Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Almost the same might be said of on-time and delayed flights. Certainly, there seem to be a million reasons and combination of reasons that conspire to make airlines late.
But one that always frustrates me, not because airlines can do anything about it, but because airlines can’t be honest about it, is turnaround time.
When you are waiting for a flight, and the incoming aircraft is delayed, you know the airline wants to turn the plane around as quickly as possible. On the other hand, even Southwest — the master at quick turnarounds — takes about 15 to 20 minutes to empty, clean and reboard a plane for takeoff.
And while airlines keep tinkering with the boarding process, they don’t seem to be able to make things any faster flights requiring catering with meals take even longer. (The airlines may have stopped free food, but they sell enough that it still takes almost as much time.)
Yet despite the realities of the situation, airlines still will often post schedules as if they can turn a plane around in 5 minutes.
Recently, with many planes delayed in Denver, I sat in Wichita with a number of passengers who were worried about missing their connections, as many of them showed on-time. But in looking at United’s computer, it clearly showed that for some of these planes to be on-time, the airline would have to turn them around in less than 10 minutes, in one case, in two minutes. And that was before any other possible delays.
Sure enough, upon arrival in Denver, most of the passengers on our delayed flight did have time to make their also delayed connections.
Today for example, a flight from San Francisco to Dulles has been showing on-time all day, despite a late arriving aircraft. And until almost the last minute, United has been showing the plane departing on time at 4:24 p.m., even when it would mean at best a ten minute turnaround on a flight that will serve dinner to first class passengers, and sell meals in coach.
It’s not just United, either, although since I work in the San Francisco area they are the dominant carrier, and thus most frequent offender. And if airlines used a slightly more realistic algorithm, even just a minimum 15 minute turnaround time, they would have less frustrated and needlessly worried clients. (Who would in turn probably be nicer to gate agents and flight attendants.)
A potential estimated turnaround time change wouldn’t include potential mechanical delays and aircraft swaps. It would simply be for late arriving flights continuing on with the same plane, with the same or different flight number. But I am not holding my breath on this one….
(Photo: Let Ideas Compete/Flickr Creative Commons)
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
