Airlines pad flight schedules to boost on-time record

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/02/14/airlines-flights-early-arrivals/1921057/

The above is a link to a cover story that appeared in USA Today, Friday, February 15.  I found the article amusing.  Below is my unedited letter to the editor. It was published in the February 19th issue, albeit an "condensed" version. Here is the link to the "letters to the editor" page with my remarks.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/02/18/early-flights-arrivals-padding/1928951/

The "Print" version of my letter to the editor

This is the unedited letter that I sent:
I imagine that every airline employee in the USA was greatly amused after reading your cover story Friday, 15 February (“The Fiction behind Early Flights).  I suppose that passengers will never be satisfied until all flights take off and arrive at the exact time they are scheduled to and fly free in the first class cabin.  Flights arriving early are a good thing.  I am a regional air line captain with fourteen years experience (seventeen years of military flying prior to this career).  I would like to invite MIT aeronautics Professor Belobaba to join me on a typical four day trip and see how “under utilized” we crew members are.  Yesterday, I finished a four day trip that had one fourteen plus hour duty day and another twelve plus hour duty day.  If the airlines are “padding” the flight times and allowing passengers the ability to actually make their connections, then I am all for it.  Arriving early gives us crew members more time to perhaps grab a bite to eat since more often than not, time is not built into our days for regular meals.  We may even be able to get to our hotel earlier so that we can get a decent amount of rest.  In the past, I have seen passengers actually schedule themselves a 30 minute period to make a connection at very busy airports.  This is unrealistic and is poor planning.  All it takes is one weather event, a mechanical delay and a passenger is stuck having to re-book or find an alternative.  MR Curry’s annoyance at having to wait to make his connection is almost laughable and is typical of so many travelers these days.  Had he driven, taken a train or a bus, those three hours waiting to make his connection would seem luxurious.