Originally Posted by
POPA
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon from the flight deck. I'd like to apologize to the 49 of you onboard for our delay; we've been waiting 10 minutes for our last passenger to arrive and have now missed our slot for O'Hare. ATC has informed us that our new Expect Departure Clearance Time is approximately two hours from now, so the gate agents have begun work to rebook all of you who will miss your connections."
But hey, at least they got that one passenger on
Typically the only time they hold flights for just a few pax is on the last flight of the night, when there is no seats for the next day or two (happens a lot going to Mexico) or if there is only 1 flight a day to the destination (again, typically to Mexico destinations). I'm sure any other airline would do the same thing. Now, IAH-DFW or ATL or ORD? Nope, you can go grab a cup of coffee and wait for the next flight in an hour or so. Now as far as holding a flight for a jumpseater? That sounds pretty far-fetched. No flight I've ever been working has been held for a jumpseater. Imagine trying to explain that to a CP