"Home for the holidays": Pilot program to hold flights for delayed connections.
Dec 14, 2017, 6:21 pm
#31
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: BOS
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if you're landing at MSY at 11pm, planning to pick up a connection on a separate ticket, you lose. Ok with that tradeoff! (Last flight of the night to an outstation and connection on separate ticket don't often collide. And if they do, that's the separate ticket risk. Yawn.)
Dec 14, 2017, 7:54 pm
#32
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
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Taking the delay comes with some costs (human and money). Those are balanced against the costs of not taking the delay. Sometimes it is a straight financial decision and sometimes it is not. But there are always multiple factors in play.
Dec 14, 2017, 8:42 pm
#33
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: if it's Thursday, this must be Belgium
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Posts: 6,483
In the case of SYD specifically, sometimes UA can do this for free anyway. I have been delayed on the ground several times because the winds are too favorable, leading to an arrival that would break the curfew. So you wait regardless.
Dec 14, 2017, 9:23 pm
#34
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 17
We could have used this last Friday when our mechanical delayed flight caused us to get to our "last flight of the night" connection to MSY 8 minutes before its scheduled departure time (after running to try and make it), only to find that the door had been closed at 15 minutes before departure...and then to top it off, the ap informs me while in the customer service line that the missed flight was now delayed 21 minutes (customer service agent said it was delayed to load bags), and there were no seats available until Monday on any flights...
Dec 15, 2017, 5:50 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
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It did say "last flight of the night", so perhaps given the airport location(s) it's unlikely for other passengers to have connections. But if this is a legit program and not a GA initiative, scheduling software can be utilized to make sure other passengers aren't going below MCT!
We just have one random report so who knows what the policy is. If UA is being smart about which "last flights" qualify, then I'm 100% in favor of this.
Dec 15, 2017, 7:19 am
#36
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Agree with this program for the most part and think the concern about impaxginf international flights is overblown. There are maybe what 2 international flights (the two SYD flights) that this impacts since at most outstations I don't think the last flight of the night is timed to the morning /early afternoon TPAC bank or evening TATL / SA bank.
Dec 15, 2017, 7:29 am
#37
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Dec 15, 2017, 9:33 am
#38
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,660
Having said that.... The decision to hold a flight for connectors is made at a level far, far away from the aircraft or the gate. The decision, as many have pointed out, involves a myriad of factors including last flight of the day, estimated flight time for that segment, ability to re-book misconnects, impact on follow on flights, crew rest, etc.
Pilots are provided very clear direction for the priorities of operating a flight: Safely, comfortably, on-time, and efficiently...in that order. The priority to be on-time (or less-late) comes before operating efficiently.....i.e. we will always burn more gas if it helps keep the operation on time.
DRW
Dec 15, 2017, 12:21 pm
#39
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Never heard of this program. Did a search on our employee site and there is no mention of this program. At this point, I would be led to believe it was a GA making a feel good excuse to hold a flight for a bit...and the folks on FT running with it.
Having said that.... The decision to hold a flight for connectors is made at a level far, far away from the aircraft or the gate. The decision, as many have pointed out, involves a myriad of factors including last flight of the day, estimated flight time for that segment, ability to re-book misconnects, impact on follow on flights, crew rest, etc.
Pilots are provided very clear direction for the priorities of operating a flight: Safely, comfortably, on-time, and efficiently...in that order. The priority to be on-time (or less-late) comes before operating efficiently.....i.e. we will always burn more gas if it helps keep the operation on time.
DRW
Having said that.... The decision to hold a flight for connectors is made at a level far, far away from the aircraft or the gate. The decision, as many have pointed out, involves a myriad of factors including last flight of the day, estimated flight time for that segment, ability to re-book misconnects, impact on follow on flights, crew rest, etc.
Pilots are provided very clear direction for the priorities of operating a flight: Safely, comfortably, on-time, and efficiently...in that order. The priority to be on-time (or less-late) comes before operating efficiently.....i.e. we will always burn more gas if it helps keep the operation on time.
DRW
Dec 15, 2017, 1:16 pm
#40
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Platinum Elite, National Executive, United Gold
Posts: 1,181
I thought this was a more frequent occurence, I've been on several of the last EWR-BOS flights of the day where it was held ~30 minutes for connecting passengers. Was great for me as an O&D passenger because I thought I was going to miss the flight on more than one occasion...
But then I was also on the 6:50pm IAH-LGA flight 6 weeks ago that pushed back 10 minutes early...
But then I was also on the 6:50pm IAH-LGA flight 6 weeks ago that pushed back 10 minutes early...
Dec 15, 2017, 2:17 pm
#41
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, TX - AUS
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Posts: 1,625
If I'm scrambling to catch the flight they won't hold the plane
If I'm already onboard, and other passengers are scrambling, they sometimes hold the plane.
If a pilot or flight attendant needs to work the flight, they will definitely hold the plane, even if the crewmembers take a leisurely stroll to the gate
If I'm already onboard, and other passengers are scrambling, they sometimes hold the plane.
If a pilot or flight attendant needs to work the flight, they will definitely hold the plane, even if the crewmembers take a leisurely stroll to the gate
Dec 15, 2017, 6:22 pm
#42
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
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Au Contraire: IME, I recall specifically sitting on a SYD flight at SFO (after connecting from SEA), an announcement that "we're holding this flight for connecting passengers from Los Angeles", but on another time the SEA-SFO connection was late & the jetway for the SYD flight was locked just as we came within sight of it. Win some, lose some.
Dec 15, 2017, 7:41 pm
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
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Never heard of this program. Did a search on our employee site and there is no mention of this program. At this point, I would be led to believe it was a GA making a feel good excuse to hold a flight for a bit...and the folks on FT running with it.
Having said that.... The decision to hold a flight for connectors is made at a level far, far away from the aircraft or the gate. The decision, as many have pointed out, involves a myriad of factors including last flight of the day, estimated flight time for that segment, ability to re-book misconnects, impact on follow on flights, crew rest, etc.
Pilots are provided very clear direction for the priorities of operating a flight: Safely, comfortably, on-time, and efficiently...in that order. The priority to be on-time (or less-late) comes before operating efficiently.....i.e. we will always burn more gas if it helps keep the operation on time.
DRW
Having said that.... The decision to hold a flight for connectors is made at a level far, far away from the aircraft or the gate. The decision, as many have pointed out, involves a myriad of factors including last flight of the day, estimated flight time for that segment, ability to re-book misconnects, impact on follow on flights, crew rest, etc.
Pilots are provided very clear direction for the priorities of operating a flight: Safely, comfortably, on-time, and efficiently...in that order. The priority to be on-time (or less-late) comes before operating efficiently.....i.e. we will always burn more gas if it helps keep the operation on time.
DRW
Dec 15, 2017, 8:32 pm
#44
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
Doesn't it make sense that holding the last flight of the evening will probably NOT cause many, if any, UA pax's to mis-connect. However, if some of the pax's on the flight being held are going to then mis-connect (i.e. SFO-SYD) they most likely WOULD NOT cause those people to miss their international flight and would push back? I really think what they are talking about is holding the last flights, if it won't impact a large number of people, just to get the aircraft to a gate where it will terminate for 5/6 hours, until the morning departure.
As is usually the case, if you're the one on the plane you want to get goin' asap, but if you are taxiing for the gate and see your plane still parked a few gates away, and it was supposed to leave 10/15 mins ago, you are pretty happy to see a g/a calling your name when you arrive, out of breath, at the gate.
Btw, I'm pretty sure that the people that are controlling the arrivals and departures are ALL communicating about what they are ALL going to do re every one of their flights, and know who is going to mis-connect and if holding a flight or not, impacts their schedules and pax's for that particular evening.
As is usually the case, if you're the one on the plane you want to get goin' asap, but if you are taxiing for the gate and see your plane still parked a few gates away, and it was supposed to leave 10/15 mins ago, you are pretty happy to see a g/a calling your name when you arrive, out of breath, at the gate.
Btw, I'm pretty sure that the people that are controlling the arrivals and departures are ALL communicating about what they are ALL going to do re every one of their flights, and know who is going to mis-connect and if holding a flight or not, impacts their schedules and pax's for that particular evening.
Dec 15, 2017, 8:59 pm
#45
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Join Date: Apr 2001
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Btw, I'm pretty sure that the people that are controlling the arrivals and departures are ALL communicating about what they are ALL going to do re every one of their flights, and know who is going to mis-connect and if holding a flight or not, impacts their schedules and pax's for that particular evening.