Walkway music and boarding procedures: How airlines are saving time and cutting flight delays

26.11.2023 - 23:40 / euronews.com / North America / United Airlines / Rebecca Ann Hughes / Airlines

Airlines are trialling new techniques to shave minutes off turnaround procedures as a way to cut costs.

Flight companies in the US are making changes to reduce taxiing times and manage gate assignments more effectively.

It’s good news for carriers, who save money, but also for travellers who could experience fewer delays.

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Shaving mere minutes off flight times might seem trivial on paper, but it can result in huge savings for airlines.

It also means an improved service for travellers. Arriving a couple of minutes earlier can make the difference between catching or missing a connection.

It also reduces the domino effect of delays, meaning flights across the board are more likely to be on time.

Major carriers in the US will continue trialling novel procedures over the notoriously chaotic holiday season.

Last year, air travel saw severe disruption with thousands of travellers stranded at airports.

American Airlines has already introduced new technology to allocate gates at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the world’s second-busiest airport.

The automated system reduces the chances of planes being forced to cross from one side of the vast airport to another.

The result was an average saving of two minutes of taxi time per flight - or 11 hours saved per day - according to the carrier.

For passengers, it also meant 50 per cent fewer gate changes and a reduction in delays.

“If you try to do late-minute gate changes as planes arrive […] you could get out of sync with your caterers and fuelers,” American COO David Seymour told CNBC. This causes delays in parking and departing.

Dubbed the Smart Gating programme, it has also been rolled out at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Miami International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

This year American ranked third among major US airlines for on-time arrivals, up from fifth place during the same time period in 2022.

Carriers are also looking to reduce flight times by expediting boarding procedures.

United Airlines has introduced a new system for economy class, with window-seat passengers boarding first, followed by middle seats and then aisle.

“It spreads people out along the aisle of the airplane so that more people can put their luggage away at the same time. That's the main thing that speeds up the boarding process,” explains Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The flight company says the technique can save up to two minutes per flight.

Southwest Airlines trialled ways to speed up boarding with clearer signage and music on flight bridges to make passengers move more quickly.

Low-cost carrier