How long do pilots wait for passengers of connecting flight to board before the door is closed ?

[y_p_w]

It's not quite the same, but train travel can get interesting when there are bus connections or sometimes connecting trains. Amtrak doesn't actually go to San Francisco, but they use a bus to bridge that hole in the route. If a bus is waiting for a train, it will absolutely wait because that's the raison d'être for that bus. It's less likely that a train might wait for a bus, but it has happened before. There's usually enough slack in the schedule, but that's crazier than air travel since freight rail actually does the dispatch.

 

[BobsArmory]

Tomorrow I fly with American Airlines from Lansing MI to Orlando FL with a stop in Chicago. Walk from gate G17 to K12. I have 39 minutes to make it. Shouldn't be a problem but I'm not so sure about the checked bag. We shall see!

 

[Dave Hess]

Also a very frequent flier, with connections, I have seen a lot of different actions take place in support (or not) of connecting passengers.

What I have found with American Airlines, is their mainline flights will try and wait for connecting passengers. OTOH, American's regional airline(s) often do not care. These regional employees I suspect are treated as second class (not the aircrews), and it reflects in attitude.

I have great awareness of the thankless job all ground employees at a major airport. Just commuting to the airport is a hassle, then park and shuttle bus to the terminal, then security, all for a often low paying job. Nights, weekends, from gate agents to fast food employees-- a thankless job at many major US airports.

My last very frusting missed connection was DFW to LIT, last flight out to LIT that evening. I arrived at the LIT departure gate one minute after published boarding end time. Aircraft still at the gate, but ramp door closed and no Envoy Air (AA) agent at the desk. Tells me the agent could care less about connecting PAX, and likely closed the door early. I will let @Just a civilian pilot , and @Astro14 comment, but I suspect the last flight out on a regional jet, to a regional airport, could have waited for connecting PAX at least until the published door closing time.

In the gate agents' defense, they may not have thought I could move through DFW quick enough to make the connecting flight, and closed the door early as the rest of manifested passengers may have boarded.

I’m sure the answer is no…. but it would have been nice it they asked captain if they can let 1 more passenger onto aircraft.

I really don’t like tight timeline connection.

 

[Astro14]

Pilots don’t make the call directly. There are literally dozens of things to consider, some of which we would not be aware. Things like aircraft routing, where the jet goes next and the next flight after that. Delaying a flight for a connection could impact three flights later, and blow even more connections.

We use a complex algorithm (a basic AI) to analyze the multiple dimensions of that hold decision. Cost of hotels for passengers, or crews, the extra cost of operating flight at higher speed, subsequent aircraft routing, subsequent connections. All of it.

https://united.mediaroom.com/2019-0...Ever-with-ConnectionSaver?ref=hir.harvard.edu

We hold flights for over 100,000 connecting passengers every year.

That decision is done analytically, with impacts assessed through every department, so that we don’t make problems worse in follow on flights.

 

[4WD]

Passengers usually don't decide this. They book from point A to point B with the airline and the airline decides "that's enough time" for the connection.

I decide this often bcs agents have incentives based on their KPI’s which are not the same as mine …
Many have never set foot in massive airports etc …
I need reliable arrivals - and won’t fly tight connections …

 

[mk378]

we don’t make problems worse in follow on flights.

That would be a major concern. If the airline needs that airplane to be at the destination on time to use it on another flight, they're not going to hold it as that would cause cascading delays.

 

[y_p_w]

That would be a major concern. If the airline needs that airplane to be at the destination on time to use it on another flight, they're not going to hold it as that would cause cascading delays.

The biggest cascading delay would be if there's someone deadheading on a flight. I would think that would factor into decisions to delay a flight for connecting passengers.

 

[Leo99]

I've had 35 minute layovers with Southwest. Luckily, the departing gate was near the arrival gate. Once at Houston, the departure gate was in a different terminal and we had about 20 minutes to get there. We stopped a nice lady driving a golf cart that was half-full and she took us where we needed to go. She thanked us for the tip and we were on our way.

After getting stuck in the airport overnight or in a nearby one star hotel, we strongly prefer non-stop flights whenever possible.

 

[Hall]

but I'm not so sure about the checked bag. We shall see!

Those move a lot quicker than you will walk between gates, I'll bet !

 

[rszappa1]

Having connected through Atlanta a few times-with their train system -it's very efficient from getting from one part of a terminal to another.

DFW is also great for getting to each terminal using the Skylink train...runs every 5 minutes...

 

[Dave Hess]

DFW is also great for getting to each terminal using the Skylink train...runs every 5 minutes...

Yes, DFW is very big and Skylink is necessary.

 

[k1xv]

About 25 years ago, I booked a round trip from EWR (Newark NJ) to Ankara Turkey. I booked the ticket in July, and the return trip to EWR from Ankara was in late September.
Only problem was, the schedules changed. I was originally supposed to change aircraft in Zurich, with 45 minutes between flights. But under the new schedule, the flight from Ankara to Zurich would arrive 15 minutes after the Zurich to EWR flight departed. I called the airline, Swissair, to book a different return flight. They assured me to stay with the ticket I had, and I would make the connection.

When I arrived at Zurich, they put me on a high speed cart, and brought me to the gate of the flight departing for EWR. I was the last person on, they closed the door, and we were taxiing out to the runway before I was even in a seat. I am sure the pilot had nothing to do with the airline deciding to get me on that plane. My luggage did not arrive, delivered to my home, until the following day.

 

[k1xv]

It's not quite the same, but train travel can get interesting when there are bus connections or sometimes connecting trains. Amtrak doesn't actually go to San Francisco, but they use a bus to bridge that hole in the route. If a bus is waiting for a train, it will absolutely wait because that's the raison d'être for that bus. It's less likely that a train might wait for a bus, but it has happened before. There's usually enough slack in the schedule, but that's crazier than air travel since freight rail actually does the dispatch.

About 15 years ago, I was traveling by train from Rome (Italy) to Munich, (Germany). It involved a high speed Italian train going north to a rail hub near Venice, and changing trains to a BahnHof (German railways) train going north, through the Brenner Pass, to Zurich. By the schedule, I only had 10 minutes to make the connection.

As the Italian train headed north, we began falling behind schedule, until we got to the point where my 10 minutes to change trains went to minus 5 minutes. I informed the Italian conductor of the problem when we were still about an hour away from the connecting station.

They held the German train for me to make my connection. I only had to cross the platform, and I was the last person on the German train. A lovely Italian train stewardess helped me across with my suitcase.

 

[PandaBear]

I was thinking of that when I then saw your comment. Online travel agencies can book connections that aren't guaranteed - especially on multiple airlines where it's not really a single booking but distinct bookings where it cost less.

That being said, I've seen some pretty tight connections. Like a friend who booked directly on Korean Airlines with maybe a 50 minute connection time at ICN between two other countries. And that was a single ticket from KAL. At least that was guaranteed.

I have watched some episodes of the A&E series Airline where they were discussing what to do with a delayed incoming flight where there were something like 50 or more passengers from the same flight who were supposed to be on a connecting flight.

They are not "connection flights" they are 2 separate tickets and they warn you ahead of time before purchasing. I typically avoid such flight combos as the risk can be too big for the savings and mechanical issues, worker strikes, etc can happen and you are on your own out of money. It would have happened a couple times in my travel and I would have lost even more money than saving on average by now, if the 2 legs are not at least 1 day apart.

One thing I also learn is, one time I bought a ticket with Continental (now United) for the first leg then a few different hops within another country for its domestic flights Continental partner with. When I have to cancel the flights they would only refund me for credit with Continental and not other airlines I would have needed, so I sat on continental credits for almost a year before I decided to use it up for a trip I don't originally need (thank God it turns out to be a great trip). So yeah, make sure to factor that in when multi destination flights are booked with a short first leg of an airline you normally don't fly with.

Also about skip-lagging (buying a 1 stop ticket with the intention to get off at the stop and throw away the 2nd part of the flight because that's actually cheaper), it is just too risky to me. I have flights changed by airline going to the same final destination but the mid stop changed to a completely different city (say Atlanta to Philly) just because they want to. Had I skip lag to save a bit of money I would have been stranded.

 

[Dave Hess]

That would be a major concern. If the airline needs that airplane to be at the destination on time to use it on another flight, they're not going to hold it as that would cause cascading delays.

Yep.

People don’t realize how many cities a passenger jet can see in a day.

 

[Hall]

my 10 minutes to change trains went to minus 5 minutes. I informed the Italian conductor of the problem when we were still about an hour away from the connecting station.

They held the German train for me to make my connection.

First, I'm surprised they did anything but it sounds like they actually contacted folks up ahead. How late did you end up arriving, was it still just 5 minutes ? I'm guessing there's very few trains that run that route (from Venice to Germany) but if there were hourly (or so) trains, I suspect they would have just made you catch the next train.

 

[Hall]

If the airline needs that airplane to be at the destination on time to use it on another flight, they're not going to hold it as that would cause cascading delays.

Allegiant does this for dozens of routes, I'm sure, but I used them last summer to go from Cincinnati to St Pete FL, then back and forth. They go back and forth (3) times a day (maybe 4).

 

[k1xv]

First, I'm surprised they did anything but it sounds like they actually contacted folks up ahead. How late did you end up arriving, was it still just 5 minutes ? I'm guessing there's very few trains that run that route (from Venice to Germany) but if there were hourly (or so) trains, I suspect they would have just made you catch the next train.

I believe the Venice to Munich train left the station about 7 minutes behind its scheduled departure time. I think they accommodated me because there is only one train daily on that route. It was not a light weight "high speed" electric train. It was diesel powered with older, heavy weight cars. We went through the Brenner pass, involving major elevation changes.

I love to ride the western Europe trains. 150 mph between major cities on electrified routes is common.

 

[Hall]

I love to ride the western Europe trains. 150 mph between major cities on electrified routes is common.

For work, when I have to go to Brussels, I purposely book Cincinnati to Paris and take the Thalys train to Brussels. There's no direct flights to Brussels, so otherwise I have to connect through Atlanta or NY or something.

Speaking of short connections, on my last trip I only had 40 minutes from the train arriving (inside CDG) to the departure. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned !! Delta only has that direct flight 3x a week and if I missed it, it would have been miserable. I used the Delta app to do an online check-in while I was on the train at 180 mph, still 20+ minutes from the station too. It was still quite a ways from the train station to my gate at Charles de Gaulle with a suitcase and backpack.

 

[CKN]

I believe the Venice to Munich train left the station about 7 minutes behind its scheduled departure time. I think they accommodated me because there is only one train daily on that route. It was not a light weight "high speed" electric train. It was diesel powered with older, heavy weight cars. We went through the Brenner pass, involving major elevation changes.

I love to ride the western Europe trains. 150 mph between major cities on electrified routes is common.

Rode the train from Venice to Rome through the Italian Country side. It was very beautiful!