"Michael" wrote in message
om...
"Capt. Doug" wrote

My flight yesterday (NOT for Scareways) started 4 hours late. Our plane
was
delayed inbound for 3 hours because of flow control problems in Chicago.
The
airline can't do anything about it.

Really? Were you shocked that there were flow control problems in
Chicago? How about mildly surprised? No? Is it maybe because the
airline has scheduled way too many flights to arrive and depart at the
same time from the same little patch of concrete, knowing there's not
a chance in hell that will work except under ideal conditions?

See, the airline CAN do something about it. It can schedule
realistically. If you know the airport can't possibly handle 200
operations in an hour except under ideal conditions, then don't
schedule 200 operations. Really, it's that simple.

Flow control delay is determined by *all* airlines, not just one particular
airline. It can also change when non-scheduled planes arrive, presidents
decide to have haircuts on the taxiway, passengers start fights and a
whole load of other externals which aren't under the control of the airline
you've decided to ride on. Not to mention unpredicted weather.

It's all a trade off. If you are really determined to get where you want
to be exactly on schedule, then pick an airline that schedules just
once per day, so the plane is ready and waiting for you when you turn
up. That would push up the costs tremendously, and even then you
wouldn't be guaranteed an on-time arrival, or even departure.

You should check the Federally-mandated airline on-time statistics &
use your common sense. Me, I tend to prefer Southwest because they're
cheaper. But I know that they maintain their low cost by minimising
idle time. So generally, any cumulative delays mean that they're unlikely
to be on time later in the day, since the plane has done several legs
before mine. But that's fine by me. I try to travel early in the day.
Really,
it's that simple.