On-time performance
The share of an airline's flights that depart or arrive within 15 minutes of schedule — a headline metric that trickles down to crew.
Definition
On-time performance is the percentage of flights that depart or arrive within fifteen minutes of their scheduled time, the industry convention used by regulators, analysts and airlines themselves. Departure punctuality is usually measured at the moment the aircraft leaves the gate, so boarding speed and door-close discipline count directly toward it.
What it means for you
OTP is why the purser is watching the clock during boarding and why crew control will not wait for a late bus. Some airlines tie crew bonuses to station or network punctuality, and a delay chargeable to the cabin — a slow boarding, a late cabin-secure report — is the kind of thing that ends up in a debrief. A punctual network also protects your rest and days off from creeping delays.
In practice
Low-cost carriers such as Ryanair publish monthly punctuality figures and drill 25-minute turnarounds specifically to keep them, so crew are rostered to be at the door the moment the last passenger leaves.
Related terms
4 terms- DelayFlight operationsAny departure or arrival behind schedule — for crew, a duty that stretches and a rest period that shrinks.
- TurnaroundRoster & schedulingThe ground time between an aircraft's arrival and its next departure, and by extension a duty that goes out and comes straight back.
- BoardingFlight operationsThe period from the first passenger stepping aboard until the door closes — the busiest and, historically, least paid part of the job.
- Ground timeFlight operationsThe scheduled time between an aircraft's arrival and its next departure — as little as 25 minutes at low-cost carriers.