This Is How Airlines Ensure Your Delayed Flight Still Arrives On Time

Finding out your flight is late can be a real buzzkill, but you may have noticed that even with a short delay, you often still arrive to your destination on time. This isn’t always due to luck or weather, but is actually planned by the airline.

Sitting in the airport or on the tarmac and discovering your flight is delayed is annoying at best. Not only do you have to wait around to start your trip but your arrival plans can be affected if your flight lands later than expected.

Often, however, you still manage to get to your destination at the scheduled time – and this isn’t necessarily because of tailwinds. The arrival time on your ticket is actually printed with a delayed departure in mind, meaning your flight is shorter than you think it is.

We asked Julian Kheel, senior editor at online travel platform The Points Guy to explain this phenomenon. “Airlines allot more time for their flights than what it says on your ticket,” he says. “It’s called ‘padding the schedule.’”

In other words, they are giving themselves time to play with in case anything happens to delay the itinerary. “They’ve been accused of doing that because if they depart late they can still arrive on time,” Kheel explains. “Because they’ve left more time in the schedule than is really needed for the flight.

“Airlines claim they don’t do this to pad the stats but because air traffic is unpredictable. But whatever the reason, the extra time is definitely there.”

So next time you’re delayed, don’t lose the plot. You might not miss a beat of your holiday.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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