Experts have revealed how airlines are hiding lengthy delays, with average flight times significantly longer than they were three decades ago.
Based on data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, planes flying from John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 1995 were behind schedule 51 percent of the time.
Airlines have created the illusion of increased efficiency by adding ‘padding’ to their schedules.
In 2023, delays only occurred on 37 percent of flights, even though these trips are more drawn out than they were 28 years ago.
The average span of a gate departure delay in 1995 was eight minutes. In 2023, that average rose to 13 minutes.
Passengers’ trips from JFK to LAX were generally five hours and 20 minutes in 1995. Planes in 2023 were spending about nine more minutes in the air.
Overall, the entire journey from New York to Los Angeles was a six hour ordeal in 1995. Last year, 18 more minutes were added to the average trip.
Flights from JFK (pictured) to LAX were only delayed 37 percent of the time in 2023, compared to 1995’s 51 percent
Airlines sneakily tack on extra minutes to scheduled flights to conceal delays
But by telling passengers flights will be longer than they need to be, airlines have ironically achieved fewer delays.
According to a New York Times Upshot analysis, scheduled flight lengths from JFK to LAX have increased by 23 minutes since 1995. This extra wiggle room allows planes to arrive early or on time more often than not.
Chad Kendall, who used to be a pilot and associate professor of aviation at Metropolitan State University of Denver, told the outlet: ‘It’s called padding.
‘The benchmark for performance set by the Department of Transportation is based on arriving within 15 minutes of your scheduled time of arrival.’
He added that chopping down the number of delays gives airlines a more favorable reputation.
Patrick Smith, a pilot of 30 years and author of a pilot blog told the New York Times: ‘If you leave Los Angeles on time, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get to New York a bit early.’
Yet, this airline scheme is has its faults.
According to Upshot’s number crunching, 30 percent of 2023 flights were moderately delayed, about one hour, compared to 45 percent of plane rides in 1995.
Scheduled flight lengths from JFK to LAX (pictured) have increased by 23 minutes since 1995
On the other hand, drastically dragged out flights that took 90 minutes to three hours longer than they were supposed to have seen an uptick this year.
But these severely delayed flights are few are still few and far between, only accounting for a measly 1.5 percent of flights compared to 1995 less than half a percent.
The data revealed that planes most likely to be delayed more than 90 minutes are scheduled for around 8 pm.
Early morning flights are statistically the safest for travelers trying to minimize the risk of being late.