http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/get-out-of-the-penalty-box-4-tips-for-avoiding-long-taxi-in-times/ Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/get-out-of-the-penalty-box-4-tips-for-avoiding-long-taxi-in-times/comment-page-1/#comment-20776 Travel Stories and News for 7/6/2009 — Kathika Travel Website Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:03:11 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=7044#comment-20776 [...] Get out of the penalty box: 4 tips for avoiding long taxi-in times As the airline industry toasts its latest on-time arrival record — 79.1 percent of flights in April arrived on schedule, up just a fraction from the previous month and about one percentage point higher than a year ago — no one seems to be paying much attention to the price we pay for this improvement. It’s true that one reason for the uptick in on-time arrivals is that there are fewer flights and therefore less air traffic to get stuck in. But airlines have also given themselves more time, which is often referred to as “padding” their schedules. They’ve added anywhere between five minutes to more than half an hour to some of their domestic flights since deregulation, in order to keep up their on-time ratings. [...] [...] Get out of the penalty box: 4 tips for avoiding long taxi-in times As the airline industry toasts its latest on-time arrival record — 79.1 percent of flights in April arrived on schedule, up just a fraction from the previous month and about one percentage point higher than a year ago — no one seems to be paying much attention to the price we pay for this improvement. It’s true that one reason for the uptick in on-time arrivals is that there are fewer flights and therefore less air traffic to get stuck in. But airlines have also given themselves more time, which is often referred to as “padding” their schedules. They’ve added anywhere between five minutes to more than half an hour to some of their domestic flights since deregulation, in order to keep up their on-time ratings. [...]

]]> http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/get-out-of-the-penalty-box-4-tips-for-avoiding-long-taxi-in-times/comment-page-1/#comment-20762 Matt Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:10:00 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=7044#comment-20762 It isn't "padding" the schedule. Do you honestly think that airlines add random minutes for no logical reason? Fact: At most airlines, the pilots are paid the *higher* of either the scheduled or actual time. So in the case of these flights arriving early, the pilots are paid for the scheduled time, not the shortened time that is referenced. Therefore, additional "padded" minutes are expensive. Also consider that airlines use averages in much of what they do, and scheduled times are no exception. Usually airlines plan on a 65% reliability for enroute times, with 65 out of 100 flights arriving at or before the scheduled time. Some airlines, in a cost-cutting move, have tried to use a 50% reliability. This resulted in a terrible on-time performance, since by default half of those flights are late. Finally, flights cannot pull into any open gate like a parking lot. Think about the next flight: All of the passengers and cargo are waiting at the assigned gate, and not every gate can accommodate every aircraft type. Airlines are hugely complex and rely on a very large number of moving parts to function. Decrying a "gate hold" upon arrival (which most likely will still get you there early) is just a storm in a teacup. It isn’t “padding” the schedule. Do you honestly think that airlines add random minutes for no logical reason? Fact: At most airlines, the pilots are paid the *higher* of either the scheduled or actual time. So in the case of these flights arriving early, the pilots are paid for the scheduled time, not the shortened time that is referenced. Therefore, additional “padded” minutes are expensive.
Also consider that airlines use averages in much of what they do, and scheduled times are no exception. Usually airlines plan on a 65% reliability for enroute times, with 65 out of 100 flights arriving at or before the scheduled time. Some airlines, in a cost-cutting move, have tried to use a 50% reliability. This resulted in a terrible on-time performance, since by default half of those flights are late.
Finally, flights cannot pull into any open gate like a parking lot. Think about the next flight: All of the passengers and cargo are waiting at the assigned gate, and not every gate can accommodate every aircraft type. Airlines are hugely complex and rely on a very large number of moving parts to function. Decrying a “gate hold” upon arrival (which most likely will still get you there early) is just a storm in a teacup.

]]> http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/get-out-of-the-penalty-box-4-tips-for-avoiding-long-taxi-in-times/comment-page-1/#comment-20751 Joshua Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:43:11 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=7044#comment-20751 This is a great article. One thing I'd like to add to the information on plane size is that, at least for most US airlines, any flight number 3000-4000 or so is operated by a regional carrier, for example, American Eagle for American Airlines, Comair for Delta Air Lines, etc. Those regional airlines tend to operate much smaller jets and prop planes, so it's likely they'll be made to wait longer for a gate than larger jets (I know from personal experience). However, I should also note that just because a flight number is four digits doesn't necessarily mean it's operated by a regional carrier; big airlines tend to operate their own aircraft, not regional planes, on flights in the 1000-2000s, and very high four-digit flight numbers, such as 8000-9000, indicate either a codeshare flight (operated by another carrier, but potentially with larger aircraft) or unscheduled service. Again, this information relates to US airlines; I can't speak to airlines based in other countries. Hope this helps! This is a great article. One thing I’d like to add to the information on plane size is that, at least for most US airlines, any flight number 3000-4000 or so is operated by a regional carrier, for example, American Eagle for American Airlines, Comair for Delta Air Lines, etc. Those regional airlines tend to operate much smaller jets and prop planes, so it’s likely they’ll be made to wait longer for a gate than larger jets (I know from personal experience). However, I should also note that just because a flight number is four digits doesn’t necessarily mean it’s operated by a regional carrier; big airlines tend to operate their own aircraft, not regional planes, on flights in the 1000-2000s, and very high four-digit flight numbers, such as 8000-9000, indicate either a codeshare flight (operated by another carrier, but potentially with larger aircraft) or unscheduled service. Again, this information relates to US airlines; I can’t speak to airlines based in other countries. Hope this helps!

]]> http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/get-out-of-the-penalty-box-4-tips-for-avoiding-long-taxi-in-times/comment-page-1/#comment-20746 Candi Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:56:58 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=7044#comment-20746 When I lived in Chicago, I almost always booked out of MDW instead of ORD. A flight from MDW to CMH was normally listed at 1h or 1h05, while the ORD to CMC flights were often listed at nearly 2 hours or more! When I lived in Chicago, I almost always booked out of MDW instead of ORD. A flight from MDW to CMH was normally listed at 1h or 1h05, while the ORD to CMC flights were often listed at nearly 2 hours or more!

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