Flight schedules vs actual flying time

[fantango]

I'm a VERY nervous flyer. I do a 2hr flight to Spain etc each year and even then I'm a mess. I've done a fearless flyer course which semi-helped but I'll never ever be relaxed. Anyway, we've booked a holiday to the Caribbean next year.

Going out is 9hr 15mins and coming home 8hr 20. Are those actual times in the air? Or can I be positive and shave off an hour for taxiing etc?

Not really. We find they are in air times. Flying times are quicker with a following wind. Most Caribbean flight times are 8 hours plus but the times quoted are usually about right. Taxiing won’t take much time at smaller airports. You might find they make up a bit of time in both directions if they have a following wind and a lighter pay load.

I’m sure you will have planned how to keep occupied and make the time pass quicker. There’s food on long haul and entertainment!!! Well done for booking and it will be ok. Just think what a great holiday awaits.

Have a fab holiday,

Get some rescue remedy and some Stugeron travel tablets

The times given for flights are gate to gate, not take off and landing, so yes, go ahead and shave some flying time off those numbers. It's why so many people report that they 'took of late' and/or 'arrived early'.

I think the actual time is recorded from when the brakes are released before movement until brakes are applied when the aircraft has stopped at the gate.

I hope you're right @beingchampion

Similar to what beingchampion said, but possibly even better for you, I’ve read it’s from door closing on departure (which is before brakes off) & door opening on arrival (after brakes on). I think that came from MSE re claiming for a delayed flight.

Although different flight apps will give different actual times for the same flight so who knows...

beingchampion is correct - The times you see in the schedules are predicted "Block Time"/"gate to gate" and it's the time from first brake release after the doors are closed until the moment the brakes are set to park just before doors are opened..

Since actual flying times can vary, massively so in the case of LongHaul flights due to the variation in head/tail winds from day to day the times you see published in the schedules are roughly speaking the average for the route, based on the stats from previous seasons..

With regard to the apps the accuracy will depend on the source..if you use the airline's own app it may well have a feed from the actual flight plan for the flight which should have the predicted flying time nailed pretty much to the minut, plus if relevant and may well have a statistical fudge built in for predicted holding going into somewhere like Heathrow... Other apps won't have that accuracy but should be close enough.

Yes gate to gate but especially long haul it can vary depending on what the weather is doing.

I'm fairly sure the likes or ryanair add "time" to their schedules just so that they can still stay the flight arrived on time even though it left late.

Not sure if they padded schedules but for some mysterious reason they also play (or certainly used to play) their "on time" fanfare just after the aircraft touched down rather than waiting until they got to the gate.........as you say..it's very definitely "gate to gate"....

I assume you’ve been to the docs and got Valium or beta blockers? You don’t need to out of it, but it would just calm you a little