Why airlines make flights longer on purpose

A lot of different things can cause a delay but Baiada believes 80% of the factors involved – like schedule, airport arrival flow queueing, aircraft availability, gate availability, maintenance and crew legality – are within the airlines’ control. Baiada has come up with a Business Based Flow Management (BBFM) system – which involves airlines working with air traffic control to optimise efficiency in the air. “When it comes to delays and congestion, airlines are still complaining it’s an air traffic control problem when it is not.

Source: www.bbc.com