Unusual Reason for a Delayed Flight: Waiting for a Positioning Crew Member

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As a frequent traveler, you’re likely aware of the various factors that can cause flight delays. While weather conditions, mechanical problems, or delayed inbound flights are some of the common culprits, airlines may or may not inform you of these delays in advance. Sometimes you may find yourself waiting at the gate for a rolling delay, without any clear indication of when you can expect to take off.

However, there are other, less common reasons for flight delays, such as issues with the weight distribution of cargo on the aircraft. In such cases, the freight may need rearranging to ensure optimal weight balance and safety. Additionally, flight delays can occur if the crew assigned to your flight is running late or were not properly notified of changes to the flight schedule.

We experienced a flight delay due to a crew member arriving late from another flight. The crew member wasn’t working on our flight but had to reposition to Orlando and needed to be on our plane, so we had to wait for them at the gate before departing.

We boarded the JetBlue plane at JFK Airport like any other. It took a while for us to get situated, but eventually, all the passengers were on board the almost full flight headed to Orlando. And then we waited.

And waited.

And…waited.

The flight attendant made an announcement on the PA system, informing us we were waiting for a passenger to arrive. That seemed a bit unusual to me, as I have never witnessed an entire airplane being held up for a single passenger unless they are an ultra-VIP or something.

After waiting 10 minutes, the captain made an annoucement on the loudspeaker. He explained that we were waiting for a crew member who had to relocate to Orlando, and their previous flight had just landed. He informed us that we could depart once the crew member arrived at our plane. It took another 10 minutes before a JetBlue crew member arrived with their bags, got settled, and the cabin door was finally closed.

Despite being ready to go for an on-time departure, we ended up leaving 43 minutes late.

We were only slightly inconvenienced, as we were on our way back home. However, the delay must have been unbearable for those who had prior arrangements or connecting flights. Despite that, most of the passengers handled the situation well and there were hardly any complaints about the wait.

While I understand the operational need to transport a crew member to fly a plane, it was strange to inconvenience an entire plane of passengers. But I understand that if you weigh the difference between having a delayed flight or canceling another flight because there’s no pilot, this was the better option for the airline and all the passengers involved.

Have you ever experienced a flight delay while waiting for a crew member to make a positioning flight? Have you experienced any other strange reasons for flight delays?

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