changes from a delay of an hour to almost immediate departure. I've never actually been burned, but it's come close. And the monitors can be showing the delayed time when the mobile app has an earlier time or vice versa.

eng3

I assume your wife was already checked in online but just didn't drop bags til T-30. Did she actually get to the gate prior to T-15 and find that the flight already left? If she was checked in they should have given until T-15 before closing the flight.

controller1

Your answer: (original scheduled departure of 7:00 pm)

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I have two friends who have been burned this year on UA by not keeping track of a UA flight delay. Two other friends were burned last year by Delta for the same reason.

PushingTin

The only time I put off getting the airport is when the more than three hours before the flight they started with the automated calls about the flight being moved back and back- just like most of my RJ flights in the afternoon are. I delayed getting to the airport as the calls started reversing the delays and moving up the flight time. FRICK!

It only ended up being 30 minutes late instead of three hours and I had put of leaving my house by thirty minutes, so it all washed out.

Delay timings are about reliable as RJ flight departure times out of ORD in the afternoon. Why do they even say specifically 4:03 when it is usually just "late-afternoon/early-evening".

RJ & Schedule are two things that don't belong with each other...

controller1

LOL ... I like this. I can see purchasing a ticket with a stated departure of "late afternoon"!

mgcsinc

One (perhaps risky) way of dealing with this issue is to SDC to a later flight, if there is such a flight close to the new departure time.

BH62

A few days ago at SFO, flight was "delayed" due to (1) late arrival of aircraft (which then sat waiting at the gate) until (2) late arrival of crew. Two legs of a trifecta, could there be a 3rd?

Kacee

This is exactly what I do (although it's so ingrained, I didn't even think about it initially on reading this thread).

I always go first to the gate and see if there's an aircraft sitting there. If there is, I'm probably not going to leave the gate area. I'm also going to ask the gate agent about the delay and when they anticipate boarding will start. And only then make the call whether it's safe to go to the UC, grab something to eat, etc.

mahasamatman

PMUA had a "customer commitment" that once they posted a delay, they wouldn't leave before that. I suspect the ops people didn't like this, so this rule never made it through the merger.

That's why they always say to be at the gate for the scheduled departure even if a delay is posted. It's a hard lesson, but this is what can happen if you ignore that advice.

BrianCUnited

I think this is good advice. I also think it's a bit rude to expect (I'm not saying OP's wife was here) that everyone else who was at the gate on time should wait for you because you had outdated information that the flight would be delayed and are eating/drinking/sleeping/whatever.

As others have said I always look to see if a plane is at the gate and check-in with the GA before wandering off during a delay.

wrkngonit

Very interesting thread.

I had a situation recently where I was flying SNA-SFO. Talk about uncoordinated systems and flyer unfriendly information...I check in on the UA app for a 637PM departure...the app shows on time departure for my flight. I always check the status of the inbound aircraft to make sure times are in synch. Well, the UA app was clearly showing the inbound aircraft was 1hr + behind schedule and wouldn't be arriving in SNA until 800PM. How could our flight possibly be on time?

To make things even more confusing, at the airport the GA announces the delay but never updates the dashboard behind her. It was rather hilarious to see a 637PM On Time departure sign behind her well past 800PM. The TV monitors in the terminal were also showing the same info, along with the UA app. They never updated.

Wrong info is not flyer friendly......but then it seems like United wanted all of us to believe they were on time. They'd rather we find out at the gate I guess.

Moral of the story: UA is unpredictable. Just show up at your original scheduled departure time.

docbert

Don't presume that these two things are unrelated. Especially at a hub it's possible that your original crew were available on-time, but then swapped to another flight due to the late arrival of your aircraft.

Aircraft aren't the only things they swap out due to delays...

LaserSailor

Yes....and I learned this here, recently.