To the credit of airlines around the world, my travel experience shows that last-minute gate changes are fairly rare. I can't remember the last time I sprinted from Gate 1A to Gate 237C because my plane decided to park somewhere else.
Often, my complaints have to do with how far the gate is from the terminal door in the first place, but whether it's because the gate is far, whether you're going there unexpectedly, or whether you just follow a sign from the universe and step in. It has to do with what you are doing. Anything you do can be frustrating.
Gate assignments at most airports are surprisingly complex. And after passing many empty parking spaces to the gate on a recent trip, I wanted to know more about how it all works.
“It’s not as simple as you want it to be, and it’s not as simple as we want it to be,” Matthew Cornelius, executive vice president of the Airports Council of North America, an industry advocacy group, told me. Ta. “This is a mix of physical and contractual issues.”
How are gates assigned?
Cornelius said one of the key factors in determining gate assignments is the size of the plane operating the flight.
“Gates are designed and built based on aircraft type, so not all gates can accept all types of aircraft,” he said.
Airplanes are generally classified into narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Wide-body gates, as the name suggests, require more space, and because there is more room for larger aircraft, the gates tend to be placed on the outside or edge of the concourse, Cornelius said. explained. “There are some gates that swing in both directions, and if you put a large aircraft on a swinging gate, you may lose the ability to use the gates around that swinging gate,” he added.
The geeks among us have probably noticed markings on the ground that show exactly where different types of aircraft need to park at each gate in order to properly align the jet bridge with the door. . This is a good indicator of how versatile the departure gate is.
Cornelius said contracts with airlines also play a role in determining where aircraft can be parked.
He said airport contracts with airlines range from “exclusive use,” where one airline has more or less exclusive access to a particular gate, to one in which the airport operator has complete control over gate use and He said that this ranges from “common use'' that allows complete control. Send it to the airline if necessary.
“In a situation where the airline owns the entire concourse, future planning is up to the airline,” Cornelius said. “Of course, it's not as simple or easy as some people think when traveling.”
Airlines typically start planning gate usage about a year before publishing their schedules, with further fine-tuning about 30 days before the flight, and further adjustments 72 hours before and on the day of departure.
“The day of the flight is probably the most important when it comes to boarding gates, because we know what aircraft are going to be available that day, which flights are actually going to depart, etc.,” Cornelius said.
What could lead to a last-minute gate change?
From changes in aircraft type to mechanical issues on the ground, airlines can change gate assignments at the last minute due to a variety of factors.
“It's usually a mechanical (problem) or something, or there's a delay. It was supposed to be going into a C39 or something, and the aircraft that was on the C39 was supposed to be leaving, but it wasn't. So the gate planner and the operations controller will make the decision at that time,” Cornelius said. “Depending on how busy and crowded the airport is at that time of day, we may need to make 10 to 12 changes, or we may need to make two or three changes.”
Cruising altitude:Tips for getting drinks on board
Cornelius said that in the event of a major disruption, such as a series of delays or cancellations caused by weather or other emergencies, or planes being thrown out of position, the airport may move planes to gates reserved for other airlines. Stated. .
“Most contracts with airlines at airports have so-called forced accommodations, so airport authorities step in and say, 'Hey, Americans, you have exclusive use of this gate, but… We can say, 'We need to take this aircraft down.'
Cornelius added that airports are moving towards a shared gate model, which gives terminal operators more flexibility.
So next time you're not happy with your gate assignment, remember that there are a lot of moving parts. If you have to walk a long distance to get to your plane, it's not a personal problem.
Zach Wictor is a travel writer for USA TODAY based in New York. Please contact us at zwichter@usatoday.com.
