WingNaPrayer said:
.......thousands of customers every time they misconnect and WON'T WAIT for passengers coming in on other misconnected flights, even by five minutes. That's time a pilot can easily make up in the air, hell most of them can make up a half hour if need be, but noooooooo, not AA, they won't wait.
Ol’ Wing,
Speaking of eating “crowâ€, I have an easy question for you. Do you have a suggestion as to just how a scheduled airline should handle passengers arriving late for their DEPARTING flight? You have mentioned several times that American “WON’T WAIT†even 5 minutes. You also say that most pilots can “make up a half hour if need beâ€.
Are you a pilot? (I’m not either, but, I was in the past.) Certainly you are aware that on long flights and with unusual winds it is possible to ‘beat scheduled flying timeâ€. You are probably also aware that these scheduled flying times are adjusted during the year to compensate for average winds as they vary from one season to another.
Having said this, when a flight departs late, it NORMALLY arrives late. (So much for making up time en-route)
Without receiving an executive’s pay for your ideas, (You’ve mentioned in the past that this is one of your requirements) just how long would you delay a flight for one passenger? Would you hold longer for two passengers? Would you hold longer for a business person? How ‘bout a really GOOD LOOKIN’ gal?
If the plane was already full and some passengers had been upgraded during the last few minutes, would you remove passengers to accommodate those who arrived late? What consideration would you give to the hundred and fifty or so passengers who were on time for a scheduled departure and onboard and would very much appreciate arriving at their destination on time. (and, maybe also wanting to make THEIR connections?) And how about the plane that just landed ON SCHEDULE with a full load of passengers and requires this particular gate? Shall we now delay this flight also? Now we have the ability to make another hundred or so unhappy, just because YOU GOT THERE LATE!
It would appear that there is a lot more involved in handling misconnections than meets the eye of the “misconnecteeâ€.
There is one more question. Would you be happy if a surgeon suggested knocking 30 minutes off your operation because a previous patient “missed his connection�
I don’t think so.
And, yes, I have held on many occasions for connecting passengers and also made schedule.
Randy Kramer