In air travel, every minute is important. A small amount of time can be what separates passengers from catching or missing their connecting flights. It can also prevent delays that affect the entire schedule for airlines. Saving time might even help airlines save a lot of money as they work to manage their expenses.
Big airlines are introducing plans that their leaders believe could result in reduced costs and smoother operations, even if the time savings might seem small at first glance.
Some of these tools will be tested during a busy holiday season, a year after a situation where thousands of passengers were stuck at the end of 2022. Many improvements are happening behind the scenes.
Last year, American Airlines began using new technology to assign flight gates at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which is the second-busiest airport globally and the largest hub for American Airlines, with 135 regional and mainline gates.
The new procedures, replacing a nearly manual process that took hours, helped the airline avoid many of its planes crossing from the east side to the west side of the large airport. This saved an average of two minutes of taxi time per flight, totaling about 11 hours saved each day, according to American Airlines.
The taxi technology decreased time by 20% and cut gate changes and conflicts in half, as reported by the airline.
American Airlines’ Smart Gating Program and Operational Improvements
American Airlines COO David Seymour stated, “It reduced the nightly process of assigning gates for the airline from four hours to about 10 minutes.”
The program, known as Smart Gating, has been extended to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Miami International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and most recently, in May, to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Seymour mentioned that the airline is also thinking about implementing the technology in Phoenix.
The gating technology implemented in other airports aims to prevent gate congestion, which might cause delays for departing flights or finding parking upon arrival.
David Seymour explained, “If you try to make last-minute gate changes as planes arrive, you might get out of sync with your caterers and fuelers.” He added that the tools developed by American Airlines are customized to address specific issues at each airport.
In the initial eight months of the year, 76.4% of American Airlines’ flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled times, considered on time by the Transportation Department. This places American Airlines in third position among major U.S. carriers for on-time arrivals, an improvement from fifth place in the same period last year.
Reducing taxi times and making other improvements can assist airlines in cutting down on fuel consumption, which is one of the significant costs for airlines. American Airlines stated that its updated gating program results in a saving of 1.4 million gallons of fuel annually, equivalent to approximately $4 million based on current fuel prices at major U.S. airports this month.
Quicker Boarding
American is not the only airline trying to save time.
Last month, United Airlines introduced a new boarding process for economy class, prioritizing window-seat passengers first, followed by the middle and then the aisle. United informed its staff that these changes could potentially save up to two minutes per flight.
Southwest Airlines has also been testing various methods to speed up boarding this year, including improved signage and playing music on the jet bridge to keep travelers moving. For years, Delta Air Lines’ flight attendants and gate agents have been using digital messages during boarding to send alerts about issues such as full overhead bins.
Frontier Airlines, a discount carrier, is working to make boarding and exiting planes quicker by utilizing pathways outside of traditional jet bridges. The airline has started implementing stairs directly onto and off the plane, capitalizing on a second door available on its Airbus jets.
Barry Biffle, the CEO, stated, “If you want to board an airplane faster, use two [gates] instead of one.”
How It Might Speed Up Flights
The Denver-based airline is currently in discussions with several airports to expand this type of boarding, without relying on the conventional jet bridge. Biffle estimated that approximately a third of the carrier’s flights could be using stairways for boarding and deplaning within the next two years.
Biffle mentioned this could potentially cut up to 10 minutes from the turnaround time, which is the duration it takes for a plane to park, deplane, reload, and depart.
Robert Mann, president of aviation consulting firm RW Mann & Co., said that how airlines utilize the time savings will be crucial. If integrated back into the schedule, it could mean that airlines wouldn’t need to allocate as much time for a flight.
“When you actually plan shorter flight times, you have more airplanes available,” he explained.
An American Airlines spokesperson mentioned that as the airline becomes more efficient, future schedules might allocate less time for each flight, enhancing the airline’s capacity to add more flights.
Summary
In the fast-paced world of air travel, every minute matters. Innovative strategies, from American Airlines’ Smart Gating Program to streamlined boarding, are reshaping efficiency. These advancements not only save time but also enhance on-time arrivals and fuel economy. Frontier Airlines’ unconventional boarding approach and discussions about stairway usage signify a future focused on swift turnarounds and optimized schedules.
