Buzz
What is a flight delay?
Have you ever wondered what exactly a delay is? In simple terms, it's a situation where the departure of a flight is later than the chosen flight time. As someone who has driven with someone tailgating, ensuring safety and joy is always the priority. For airlines, especially the crews like flight attendants and pilots who directly control the flights, they are the ones who always want to complete the flight on time and in the best condition to return to their families. With a flight frequency of 3-4 trips per day, delays are something no one desires. In this context, Mytour shares the article by Nguyen Quang Dat, a pilot at Jetstar Pacific Airlines, to understand more about the emotional aspect from an insider's perspective.
Why do airplanes experience delays from a pilot's perspective?
>> Explore more on the blog addressing common questions when booking and flying. Click here.
Why do airplanes face delays?
I have many friends who often complain about why flights are delayed. My mom, on her recent trip to Saigon, told me: 'Today's flight is late.' I asked how late, and she innocently replied: 'Delayed by a good 15 minutes, dear.' There are days when I casually dress and sit in the passenger seat. About 10 minutes before takeoff, the gods also tend to sigh, saying, 'Does this airline ever fly on time?' Today, after receiving more stories about flights being delayed by 20 minutes, I want to once again explain why flights are often delayed, hoping for a more understanding perspective from passengers and demanding services to be truly civilized.
My flight from Hanoi to Saigon took a rather peculiar route. Instead of the usual path over Buon Ma Thuot, the plane ventured out to Phan Thiet, back to Long Thanh, circled around Trị An Lake, then continued its journey over Vũng Tàu and Hồ Tràm before finally approaching Bien Hoa. This added about 20-25 minutes to the travel time, and mind you, it was 11 at night! Tân Sơn Nhất Airport, during peak hours, sometimes notifies planes approaching the city that they are the 25th in line to land, causing a gentle delay of 30 minutes.
I've flown to many major airports in Asia like Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, but the most stressful and pressing one is flying to Saigon. Our infrastructure is severely overloaded compared to more advanced nations. Even having a clear golf course won't solve the issue because, despite having two runways like major airports, they are built too close to each other and cannot operate simultaneously (in Hanoi, Saigon, and Da Nang). The airport, designed to handle 25 million passengers, has already seen 32 million this year, causing congestion in the air before even reaching the airport gates. After landing, sometimes waiting for taxiways and parking can take 10-15 minutes. So, in an unlucky flight, just because of 'traffic,' delays can reach 30-45 minutes. With one plane serving about 6-8 flights a day, if just half of them face 'traffic,' the last flights of the day can be delayed by 2 hours.
Another factor that can cause flight delays is technical issues. Since becoming a pilot, I no longer want to step onto any other means of transport, especially long-distance buses. Because I find airplanes extremely safe. Sometimes, just a broken light, a small cut on a tire, or a tiny system in dozens of the plane's systems signaling an issue can ground the plane. There was a time, knowing that 99.999% was safe and only 0.001% was a risk, I decided to turn back just after takeoff for a technical check. Although I've read detailed explanations, when getting off the plane, people still shake their heads and ask flight attendants a question that truly saddens me: 'Why didn't the Western captain continue flying, and we had to wait for a Vietnamese pilot?' But well, technical issues are not a joke. I believe my colleagues in Vietnam and abroad have been trained extremely well to not exchange a few hours for many lives and losses for many people and their families. So, when you hear that a flight needs a technical check, although it's unavoidable annoyance, I think we should be confident because they are responsible and conscientious operators.
Why do planes often experience delays?
Why not reduce the frequency of landings to avoid delays?
Some may ask why not reduce the landing frequency and increase the waiting time between flights to avoid both overloading and delays. But you have to understand that we are buying the cheapest plane tickets in the world in our country. To optimize operations and serve as many passengers as possible, planes need to turn around and take off again within 30-35 minutes. To get a cheap ticket, a plane needs to make as many flights as possible each day. People often ask how long the landing takes, and I laugh and shake my head, saying, 'There's no time for rest.' Pilots are responsible for programming the plane, refueling, and checking the plane's systems. Flight attendants not only greet passengers from the previous flight but also have to wear gloves, collect trash left by passengers, check security for the passenger cabin, receive food, then quickly take off their gloves, smile, and greet passengers on the next flight. All within just 30 minutes, sometimes so busy they can't even go to the bathroom in time. It's easy to say, increase the time between flights to 1-2 hours so that no flight is delayed. But then the ticket prices won't be cheap anymore, and the opportunity to fly won't be for everyone.
Dear gods, please look at everything fairly. The average flight delay in Vietnam is below 20%, comparable to any country in the world. When you have to travel by plane, plan a comfortable timeframe and don't rush too much. If, unfortunately, your flight is delayed, we sincerely apologize as it's something we don't want. But for us - pilots, flight attendants, ground service, air traffic control, everyone has really tried. You occasionally have to travel by plane, and we fly 3-4 times a day, also anxious and eager to return home to our families. But with the rapid development in recent years, our country's infrastructure is also struggling to cope. So, everyone, put in a little effort, live and work happily to gradually improve our country.
What to do when your flight is delayed?
Tips to Avoid Flight Delays
In the past, there was a saying, 'prevention is better than cure.' To avoid ending up in laughable or frustrating situations, here are some tips to prevent flight delays:
- Choose an earlier flight than planned, so if there's an unexpected event, a slight delay won't be a big issue.
- Opt for morning departures. These flights usually experience fewer delays compared to others throughout the day.
- For domestic flights, to avoid delays, you can choose Bamboo Airways. It's the airline with the highest on-time departure rate among the four domestic carriers.
Dealing with Delayed Flights
With frequent flight delays, each passenger must know what to do when a flight is delayed or how to handle a delayed flight to make the most of their time.
- Productivity: If you have a laptop, tablet, or even just a phone, take advantage of the free Wi-Fi available in most airports worldwide. Charge your electronic devices for free, and explore the variety of food and drink options. Additionally, the cool air conditioning and comfortable seating will provide you with a relaxed environment for remote work. In case you don't have a laptop, use the time to review your work, adjust goals, or plan as efficiently as possible.
- Check-In Time: Airports are often designed with sophistication and carry the distinctive style of each region. Therefore, take advantage of the delay to explore the hidden corners of the airport and capture some Instagram-worthy moments with your friends.
- Shopping Spree: This is a common way for many to cope with a delayed flight, especially for the ladies. Most items at the airport are duty-free, so shopping at the airport can be a reasonable and quality-guaranteed option to kill time.
Duty-free shopping at the airport
- Read a Book: It might sound a bit 'bookish,' but you can observe that all successful, wealthy, and knowledgeable people in the world are avid readers. They read hundreds, even thousands of books throughout their lives. Embrace the delayed flight by reading a book, not only to enhance your knowledge and positive energy but also to cultivate a beneficial habit that helps you see the bright side of the road ahead.
- Expand Your Network: If you're in the business world, use the waiting time to strike up conversations with people around you. Those working, reading books, or sitting in the VIP lounge could potentially become valuable business connections for your future endeavors.
Why flights experience delays is often explained by various subjective and objective reasons. Have you ever truly understood all these causes? Hopefully, this firsthand account will provide you with a realistic and empathetic perspective. Wishing you pleasant and safe travels!
Daisy Ng
Source: Mytour and pilot Quang Đạt
