Delta's decision to add five minutes to the boarding process for domestic narrow-body flights cut departure delays by roughly 1.5 minutes. The on-time departure rate increased by about one-third following this single schedule adjustment. The mechanism is straightforward: boarding is the final step before takeoff, so extending its window prevents overruns from spilling into the departure slot.
The simultaneous pay increase for flight attendants showed no measurable impact on punctuality, likely because crews already have strong financial incentives to leave on time. While the study confirms that targeted time reallocation is more efficient than general schedule padding, the data is specific to one airline's operational change. It serves as a reminder that operational tweaks can yield significant savings without requiring complex behavioral changes from staff.
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