In the last month, it was difficult for me to understand American Airlines’ policy about delaying flights so that passengers could make a connection from another flight. On May 9 I missed the last flight of the day from Boston to San Francisco when they would not hold the plane for 5 minutes for me to make the connection. When I sent a complaint to AA about this, their reply indicated a total lack of flexibility in situations like that.

On June 26, my flight from Chicago O’Hare to Austin however, was delayed 20 minutes so that passengers could make the connection. This seemed to go against their previously stated policy about the need to be at the gate 15 minutes before departure to make the flight. This left me wondering what their policy actually is.

I sent a message to AA Customer Relations on June 27 asking for a clarification. AA is normally VERY good at giving prompt responses, but not this time. One week later I had received no reply to my question. So, I wrote to them again on July 5. On July 8 I got a reply.

This message gave a much more reasonable description of the decision-making process.

“Our airport staff, along with the flight crew and air traffic controllers have full authority and responsibility for making and resolving such decisions. Even though only a few minutes may be at stake, the collection of the many factors help determine when – and how long – a flight may be delayed for any reason. Although it may seem a simple task at times, in actuality it is extremely complex and the decision is not made by any single individual.”

And

“The specialists who are involved with the operation of the aircraft do not take the situation lightly. They do all possible to determine the best way to get passengers to their destination with the least amount of inconvenience while maintaining safety as the number one priority.”

That is much more reasonable explanation than the first one which indicated no flexibility in the process; if you were not there on time you did not board. (“We established a 15-minute “cut-off” time period (30 minutes for international flights) which stipulates that you must be checked in and present at the departure gate at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time of your flight to retain your reservation and a seat.“)

So, basically it is a case-by-case process and the people in charge do what they think is best while keeping safety the number one priority.

That make sense. I wish they had said that the first time, and thank them for the clarification.