It’s Not Your Imagination: Flights Are Getting Longer—Here’s Why
Everything moves faster these days than a decade ago: financial transactions, internet speeds, fashion stylesheck, even athletes. So why is it that I used to be able to fly from my hometown of Phoenix to Las Vegas in about 45 minutes, but when I went last week, that same flight was listed at just over an hour?
To get to the bottom of things, I turned to a former flight attendant who offered insight and advice. Keep reading to find out just how much longer flights have gotten in the past decade, the reasons for the slowdown and expert tips for booking a flight with the greatest chances of being on time.
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How much longer are flights?
Flight times are longer across the boardfor all routes. For instance, according to a New York Times analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, the average scheduled flight duration from New York’s JFK airport to Los Angeles’s LAX airport has increased by 23 minutes since 1995.
Airlines aren’t unaware. In fact, they’re purposefully lengthening flight durations, a practice known as padding.
“Padding flights has existed for some time and has been a practice for all airlines for decades,” says Sabrina Childress-Miller, a Chicago-based former flight attendant with a 10-year tenure with Spirit Airlines and the former communications chairperson of the Association of Flight Attendants Union. “The average passenger wouldn’t notice the minutes added to their flight time, as they are focused on getting on the aircraft and making it to their destination at the time noted on their ticket.”
Think of flight-time padding as the same thing you do with your friend who’s always late for brunch: You start telling her the meeting time is 15 minutes earlier than it really is. There’s a reason airlines follow suit.
Why are flights longer?
There are several reasons why flights are slower today than in past years. “The fact is that extending the scheduled flight durations can improve an airline’s on-time performance data, help avoid customer dissatisfaction due to delays and allow flights to arrive early or on time more frequently,” says Childress-Miller. “The goal is to provide a buffer in the schedules to account for potential delays or disruptions while maintaining a positive image of punctuality.”
She explains that padding the time also helps improve the stats for reporting to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which can translate to accolades and awards because the numbers end up looking more favorable. So not only are the airlines padding flight times, but they are also padding their reputations.
Traffic congestionnot only on the runway but also along the routemay also be to blame for the slowdown, Childress-Miller says. At any given moment, there can be tens of thousands of flights simultaneously in the air. “This means Air Traffic Control [ATC] and airlines must coordinate a safe and carefully crafted flight plan to ensure safe takeoff, cruise and landing, critical phases of flight,” she says. “Flight crew may receive a message in flight to slow down. Having the additional ‘padded’ times ensures that the average passenger is unaware of ATC practices and other safety measures [and they] don’t feel the effects of a slowed flight.”
Finally, Childress-Miller says winter is another prime time for flight padding. Weather-related challenges, deicing procedures (which take about 20 minutes), airport runway congestion and passenger expectations all contribute to airlines padding flight schedules more extensively than during the summer months.
Which flights are most likely to be on time?
When it comes to the best time to fly, the early bird gets the worm. “A personal rule of thumb for me is to take the first morning flight to any destination, no matter what time of year,” says Childress-Miller, noting this increases your chances of arriving at your destination without delay or disruption because you’re less likely to experience a down-the-line disruption, like a late flight crew, delayed inbound aircraft or weather-related issues. “As the day wears on, the flight crew can time out [or] get stuck in their location, or maintenance issues can occur.”
And when it comes to avoiding flying on a crowded plane, book midweek flights. “Flights scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday tend to be cheaper and undersold, providing the passenger with more room and fewer people,” she says.
You can always check for up-to-the-minute flight information (sometimes before the airline officially announces a change or delay) through apps or websites like Flight Aware and Flight Stats. These apps can tell you where your aircraft is, if there was a gate change or tail number and where your flight is coming from and going to after you deplane.
About the expert
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Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this story, Jill Schildhouse tapped her experience as a travel writer and an avid traveler who spends approximately 150 days on the road each year. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Sabrina Childress-Miller, former flight attendant with Spirit Airlines and former communications chairperson of the Association of Flight Attendants Union; email interview, Dec. 4, 2024
- The New York Times: “Airlines Are Padding Flight Times. It’s Not Your Imagination”
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