The practice of scheduling flights to arrive/depart at 23:59

[Mattg]

The practice of scheduling a flight which arrives or departs essentially at midnight to arrive/depart at 23:59 on the previous day seems to be very common.

For example, QF125 BNE-AKL, where the sector is normally scheduled at 3hrs, 15mins, becomes 3hrs, 14mins and the flight is scheduled to arrive in Auckland at 11:59pm. Similarly, QF117 SYD-WEL is shortened by one minute and is scheduled to arrive at 11:59pm.

This is not just a Qantas thing; a random example of this practice elsewhere is Malaysian flight MH609, which arrives in SIN at 11:59pm.

Clearly this is not a coincidence as every other Qantas flight is timed at 5 minute intervals. I know that it's neither here nor there, but why do airlines do this? Why not just let it arrive at midnight? Is it something to do with not wanting to have the flight go over "two days"? Is an arrival time of 00:00 too confusing for some, perhaps?

 

[Hvr]

<snip> Is an arrival time of 00:00 too confusing for some, perhaps?

Basically yes. Too many people have turned up either a day early or even worse a day late when the time was shown as 12.00am, much easier to specify Friday 11.59pm than Saturday 12.00am.

 

[Mal]

Yep. Too many people get confused about the concept of 12am. Either turn up the wrong day or turn up at 12pm.

 

[tuapekastar]

Agree. A lifetime in IT has had me avoiding scheduling anything for 0000. Always 2359 or 0001. Avoids confusion.

 

[JohnK]

Probably a very good idea as people confuse dates/times quite easily.

 

[Mattg]

Thanks guys, I had wondered about this for a while but it makes perfect sense now!

 

[Happy Dude]

Too confusing for my secretary. I asked for a flight out of Darwin "late on a Friday night" and she put me on a very early (around 0015) flight on Friday morning. It's a good thing she's pretty....and books flexis. The check-in staff said that at least one person a day shows up 24hrs late for their flight.

 

[get me outta here]

Too confusing for my secretary. I asked for a flight out of Darwin "late on a Friday night" and she put me on a very early (around 0015) flight on Friday morning. It's a good thing she's pretty....and books flexis. The check-in staff said that at least one person a day shows up 24hrs late for their flight.

Lucky she's not non pretty or un pretty then.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Yep. Too many people get confused about the concept of 12am. Either turn up the wrong day or turn up at 12pm.

My favourite comment is "I didn't know whether it was 3.00am or 3.00pm so I just assumed it was afternoon". The pax however turned up for the flight some 24 hours after when she was actually booked so her statement didn't even match the situation.

 

[Mattg]

My favourite comment is "I didn't know whether it was 3.00am or 3.00pm so I just assumed it was afternoon". The pax however turned up for the flight some 24 hours after when she was actually booked so her statement didn't even match the situation.

That's pretty funny..

In a situation like that, what happens? For example, if someone accidentally turns up 12 or 24 hours late, would you just put them on the next flight, or have they forfeited their ticket and need to buy a new one?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

That's pretty funny..

In a situation like that, what happens? For example, if someone accidentally turns up 12 or 24 hours late, would you just put them on the next flight, or have they forfeited their ticket and need to buy a new one?

I believe they had to pay a change fee.

On another occasion a woman realised on checking out of the airport hotel that she was a day late for her flight but headed over to the terminal anyway because she wanted to complain to the airline staff about having to buy another ticket. The staff told her she would have only had to pay a change fee but the woman said "they told me I had to buy another ticket". When asked who "they" was she replied "the people at the hotel".

There never seems to be any shortage of armchair experts when it comes to giving advice on things travel related & sadly no shortage of people willing to take the advice.

 

[Melburnian1]

I believe they had to pay a change fee.

On another occasion a woman realised on checking out of the airport hotel that she was a day late for her flight but headed over to the terminal anyway because she wanted to complain to the airline staff about having to buy another ticket. The staff told her she would have only had to pay a change fee but the woman said "they told me I had to buy another ticket". When asked who "they" was she replied "the people at the hotel".

There never seems to be any shortage of armchair experts when it comes to giving advice on things travel related & sadly no shortage of people willing to take the advice.

In a similar situation, I have overheard a passenger on what was then DJ (now VA) being rebooked at no extra charge.

One clue as to whether the excuse is genuine might be if the passenger looks flustered or upset, or is elderly. The latter may be no more inclined to turn up on the wrong day that the great unwashed of a younger age, but senior citizens can on balance expect a bit more sympathy (as could a mum with children in tow).

 

[serfty]

Lucky she's not non pretty or un pretty then.

or lucky she doesn't book saver-light/red e-deal ...

 

[Happy Dude]

In a similar situation, I have overheard a passenger on what was then DJ (now VA) being rebooked at no extra charge.

This was my experience also - eventually. Travelling on a VA Flexi. I was told at check-in there would be a $50 fee (can't recall if it was for re-booking, change or other). Didn't complain, wasn't flustered but was confused. Then I was summonsed over the PA system in the waiting lounge - thinking that I had been op-upped - only to be told that they were wrong and shouldn't have been charged anything, and that the $50 would be credited to the credit card in a week or so. No op-up but felt like I'd had a win. I had to chase the refund after a few weeks but it came through eventually. I actually think that a fee was perfectly reasonable in that instance as the fault lay with me (or, more specifically, with the pretty, but diurnally-challenged, secretary).