4 ms·

Another update. I'm still here. We are parked at the gate waiting for additional fuel before we can leave. Not sure why they boarded us just to have us sit here

by akcreek 14y ago

Another update. I'm still here. We are parked at the gate waiting for additional fuel before we can leave. Not sure why they boarded us just to have us sit here for another hour (or more - no clue how long this will end up taking). The good news is the plane has AC power in my row so I was able to build the navigation for a site I'm working on.

hkmurakami 14y ago
>Not sure why they boarded us just to have us sit here for another hour (or more - no clue how long this will end up taking). Every airline seems to have been doing this for decades now, and it boggles my mind why they do this. Do they think that getting people "on board" is demonstrating "progress! breakthroughs! we're moving forward folks!" or something and it's supposed to make us suddenly happy? I'd so much rather spend the extra 2 hours at the gate than crammed into a 737 for the same amount of time, especially when they decide that they can't turn on the AC (when I was little, we were stuck in a fully packed 747 for 4 hours with no AC. They opened the front and back doors b/c it was so unbearable in there...)
- shalmanese 14y ago
  It's because that's one of the metrics which is tracked and, therefore, optimized for, even at the detriment to the core business.
- sebcat 14y ago
  Having spent time in the military, it makes sense to me. Hurry up and wait :) I actually like that way of doing things. Boarded a flight recently and fell asleep at once after sitting down. Woke up three hours later, plane was descending. It was supposed to be a 1.5h flight. Oh well.
- ivix 14y ago
  Departure slots. When one comes up you have to be ready to go immediately.
  - ZenzerNet 14y ago
    This is why.
- SoftwareMaven 14y ago
  The flight is considered "departed" from a time-tracking perspective when the boarding doors are closed. If your flight is scheduled at 2pm and they close the doors at 2pm, even if it takes you until 8pm to get in the air, your flight "left on time". This is a perfect example of "be careful what you measure". Customers don't care when they leave, they care when they arrive, but, since the FAA measures[1] on-time departures, that is what has been optimized for, to the detriment of customers. 1. I would be willing to bet the FAA measures this at the request of the airlines. Measuring arrival time has many variables they can't control, whereas departure, as defined, is mostly controlled by the airlines.
- desas 14y ago
  In the EU the airlines are legally obligated to provide drink and food if the flight is delayed over a certain amount of time. I believe once you're on the plane/tarmac that clock stops ticking.
MichaelApproved 14y ago
I think they board the plane as quickly as possible so they can get in the queue to taxi to a runway. Until the door is closed, you do not get a place in line to take off.

by akcreek 14y ago

hkmurakami 14y ago

>Not sure why they boarded us just to have us sit here for another hour (or more - no clue how long this will end up taking). Every airline seems to have been doing this for decades now, and it boggles my mind why they do this. Do they think that getting people "on board" is demonstrating "progress! breakthroughs! we're moving forward folks!" or something and it's supposed to make us suddenly happy? I'd so much rather spend the extra 2 hours at the gate than crammed into a 737 for the same amount of time, especially when they decide that they can't turn on the AC (when I was little, we were stuck in a fully packed 747 for 4 hours with no AC. They opened the front and back doors b/c it was so unbearable in there...)

shalmanese 14y ago
It's because that's one of the metrics which is tracked and, therefore, optimized for, even at the detriment to the core business.
sebcat 14y ago
Having spent time in the military, it makes sense to me. Hurry up and wait :) I actually like that way of doing things. Boarded a flight recently and fell asleep at once after sitting down. Woke up three hours later, plane was descending. It was supposed to be a 1.5h flight. Oh well.
ivix 14y ago
Departure slots. When one comes up you have to be ready to go immediately.
- ZenzerNet 14y ago
  This is why.
SoftwareMaven 14y ago
The flight is considered "departed" from a time-tracking perspective when the boarding doors are closed. If your flight is scheduled at 2pm and they close the doors at 2pm, even if it takes you until 8pm to get in the air, your flight "left on time". This is a perfect example of "be careful what you measure". Customers don't care when they leave, they care when they arrive, but, since the FAA measures[1] on-time departures, that is what has been optimized for, to the detriment of customers. 1. I would be willing to bet the FAA measures this at the request of the airlines. Measuring arrival time has many variables they can't control, whereas departure, as defined, is mostly controlled by the airlines.
desas 14y ago
In the EU the airlines are legally obligated to provide drink and food if the flight is delayed over a certain amount of time. I believe once you're on the plane/tarmac that clock stops ticking.

MichaelApproved 14y ago

I think they board the plane as quickly as possible so they can get in the queue to taxi to a runway. Until the door is closed, you do not get a place in line to take off.