Why does nobody talk about how airport gates lie about boarding times?

Tbh I found out from a flight tracker app last week that the gate agent was reading a boarding time that was 14 minutes earlier than what the airline's own system showed. I stood there like an idiot for almost an hour watching people line up twice. Do airlines just make up times to herd people around? Has anyone else caught this at their local airport?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamesf2623d ago

Gate times are just suggestions, like calories on a menu. Airlines probably pick random numbers out of a hat and pray nobody notices. I once watched a guy board at 5:15, sit down, get back up, and reboard at 5:45 like he got a second chance at life. The only real schedule is the one where you're sprinting past the duty free shop, sweating more than a marathon runner. Just assume the gate is lying and pack a snack.

morgan_ramirez20d ago

I fly out of O'Hare at least twice a month and I still show up 45 minutes before boarding time, not because I trust the gate but because I've seen the boarding screen flip from "On Time" to "Final Call" in about four seconds flat. Last month I watched a family miss their flight because they grabbed a sandwich while the gate agent was calling their names over the intercom. Pro tip: set a timer on your phone for the printed boarding time minus 10 minutes and just camp out near the gate window. That snack can wait until you're sitting down with your seatbelt on.