U.S. Airlines Prioritize Some Flights Over Others When Summer Storms Hit
Photo Credit: American has fewer than 20 Airbus A321Ts, a premium-seat heavy plane that mostly flies among four cities — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and New York. When bad weather hits, flights on this aircraft may depart first. Flickr / Anna Zvereva
Skift Take
Want to keep your summer storm delays to a minimum? Try to fly between the largest cities and book flights on the biggest aircraft. It's not a foolproof plan, but it helps. Airlines prioritize certain flights, and it helps to know what they are.
As storms this summer hit its Midwest and East Coast hubs, managers at American Airlines' operations center know they can't operate every flight as scheduled. But how do they decide which to cancel, delay, or run on-time?
You might think air traffic control has the final say, but that's not true. Each day, U.S airlines are in contact with Federal Aviation Administration officials, who tell them what the airspace can handle. Deciding how to react, however, is an airline's call. During thunderstorm season, U.S. airlines could try to keep every flight, though delays would probably cascade.
So airlines play favorites. Lower-priority departures to Sioux Falls or Rapid City might languish, with passengers waiting through long delays or possibly facing a cancellation, while key New York flights go on time.
It’s about cost versus benefits. At the core, airlines want to inconvenience as few passengers as possible, but it's never so simple. Operations planners must deal with many more
