Buzzword: Block Time
Is the Earth getting longer? Because our flights certainly are. Ask the airline, though, and they might use "block time" to distort your perception of the clock.
A stopwatch can tell you how long your flight is really taking. The airlines aren't gonna fool you! (istockphoto.com)
Time travel brings us this week's Marketplace Money buzzword: Block time.
Block time is the time airlines say it'll take to get from one place to another. Summer travelers might be a wee bit surprised to learn the Earth is growing. Or at least, that's what carriers must want you to think, because some routes are taking longer - sometimes 30 minutes longer than 10 years ago.
What's the real deal? Many airlines are accounting for expected flight delays by changing their block times. Then they can tell regulators a flight that's 20 minutse late was actually on time. Hey, but at least their food is awesome.
