The Travel Detective

Airlines “On Time”

Locations in this article:  Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA

Airport Gate PlaneMarch 23, 2007

It’s impossible for airlines to be on time.

That’s a pretty bold statement. Now I’m sure you want to know the reasons why — and who is at fault.

Other than weather — and even there I have an issue — every single contributing reason for dismal on-time performance can be solved. But the airlines, and in fact, even the government, do not want to spend the money to make these simple fixes. And it all has to do with staffing, language, or unnecessary competitive practices.

When you make a reservation, the airline always asks for your phone number. But they never call you when there’s a problem. The reason? Not enough staff.

The airlines have cut back staffing at ticket counters and check-in locations. In most cases, humans have been replaced by kiosks. Ever try to talk to a kiosk? And worse (just ask US Airways passengers), when kiosks break down, there are not enough people at the ticket counters to process passengers. Once again, if it’s not a technology issue, it’s a staffing issue.

But wait. It gets better.

Enter the myth of the “on-time departure.”

Years ago, the airlines were able to strike a deal with the U.S. Department of Transportation. And that deal should give you some idea of the gamesmanship of language.

Under the arrangement, every time a plane pushes back from the gate — every time the nose wheel moves in reverse — that time is recorded and transmitted. And as long as that pushback is within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure, the flight is reported as on time — even if the plane winds up sitting on the runway for the next 14 hours.

Could there be any more meaningless statistic?

And let’s not forget absurd scheduling for competitive marketing reasons. Even when there’s not construction, Los Angeles International can only use two runways for departures. And that’s on a good day. But if 34 airlines have scheduled departing flights for 8 a.m., and there are only two runways, even a first grader can do the math: how many planes are actually departing at 8 a.m.? And if you’re on the 34th plane, you’d better bring a copy of War and Peace and start reading…

Shouldn’t there be more common sense here imposed by airport authorities? And shouldn’t there be departure time caps imposed at major airports to stop this insane (and unrealistic) scheduling?

But wait…it now gets worse. It’s not just the originating flights that contribute to pathetic on-time performance. It’s the scheduling of connecting flights, as well as what constitutes a legal, versus a realistic — connection time.

Any airline that schedules connecting flights within 90 minutes through busy hub cities is guaranteeing delays and eliminating all hopes of on-time performance. What officially constitutes a legal connection actually has no connection, if you will, to real time airport and airline operations. Since a commuter jet needs the same air traffic separation as a 747, and since airlines are already scheduling 34 departures at 8 a.m., the domino effect on connecting flights is lethal.

And until the airlines enact more intelligent scheduling changes on their own, you, the passenger, need to enact them yourself. Never accept a connecting flight that leaves less than 90 minutes after your “scheduled” arrival. At many airports, like Atlanta and Chicago, even that 90-minute cushion is pushing things.

Ideally, you should insist on a two-hour separation between flights. And if you were unlucky enough to check bags, anything less than two hours means that not only are you living dangerously – but that your bags are going to be living somewhere else.

For more of Peter’s blog, check out the “Travel Detective Files”.