Pilots Reveal The Biggest Lie They Tell Passengers on Delayed Flights

A pilot on Reddit explains some of the lies told to passengers.

Passengers are often told that the flight crew will “make up time” while in the air if a flight is running late.  This is BS, the pilot explains. “This is seldom true — especially for shorter trips.

“There is very little we can do to ‘make up time.’ ” On longer flights, they may be able to make up a few minutes, but not an hour. 

However, making up time is not a matter of flying faster, but rather requesting “direct routings” or shortcuts and using wind speed to maximize tailwinds.

Pilots could technically up their speed to save time, but flights have a “small speed bracket,” meaning they fly at the fastest time that’s most economical.

The faster an aircraft flies, the more fuel it burns, costing more and negatively affecting the environment. So pilots will only opt to fly at higher speeds if it means avoiding other costly issues, such as missed flight connections.

Delays occur most in the peak summer holiday season as well as later in the day.

If you wish to avoid delays year-round, book a flight earlier in the day to avoid dealing with the domino effect of previous flights.