Delays Don't Have to be Miserable
Mar 5, 2019, 10:09 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 324
Delays Don't Have to be Miserable
So on Sunday I was flying UA 4668 (DEN-MRY) and we were delayed 1 hour and 4 minutes all said and done. In the big scheme of things, an hour delay isn't the end of the world and I understand delays happen. During the whole process, however, my mind was thinking about how a little communication and honesty would make these delays more bearable and less frustrating. They are little details that UA could improve and in my opinion make the delay process a tad less annoying. Here's my thought process during the delay:
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
Last edited by O62; Mar 5, 2019 at 11:36 am Reason: Grammar fix
Mar 5, 2019, 11:41 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Delta DM CO PE OZ GE AMTRAK
Posts: 524
So on Sunday I was flying UA 4668 (DEN-MRY) and we were delayed 1 hour and 4 minutes all said in done. In the big scheme of things, an hour delay isn't the end of the world and I understand delays happen. During the whole process, however, my mind was thinking about how a little communication and honesty would make these delays more bearable and less frustrating. They are little details that UA could improve and in my opinion make the delay process a tad less annoying. Here's my thought process during the delay:
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
this weekend is a mess for most parts of the country. this type of situation is very hard to predict as far as delay is concerned. basically, if everything and everyone feels it is ready, then airplane goes, otherwise it stays at the gate.
the delay reason may not make sense at the end, but something has to be assigned. The truth is a bunch of things happened in snow weather, and everyone cannot operate as fast as normally, therefore it got delayed. I would just call it "operation difficulty".
Mar 5, 2019, 11:44 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Delta DM CO PE OZ GE AMTRAK
Posts: 524
what should united do? put a carpet on the ice? clean the snow off eveyry inch so the flight is delayed furthur? hire a person just to clean the snow and station him by the ramp at all times to make sure no more snow falls on it?
Mar 5, 2019, 11:52 am
#5
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,344
OP even writes: "In the big scheme of things, an hour delay isn't the end of the world and I understand delays happen."
There is definitely a lax approach to RJ's on-time performance and their boarding routines. They simply aren't as important as the heavies.
But I've had some flights on these planes where GAs and cabin crews made a concerted effort to inform passengers of what's going on, at every step of the process.
Others? Well, not so much. Looks like OP had one of the "others".
Mar 5, 2019, 11:53 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
In general, though, United gives a good deal more information about delays than any other competing airline I've flown. They're far from perfect, and I've even complained once or twice when the dreaded "rolling delay" (like this one) resulted in my not getting to move my flight to a competitor. But, overall, I'd rate delay transparency as a relative strength for UA.
Mar 5, 2019, 12:01 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: UA-GS 1MM), Hertz Pres Circle, Starriott Titanium)
Posts: 1,966
The Other day:
4 hours prior to departure, I check my flight on the app:
On Schedule.
Out of curiosity, I click, "where is this aircraft coming from"
Your Aircraft is delayed 44 min because it took longer than expected to load baggage.
I refresh my flight got back to my flight, still on-schedule.
So I dutifully rush out of my meeting to get to the airport at the originally scheduled time just in case there is an aircraft swap that might recover the 44 min.
10 min prior to boarding, my flight status goes to delayed : Your aircraft is 44 min delayed due to Air Traffic Control Conditions.
It isn't the complete and utter chaos WRT to delay reasons that bothers me... it is the fact that KNOWING FULL WELL 4 hours ahead of time my flight will be delayed, they still refuse to acknowledge the delay without any regard for the fact that passengers might have things to do or places to be other than the boarding gate being lied to.
4 hours prior to departure, I check my flight on the app:
On Schedule.
Out of curiosity, I click, "where is this aircraft coming from"
Your Aircraft is delayed 44 min because it took longer than expected to load baggage.
I refresh my flight got back to my flight, still on-schedule.
So I dutifully rush out of my meeting to get to the airport at the originally scheduled time just in case there is an aircraft swap that might recover the 44 min.
10 min prior to boarding, my flight status goes to delayed : Your aircraft is 44 min delayed due to Air Traffic Control Conditions.
It isn't the complete and utter chaos WRT to delay reasons that bothers me... it is the fact that KNOWING FULL WELL 4 hours ahead of time my flight will be delayed, they still refuse to acknowledge the delay without any regard for the fact that passengers might have things to do or places to be other than the boarding gate being lied to.
Mar 5, 2019, 12:26 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Houston
Programs: UA 1K and Million Miler, *A Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star,
Posts: 1,301
So on Sunday I was flying UA 4668 (DEN-MRY) and we were delayed 1 hour and 4 minutes all said and done. In the big scheme of things, an hour delay isn't the end of the world and I understand delays happen. During the whole process, however, my mind was thinking about how a little communication and honesty would make these delays more bearable and less frustrating. They are little details that UA could improve and in my opinion make the delay process a tad less annoying. Here's my thought process during the delay:
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
6:25 [T-0:40] Arrive at gate
Yay! Ontime departure. The plane is here, the boarding screen thingy says boarding soon and people are coming off of the plane! Well, probably. The one "gate" serves four "gates" so they could come from anywhere I suppose.
6:35 [T-0:30] Agent gets on the mic, says we'll be boarding soon and don't leave the gate area.
Alright, get our things ready. Should we change the baby's diaper? No no, we're going to board soon.
6:45 [T-0:20] Nothing. Board says "boarding soon" and "on time". Skepticism builds.
Well then, let's go ahead and change the diaper, but hurry, I'm sure we'll be boarding soon.
6:50 [T-0:15] No change. Sign still says boarding soon and on schedule.
Alright, well we know the whole "on-time" thing isn't happening anymore. No way we can load the barbie jet and push back in 15. Perhaps UA thinks all 50 of us will break the boarding record tonight. Not a peep from the agent.
6:55 [T-0:10] Agent announces boarding and proceeds to run through pre-boarding and all groups in ten seconds. A globular form of people appears at the door. We pack up our things and join the mob.
6:58 [T-0:07] Walk into the regional jet hallway of mediocre construction. Couldn't they paint something? Add some of those "friendly sky" ads somewhere? This has nothing to do with the delay, but c'mon, we can do better than this, right?
6:59 [T-0:06] Arrive at the real gate. Show our boarding passes again. In line, I glance at the thermostat. It's set to 70 but reads 40. Learning from the first display board, I no longer trust digital displays to give accurate information, but 40 feels right.
7:00 [T-0:05] Walk onto the ERJ-145 via a portable ramp. They've cleared just enough snow to make it walkable, but not completely, wanting to emphasize they care, but not *that* much. As I wait in line in the winter weather, I glance at my app. "On schedule" the app smiles back. UA ops people are eternal optimists.
7:05 [T-0] Get into the ERJ-145. Slowly consider which is worse, the ERJ-145 or the CRJ-200? The CRJ has those sliding storage bins on the left side good for coats, but the ERJ has windows that aren't designed for maximum chiropractic profit. Hey, it's better than no flight at all, right?
7:08 [T+3] Sit down, watch people board. App still says we are on schedule.
7:13 [T+8] Boarding looks pretty much done. Do our pre-flight ritual shuffling of items and get ready for departure.
7:17 [T+12] No news, but the app has admitted we are delayed now. Estimate 7:25 departure. It says due to longer than anticipated boarding process. Having been in the boarding process, I can testify that despite the hallway of boring architecture and frozen temps, nothing was slow or abnormal. It's a 50 seater jet. It doesn't take *that* long to board. We have our pilots, we have our FA, so something is going on.
7:20 [T+15] First news of any delay from a person. FA says we are waiting for some last minute people. Okay, I can appreciate that. Last flight of the day, give them a chance, why not? Still, couldn't they have message like: "We delayed your flight in an effort to do something nice for once and not strand folks in Denver and have to shell out $350 to stay in the giant glass mustache Westin"
7:23 [T+17] App says 7:35 departure now. No new passengers have arrived unless they snuck in through the back door. Instead, a man in a jumpsuit shows up and goes to the lav. This is the universal sign of an MX issue but no no, this is a boarding delay!
7:24 [T+19] Jumpsuit man leaves. No updates from anyone.
7:27 [T+22] A more heavily winterized jumpsuit man appears, holding a clear plastic jug of what appears to be the famous blue liquid. He heads toward the lav with it uncapped. Cue conversation about what would happen if he accidentally splilled it on someone walking down the 18" wide aisle.
7:28 [T+23] Heavy jumpsuit man fumbles trying to open lav door. FA goes to assist.
7:30 [T+25] Heavy jumpsuit man leaves. Says something to FA.
7:31 [T+26] Door closes! Yay! Not too bad of delay. And we will have a working bathroom, always nice! App says departed gate, only a 40 minute delay!
7:37 [T+32] Just kidding! Door opens again. Heavy jumpsuit man makes one more trip back to the lav. According to app we are taxiing with the door open and engines off.
7:38 [T+33] Door closes for real, sit for a while before pushback.
7:45 [T+40] Captain finally graces us with some news. Says we are going to de-icing. Says it could take very little time or a lot. Vague news is vague, though I can appreciate he doesn't control the de-icing trucks. Also, I like not dying, so bring on the glycol!
8:00 [T+55] Worlds longest taxi to de-icing. De-icing commences. They take de-icing into account when padding the schedule, right?
8:05 [T+60] De-icing done, inexplicable pause. Surely DEN can de-ice faster? They get snow a lot right? Also, captain man or FA might chime in here with some news?
8:18 [T+77] More Denver-like taxi lengths and we're off! Yay!
Arrive in MRY 1h4m late. We executed a go-around on approach to 28L and approached the 2nd time on 10R. Interesting. I doubt winds shifted, I'm guessing vis was poor on the east end and winds were calm enough that they didn't matter much.
Get to the gate, check the app just for fun, "delayed due to late arriving crew." Wat?
Go home, ponder that perhaps just a few honest updates here and less UA ops eternal optimism as to when we would get home might have made the experience a little better. Details matter, at least for me.
Best FT read I have had this year. Thanks!
Mar 5, 2019, 12:31 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: NYC/Northern NJ
Programs: 1K - UAL, Platinum DL, Marriott, Hilton, SPG
Posts: 1,815
This testimony sums up the experience for frequent travelers and recognize what the airlines states for cause of delay sometimes is alternate facts.
Sunday AM -
On a plane with an engine MX/indicator - delayed at departure gate 30 minute including start/stop of engine test. Depart gate 30+ minutes late. Due to padding vs. flight time arrive destination within 10 minutes of scheduled arrival.
UA indicates reason for delay was 'severe weather conditions on the way to destination'.
My evidence that statement is entirely false - UA also had departures to nearby airports within 140 miles (similar flight paths) at the identical time and both other flights landed early.
Not a big deal as landing within 10 minutes is equal to on-time but using acts of God (UA 931 lawsuit) or weather vs. UA operations seems to be unfair to passengers (if delay exceeds 60 mins). Maybe a thread for each person to post their experiences/evidence of alternate facts?
Mar 5, 2019, 12:54 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 19,502
I once flew (in April) from MSY to PHX via DEN. My prior experience at DEN was with the RJ gates with jet bridges. This time, of course, we were assigned to one of the “bridgeless” gates. Many pax (including yours truly) in shorts and T-shirts deplaning into a snowstorm and running to the terminal door.
Mar 5, 2019, 12:55 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
It isn't the complete and utter chaos WRT to delay reasons that bothers me... it is the fact that KNOWING FULL WELL 4 hours ahead of time my flight will be delayed, they still refuse to acknowledge the delay without any regard for the fact that passengers might have things to do or places to be other than the boarding gate being lied to.
They likely did have a pretty good idea prior to 10 minutes before boarding, though. I've definitely noticed that they don't always indicate downline delays as early as it seems like they could.
The last thing we need is further to flame the paranoia and conspiracy theories.
Mar 5, 2019, 1:00 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 324
looks like a collection of small issues that add up to 1 hour delay at the end. I can guarantee you no operation center and no apps can capture this type of delay in details. the only way this can happen is for the gate agent literally change departure time every time a little thing happens and push it to the app..
I thought it was an amusing account of what goes on in a passenger's mind during a small, irrelevant delay.
OP even writes: "In the big scheme of things, an hour delay isn't the end of the world and I understand delays happen."
There is definitely a lax approach to RJ's on-time performance and their boarding routines. They simply aren't as important as the heavies.
But I've had some flights on these planes where GAs and cabin crews made a concerted effort to inform passengers of what's going on, at every step of the process.
Others? Well, not so much. Looks like OP had one of the "others".
Mar 5, 2019, 2:15 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pasadena, California
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM
Posts: 10,412
And, c'mon, we've all certainly experienced staring at an empty gate 30, 20 or even 10 minutes before a purported departure from said gate that is indicated to be "on time". I don't even get upset about it; I've normalized it as part of the flying experience.
Mar 5, 2019, 2:19 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
Indeed, I have; on UA, WN, AA, TG, SQ.... I'd have done it on other airlines too if I flew them more. TG and SQ were among the worst -- no announcement at all.
Mar 5, 2019, 2:43 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pasadena, California
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM
Posts: 10,412
