Just because your airplane is still at the gate and your departure time is still another 9 minutes away does not mean the airline will let you board. In the United States, airplane doors typically close 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled flight departure. This gives passengers enough time to board, store their luggage, and settle into their seats before takeoff. Once the doors close, you won't be able to board your flight.
The exact time that boarding ends depends on the destination and plane. For example, American Airlines flights start boarding 30 to 50 minutes before scheduled departure, but boarding ends 15 minutes before departure.
The “Gate Closes” time on your boarding pass shows when you can last board. After that time, the airline won't accept any more passengers onto the aircraft. If you're not on board, the airline may reassign your seat to another passenger.
Other than emergencies if there is a "Gate Closing Time" disclosure printed on the boarding and you were late even 1 minute late, then you should not expect to get on the flight.
But why if the plane is still at the gate?
Well a number of reasons including safety, security and operational.
Take for example, United 1102 from IAH to DEN has a scheduled departure time of 7.20am. Typically for United and most US carriers domestically, they will close the gate 15mins before scheduled departure time. At 7.05am expect the gate to be closed for boarding for UA 1102. The Final Call/Last call for last remaining passengers will take place a few minutes before 7:05am. If you turn up at 7:06am. Too late! you could be out of luck and standing by for a different flight.
Keep in mind most flights today have a number of commercial and employee standbys for the same flight. The airline needs to decide how many open seats are available and then distribute them to the lucky ones waiting to get on. Typically on full flights, this procedure is executed after the final call boarding announcement is made which is prior to the gate closure process. So expect the gate agents after the last call, to be frantically trying to identify the checked-in passengers who did not board, offload them and their luggage, then call the standby's in priority order determined by each airline.
Commercial standbys will get a seat ahead of an employee waiting to go on vacation on a free ticket for example. All of this has to happen between the last call and the scheduled departure time of 720am. In the middle of all this reallocation process, the gate agents tend to be distracted by other staff, operational phone calls, equipment failure and emotional passengers pleading to get on the flight when that seat was already reallocated and now has someone sitting in it. Frankly watching the last 10-15minutes of the boarding and closing procedure can be painful and stressful.
All airlines print the Boarding Start time on the boarding pass, but not all/many print the Gate closes time on the same document. Which is more important?
The broader question
If the FAA imposes severe penalties as well as naming and shaming the worst operational performing carriers. You would think that over the years with so many process improvements, automation, realtime communications etc. that the US airlines are improving their on time performance right? Well not exactly. According to the FAA Bureau of Transport Statistics who have data going back to 2014, the major US airlines recorded the worst % on-time departure performance in 2022 which is the same as it was in 2014. The % on-time arrivals performance was 78% in 2022 which is marginally better than it was back in 2014. Now going back to those rigid "last call", Gate closure timings, which were not in place universally in 2014. There is no correlation between these rigid policies and the airlines OTA and OTD performance. So what is the point?
Travel Tip:
If your boarding card has a "Gate Closes At" time stamp printed on it then make sure you are at the gate before this time, otherwise risk not getting on the flight
The Scheduled flight departure time is not the latest time you can board
If your boarding card is missing the "Gate Closes At Time", ask the airline and be informed. Rule of thumb for US domestic should be 15minutes prior to scheduled departure
If you are running late, drop the urge to swing by to pick up a drink or food for the flight. Do not risk it.
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