American Airlines has completed a series of schedule changes at its Miami, Chicago and Dallas hubs to create shorter layovers, and so far it appears to be working. That’s the report from a respected airline blog, Cranky Flier.
A few weeks ago, TravelGumbo ran a story on how airline schedules are created, and discussed this system, which is called “banking.” Its aim is to have many planes land in a fairly short period of time, and then take off again together, a short time later. The plus is that there are short layovers; the minus for the airlines is that it takes more staff to get it done.
Cranky Flier points out that American used to have banked flights, but abandoned them as an economy measure; the new AA management, from US Air, clearly believes the practice pays back the extra costs.
Photo: American Airlines
