Delta gains punctuality from longer boarding (futurity.org)
Delta Air Lines reduced flight delays by extending domestic narrow-body boarding time to 40 minutes on June 2, 2022. The change cut departure times by 1.5 minutes and increased on-time performance by one-third, saving the airline $11 million monthly in operating costs. Researchers found no empirical evidence that paying flight attendants for boarding further reduced delays.
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The notable detail in the University at Buffalo summary is that the extra five minutes was carved out of other gate tasks like cleaning and baggage handling rather than added to total ground time, and the gain grew where delays compound: about 0.8 minutes for morning departures versus 2.4 at night, and 2.1 on the busiest routes. That points to targeted buffers on the last step before pushback.