Why pilots often can't 'make up time' on a late flight

If you flight is running late, there may be little a pilot can do to 'make up time' while flying. Photo / Pexels

If your flight has ever run behind schedule, you may have heard the pilot say they will 'make up time' while flying.

According to several pilots, this isn't often true, particularly on shorter flights.

On a Reddit thread asking those in the airline industry to share information passengers should know, one pilot replied: "there is very little we can actually do to 'make-up time'.

"The longer the flight, the more we can do, but still, we're talking 5-10 minutes, not an hour," they wrote.

American pilot Jim Richards added: "the very short answer is yes, we do. But we probably won't."

According to Richards, while some people say pilots trying to go faster use different altitudes to 'catch' favourable winds, the truth is that they often do this anyway.

"With very few exceptions, we're always flying optimal routes and altitudes to get us to our destination in the minimum time and with minimal fuel burn," Richards explained.
"Wind is by far the biggest variable in these calculations."

International pilot Nick Anderson told Conde Nast Traveler that flights could fly slightly faster since they have a "small speed bracket".

This allows them to fly at the speed that is most economical.

However, as Richard explained, this burns more fuel and is rarely worth the minutes saved.
"If you departed a half-hour late and your pilot manages to get you to your destination twenty minutes early, it's because of the winds, not because the pilot 'flew fast' to get you there more quickly," Richards said.

For this reason, experts like former pilot Kathleen Bangs suggest booking the first flight of the day to reduce the chance of delays.

"The early bird gets airborne, statistically, with less delays and fewer cancellations," Bangs told Forbes.

"The later it gets in the day, the more likely your flight is to be delayed or cancelled."