Reasonable Turn Time When Incoming Flight is Delayed?
Jun 11, 2013, 4:42 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: ORD-LAS
Programs: UA MM 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 4,419
Maybe UA was hoping that a spare would become available and you would be able to leave on time, but none did. Maybe an airplane went out of service and they were hoping to be able to get it back into service in time to swap with the planned flight. Maybe due to aircraft out of service, some planes had to be swapped into operationally difficult routings and UA was hoping that the planes might be able to make up some time throughout the day so as to not make your segment late.
Lots of potential reasons.
It's funny, in this thread people are simultaneously complaining that UA offers way too padded of a schedule and also that UA runs unrealistically tight schedule that isn't operationally possible.
Lots of potential reasons.
It's funny, in this thread people are simultaneously complaining that UA offers way too padded of a schedule and also that UA runs unrealistically tight schedule that isn't operationally possible.
Also, this isn't something random, it happens way too much now.
Jun 11, 2013, 5:44 pm
#47
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
My parents are scheduled to fly UA 1125 today from IAH to SFO, listed on .com as aircraft #3529 departing IAH at 1553. .com also lists this plane as arriving as UA 1488 from SAP to IAH at 1534. Is a 19 minute turn at IAH possible? or is .com acting .bomby?
Thanks
FDW
Thanks
FDW
FDW
Jun 11, 2013, 6:01 pm
#48
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, UA Nobody, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,372
The use of the word "honest" here (which crops up in many other threads too) fascinates me. Saying that UA is being dishonest by not posting a delay to the flight makes zero sense. None whatsoever. It implies that UA has assessed the situation, and someone has made a deliberate decision not to post a delay in the flight, for some nefarious purpose.
But wait - UA posts delays for flights all the time. Their website (and text / call / email notification engine) is linked to their FLIFO system. So not only do they not want their customers to know about the delay, but they're not posting it internally for their ops folks either. Or are you implying that they do post it internally but selectively withhold this information from the public on certain flights to be dishonest?
Wouldn't it make far more sense to acknowledge that on some flights they just don't notice the impending delay or someone missed updating the revised departure time? That I get. Every airline has some dysfunctional processes. But calling it dishonesty implies a deliberate act that I just don't see here.
But wait - UA posts delays for flights all the time. Their website (and text / call / email notification engine) is linked to their FLIFO system. So not only do they not want their customers to know about the delay, but they're not posting it internally for their ops folks either. Or are you implying that they do post it internally but selectively withhold this information from the public on certain flights to be dishonest?
Wouldn't it make far more sense to acknowledge that on some flights they just don't notice the impending delay or someone missed updating the revised departure time? That I get. Every airline has some dysfunctional processes. But calling it dishonesty implies a deliberate act that I just don't see here.
- In the incompetence bucket I'd include the not noticing inbound aircraft scheduled to arrive with impossible turns, sometimes even days out.
- In the dishonesty bucket I do believe that UA miscodes delay reasons (e.g. WX to absolve themselves of blame) and deliberately schedules planes on the wrong side of the line between maximizing utilization and asking for propagating delays
- In the 'who cares' bucket is the timely posting of delays and the rolling delays. Some cynics might say that this is also a dishonesty strategy to reduce the pressure to reroute customers onto partner or OAL flights, but I suspect its simply that those updating the delays often just don't see a particular need to be customer friendly in the way these are updated and communicated.
Jun 18, 2013, 6:42 am
#49
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LAS - I'm All In!
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott PP
Posts: 3,639
Has anyone else noticed tight turn times on UA's schedule lately?
Has anyone else noticed tight turn times lately? I'm just looking according to the United App, but I frequently see 45 minute turn times and then some as low as 20-30 minutes (scheduled).
For instance, I'm on IAH-SLC this morning. Departure is scheduled at 932a, our inbound A/C is coming from FLL due in at 905a. Looking at the SFO-LAS 920p flight tonight, it appears to be A/C N476UA. The aircraft is due into SFO from SAN at 859p.
It actually seems to me the schedule padding isn't there as much anymore and now there are impossible turn times. Anyone else noticing this?
For instance, I'm on IAH-SLC this morning. Departure is scheduled at 932a, our inbound A/C is coming from FLL due in at 905a. Looking at the SFO-LAS 920p flight tonight, it appears to be A/C N476UA. The aircraft is due into SFO from SAN at 859p.
It actually seems to me the schedule padding isn't there as much anymore and now there are impossible turn times. Anyone else noticing this?
Jun 18, 2013, 7:03 am
#50
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: LAX
Programs: UA 1K MM, AS MVPG, SPG PLAT 100
Posts: 1,497
Not only have I seen it, I saw it take over an hour to turn a 738 at FLL last week (lots of elderly and special needs passengers coming on and off). Very poorly handled by ground staff, and as result departure delayed, thunderstorm rolled in, and 2.5 arrival delay created. Missed connection in IAH.
Jun 18, 2013, 7:04 am
#51
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LAS - I'm All In!
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott PP
Posts: 3,639
Not only have I seen it, I saw it take over an hour to turn a 738 at FLL last week (lots of elderly and special needs passengers coming on and off). Very poorly handled by ground staff, and as result departure delayed, thunderstorm rolled in, and 2.5 arrival delay created. Missed connection in IAH.
Jun 18, 2013, 8:33 am
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
I've been offered options on flights with many more under an hour connections of late. Not sure if UA has padded flight times and thus knows flights will be arriving earlier, but I am not comfortable with such connections, particularly on domestic to international flights where I prefer to have a couple of hours cushion so I don't risk weather or other issues resulting in my missing the original flight and I get stuck in a middle seat in E- on the flight I've been protected on.
Jun 18, 2013, 4:23 pm
#54
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K2MM, HH Diamond (LT), Mar Plat, Avis First
Posts: 122
It's not padding, the flight are landing at their schedule time, and the plane just barely off load in 30 minutes, and we have to wait the extra 20 minutes past boarding time to start boarding. The only saving grace has been, at least at SFO, the GA already ask people in group 5 to do the free gate check, so the on boarding is pretty fast. SFO is the only airport that I see consistently do the gate check for baggage for group 5. By pre-gate checking for group 5, this cut at least 15 minutes off the boarding time.
Jun 18, 2013, 11:28 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LAS - I'm All In!
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott PP
Posts: 3,639
It's not padding, the flight are landing at their schedule time, and the plane just barely off load in 30 minutes, and we have to wait the extra 20 minutes past boarding time to start boarding. The only saving grace has been, at least at SFO, the GA already ask people in group 5 to do the free gate check, so the on boarding is pretty fast. SFO is the only airport that I see consistently do the gate check for baggage for group 5. By pre-gate checking for group 5, this cut at least 15 minutes off the boarding time.
Jun 20, 2013, 12:15 pm
#56
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K2MM, HH Diamond (LT), Mar Plat, Avis First
Posts: 122
Mis-interpete my statement about padding, There is no padding in flight time. The flights will be delayed, because of the late departure, because there is only a 30 minute window between the time the plane lanes, and the outbound is schedule to depart. I fly the same route every Sunday night out of SFO, and the inbound is schedule to land when we are suppose to start boarding. So the outbound is always 20-30 minutes late departing the gate. In the past two months, I have missed my connection flight twice, because of this late departure caused by the 30 minute turnaround window. In the prior 7 years of taking this flight, I never had a mis-connection, when the inbound aircraft arrived on schedule.
Jun 20, 2013, 12:53 pm
#58
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Former 1KMM now free as UA Gold MM, former HH D, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 1,121
I had a similar experience back in March. There'd been a schedule change when the 787s got grounded and was replaced by 764s. The plane was flying EWR-HNL-IAH, and I was booked on the HNL-IAH leg. The schedule had some ridiculous amount of time on the ground in HNL like 20 minutes--no way it was ever going to happen, and once the inbound flight left EWR an hour late and encountered headwinds, it still took UA about four hours to officially post the delay.
Jun 20, 2013, 1:20 pm
#59
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Programs: Marriott Gold, Hyatt Platinum, United Platinum
Posts: 42
I've seen quite a few 30-35 minute connections at LAX, SFO and ORD in recent months. It seems as if they've shortened by 10-15 minutes but I can't recall exactly. I never assume I'll make a 35 minute connection given early gate door closings and delayed deboarding for all sorts of reasons.
Jun 20, 2013, 1:58 pm
#60
Join Date: May 2013
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: UA Platinum, BW Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 40
I have a 34 minute layover between flights next Wednesday at LAX (LAS-LAX-SAN). If my flight from LAS lands anywhere other than the commuter terminal, I highly doubt I'll make that second leg. I've waited 34 minutes on the bus itself in the past.
Edit...Nevermind, I checked, it does, I'm good (maybe!)
Edit...Nevermind, I checked, it does, I'm good (maybe!)
Last edited by Briz; Jun 20, 2013 at 2:15 pm Reason: New info