“Ladies and Gentlemen, unfortunately I have some bad news. Looks like we are going to be delayed.” If you travel by airline at all, chances are very good that you’ve experienced a delay. They are not fun for anyone. I want to offer some explanation as to why they happen and some advice on how to limit their impact on you as the customer.

Delays can happen for a number of reasons, but allow me to explain some of the more common ones.

1: Mechanical

Mechanical delays are what they sound like: something mechanically has broken and we can’t go until it is fixed or at least taken care of. The FAA has a ruling that states that no aircraft can be considered airworthy unless all equipped equipment is functional and in good condition. With aircraft having a dozen different systems and numerous parts in each system, this is a very strict ruling. Thankfully, the FAA gives us some guidelines within which we can work.

The airlines utilize what is called a Minimum Equipment List, or MEL. This is a list of things that can be broken but still considered airworthy. For example, suppose the cabin crew realizes that one of the coffee makers doesn’t work. This, per the FAA, is a grounding item. With the MEL, a mechanic can defer the coffee maker, rendering it unusable and safe for flight, and allowing us to regain our airworthiness and fly. Unfortunately, this requires a mechanic to come to the aircraft, inspect the equipment, and fill out the logbooks and appropriate paperwork to allow us to continue. This takes time to do, but it can take even longer if a mechanic is not available or not at the airport, which contributes to a longer delay.

Some items simply cannot be safely deferred. In this case, the only option is to fix the problem. This fix can be as simple as a 5 minute part swap or it could be something that takes all night for a team of mechanics to repair. When it’s the longer repair option, we have two choices: cancel the flight or get a different aircraft. Airplane swaps are frustrating and can take time, but at least we get to the destination. Cancellations are more complicated with rebooking and accommodations, so it is always the last resort. The key thing is that we always do what is safe. We will never risk your life, or ours, in a dangerous aircraft. Even though we also wish it would magically fix itself, we have to do what is safe.

2: Weather

In a perfect world, airplanes would be able to go from point A to B without any interference. The skies would always be clear, the winds fair, and snow wouldn’t exist. Unfortunately, we live in the real world where all of those things are not only in existence, but are also unforgiving. Weather delays tend to be the most frustrating and upsetting for our customers, and understandably so. It can be hard to wrap your mind around the idea that a storm in New York could keep you from leaving St. Louis. The sad reality is that it can.

Weather plays havoc on three different fronts, pun intended. First, it can cause issues with our aircraft as we try to leave due to weather at the departure airport. Reduced visibility, high winds, low ceilings, and severe weather can limit the number of aircraft that can arrive and depart, which causes backups for everyone that is trying to do either of those things. Furthermore, lightning is dangerous in open areas, especially with tall, metal objects surrounding it. This means that ramp areas are particularly dangerous to ground crews, which closes ramps when there is lightning in the area. No ground crew means no bags are loaded, no aircraft are pushed off of gates, nor are aircraft brought in to park at gates. These closures can be as brief as 5 minutes or as long as several hours depending on the storm. In the winter, de-icing is a lengthy process, resulting in backups for the services which can delay flights, not to mention the clearing of airport surfaces, making winter a particularly difficult time to fly.

The next area of issue is in the destination weather. In the example above, a storm over New York can cause a reduction in the number of aircraft that air traffic controllers can bring into the area around the storms, resulting in ATC delays for incoming flights. With New York in particular, these delays can become quite large due to the very high volume of traffic that they get. I have seen upwards of 4 hour delays due to lines of storms no more than 50 miles long, but are in the right spots to disrupt arrivals. This one is especially frustrating when you look outside at a beautiful day yet are told you can’t take off due to bad weather you cannot see.

These situations tend to result in the scenarios where we push off of a gate then sit on the ramp or taxiways for an hour or more. Due to the unpredictable nature of weather, we need to be ready to take advantage of openings in the weather. The boarding process can take upwards of 45 minutes to complete. By this time our window of opportunity is gone. Instead, it takes no more than 10 minutes to start engines, run final checklists, and take off when we are already boarded and waiting to go, making the window much easier to make. Contrary to some theories, this is not just so that the crew gets paid more. We want to get there just as much as you do. Additionally, we have a 3 hour time limit before we have to let passengers off the aircraft again or there are huge fines. This is referred to as the DOT-3 rule, put in place to protect you from excessively long times spent on aircraft. Therefore, we especially would like to get going ASAP.

Lastly, weather can delay our incoming aircraft that we may be waiting on, which is annoying for everyone involved. We may be completely unaffected by the weather, but if our aircraft can’t get to us, then we aren’t going anywhere. Once the aircraft arrives however, we do everything we can to get out as quick as possible. Again, we want to get there just as much as you do. Our work days are already long enough without the added time due to delays.

3: Crew Limitations

In the mid-2000s the aviation industry was plagued by several accidents that brought attention to the well being of flight crew, especially in the areas of training and fatigue. As a result, Federal Aviation Regulation part 117 was created, setting forth the minimum standard for crew rest, duty periods, and daily flight time. These regulations lead to a huge improvement in flight crew performance and overall safety increased.

On the opposite side of the spectrum though, any time you impose a restriction you also introduce an operational complication. During a duty day, pilots are limited on how long we can be on duty, which is determined by the time we reported for our first flight, how many flights we were flying, and how long each flight is. Even with a 2 hour window of flexibility that is available, although has its own restrictions, it is easy for delays to push against our daily limitations. These are not negotiable in any way. Once a crew times out for the day, there are only 3 options: replace the crew, delay the flight until the next day when a crew can be arranged, or cancel the flight. Depending on where this occurs, cancellation may be the only option.

This situation is very frustrating for passengers and crew alike. Issues like this completely mess up our schedules and tend to lead to harder days to follow to catch up. However, please have some understanding if this occurs. Our duty periods can be as long as 15 hours. That’s a long day no matter who you are, so we appreciate at least a little sympathy.

Dealing with the delay…

Now that you have some understanding of what contributes to a delay, here are some suggestions to help make the process smoother.

Be understanding. I want to reiterate that we, as your flight crew, also want to get you to your destination. Not only does that make our day shorter and easier, we also don’t like taking the brunt of some, although not all, customer frustration. Believe me when I say that NO ONE is happy about a delay. Furthermore, as a pilot, once a delay has begun (especially mechanical ones) I become extremely busy. I’m on the phone with at least 3 different people while also trying to feed information to you the customer, gate agents, ground crews, flight attendants, other crew members, company contacts, and maintenance. We try to keep you as informed as possible, but if we don’t pass much along, its because we don’t have any of that information yet. You’ll be among the first to know once we do.

Be patient. Most customers have connections that they are trying to make, especially when traveling to the larger airports that service international destinations. Unfortunately, your connection does not make the aircraft suddenly fly. Also, your gate agent knows that you have connections that may be in jeopardy. Their computer system informs them and they are already looking at other options for rebooking before you even begin to be concerned about it. If they need to talk to you about it, they will call you up to the podium. Otherwise, simply wait until you are called. This allows the gate agent to more efficiently do their job.

Be flexible. Rebooking is an excellent option if you are on a tight schedule and the earlier you can start the process, the better. If you are traveling during times of the year when weather delays are common, such as in the winter or stormy seasons for your local area or destinations, look at other flight options ahead of time. You can also plan some travel buffer into your schedule by allowing maybe an additional day before important meetings or events if at all possible. A rushed travel day is a stressful travel day.

Remain close by. Should you be deplaned or a delay imposed, stay relatively close to the gate and listen to announcements. You aren’t chained to the gate, but your ability to quickly get back can greatly expedite the process of getting you as close to back on time as possible. Once in the air, for a 2 hour flight, the most time I can possibly make up is 5 minutes, not 30. Time is made up on the ground with fast boarding and short taxi times, which starts with you quickly getting onto the plane, stowing your belongings, and being seated. Your hustle is appreciated.

Delays are not fun for anyone, and understanding that we are all in the same situation together and all feel the same frustration can go a long way to making a bad situation a little easier. Have faith that we will get you to where you’re going as quick as we can and if we can’t we will be doing everything we can to make it right. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Until next time!