EI 5 minute flight time change
 

Hi all,
A friend of mine is traveling with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Lisbon on the Sat 28th of November and returning on Wednesday 2nd December. He just received a rather important looking email saying his flight schedule has changed and this mail contained his new flight itinerary. The only difference in the new itinerary is that instead of arriving at 1:30pm he now arrives at 1:25pm on Wednesday 2nd back in Dub.
I've had flight itinerary changes myself in the past but never received a notification with a 5 minute flight difference - and that's arrival time - departure time is still the same, so it makes entirely no difference to the pax.
Maybe this is an automated mail or something, but does this sound normal for a 5 minute flight time change?
Thx
AGOW

as a travel agent - yes, this does sound normal. i recieve several and flight time changes can be anything from a few mins upwards. american internal flights are the worst, because they can be so precise (where we in the uk use flight times that end in either 5 or 0 - 05,10,15,20 etc..... the americans tend to be precise to the minute eg dept 12:56 arr 18:21)

effectively, a 1 minute change can generate a notification.

Cheers HXdave - we were both convinced we were missing something in the mail! :ok:

My EI flight from LGW to Bucharest tomorrow has similarly been shifted by 5 mins. I was a bit worried when the e-mail arrived, fearing a significant change. My only other such experience was with a Ryanair flight, but that was for half an hour.

I guess they can't win. If they had not have told you? If you had been running against the clock and heavy traffic? If they closed the check-in in front of you?

The email is probably a standard layout, including the subject line, with the actual amount of time inserted by the computer. So it would show the same subject whether for 5 or 2hrs 55 change of time.

Better than the time I was not informed of the departure time being brought forward by 30 mins. Once by FR and once, amazingly, by VS. I caught both but the FR was by the skin of my teeth and the VS only because friends had to drop me off extra early. Both companies had my email address and neither sent me anything - or apologised. It's the only time I have been cross with VS but not the only time with FR!

You wouldn't believe it but you do actually get complaints for being early.

One day with 70+ tail winds we arrived 45mins ahead of schedule. 3 days later the company received a letter demanding compensation to the tune of £15 a head because the family of 5 had to wait 45 mins for their booked taxi to pitch up.

Arriving early can also be a pain if you have un-mins because they have to be supervised until the collecting adult pitches up.

The airlines can't win. Early or late email sent email not sent some bugger will take issue with it.

I've received a "schedule change notification" e-mail this week in which the flight times are identical to those in the original booking confirmation but "ON BOARD: LUNCH/SNACK" has become "ON BOARD: FOOD AND BEVERAGES FOR PURCHASE"!

It's a little surprising, since this is an 8-hour flight, and the airline's website still states that "Passengers in Economy class will have a three course meal together with their choice of drinks" with no suggestion that we may have to pay for them, but we'll be stocking up at Pret a Manger before boarding just in case.

Friday, I have received from Aer Lingus an e-mail "Schedule change : can you please call us regarding your flight reference xxx. There has been a change and we need to discuss it with you."
In fact, they told me that my flight (on 9th december) had been cancelled outright ...