Ask the Captain: Do long-haul flights get priority when arriving?

Question: Does air-traffic control ever give priority to longer flights?  I recently flew from New York to Hong Kong, and we were forced to circle before landing.  After nearly 16 hours in the air, it was frustrating to think much shorter flights had the same landing priority.        

— Submitted by reader Mike, Scarsdale, N.Y.

Answer: No, the air-traffic control system is set up on a first come, first served basis. This is the best service to the greatest number of airplanes.

Q: On a recent flight from London Heathrow to DFW, we had to wait on the tarmac in Dallas for over an hour for a gate to open up on a clear day with no weather delays.  In today's world when computers can calculate and adjust schedules, why should we have an hour delay when our arrival time would have been known from the moment we left London, 10 hours before touchdown?

— Mike, Norman, Okla.

A: Normally, yes, but if the preceding airplane on your gate had a problem, then you would have to wait for it. Usually the airline will try to change the gate in such a case, but if there is not one available, then you have to wait. It is very frustrating. There is more involved than just a single airplane and a single gate.

Q: Why are airlines so reluctant to allow passengers off an aircraft that has been holding on the tarmac for hours? It took a law to limit this waiting time to three hours.

— Phil H. Rockford, Ill.

A: Usually the question is having available gates. When a long delay is incurred, it affects many flights. It is easier to hold an airplane off the gate than to shuffle one airplane after another on and off gates. Additionally, when the delay is concluded, it takes a long time to reboard passengers, which causes further delays.

Q: Do pilots plan their touchdown based on where they need to go to the arrival gate?

— Glenn Syperda, no location given

A: No, the aiming touchdown point for landing is 1,000 feet from the beginning of the runway. Typical touchdowns occur around 1,500 feet.  The arrival gate is not a consideration of touchdown point.

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