Jim Eagles: Why we are waiting

One aspect of travel that really irritates me is being told to report to the airport hours before the flight, then having to spend most of the time wandering around the shops looking at things I'm never going to buy, having cups of coffee I don't need, or sitting bored in some sterile departure lounge.

Why do the airlines ask you to get there two hours - or three in the case of the United States - before your flight when your check-in takes only a few minutes?

I have sometimes suspected it's a cunning ploy to force passengers to spend money in the airport shops.

But the other morning I reported two hours in advance for a red-eye flight from Auckland to Melbourne and not only was it too early for the customs and immigration officers but most of the shops and cafes hadn't opened.

Why did the airline tell me to turn up so early that the airport wasn't ready for me? Why couldn't they let me sleep in?

For that matter, what is the point of airlines having bigger and faster planes, or introducing fancy internet booking and electronic check-in systems if the end result is that you spend more time in the terminal?

Ed Sims, general manager of Air New Zealand's international airline, says the answer to all my questions is that the extra time spent waiting is necessary to comply with security regulations - especially those emanating from the United States since September 11, which can be "very time-consuming".

"Sure, sometimes you'll have the experience where there are no problems and you're whizzed straight through with a lot of time to spare. But other times, if there's a hiccup of some sort, even three hours may not be enough."

Sims, and other airline people, point out that there's a lot that has to be allowed for in the two or three hours, including:

* The possibility of check-in delays because of a sudden rush of passengers (at Auckland International Airport the biggest bottlenecks are from 9am to noon).

* The need to allow time for extended family farewells before checked-in passengers head to the departure area.

* The requirement for check-in staff to carry out more thorough identity checks and, in the case of the US, for passengers to provide a street address, including a zipcode, for where they'll be staying.

"This is adding considerably to check-in times because a lot of people don't know about the requirement and sometimes don't actually know exactly where they'll be staying," Sims says.

* The requirement to send information on each passenger to the US Transport Safety Authority so checks can be carried out before the aircraft arrives.

* The requirement to x-ray all bags, and check each piece of luggage and reconcile it with the passenger list for each aircraft - especially if there are problems with the automated baggage system, as has happened at Sydney and Auckland.

* The possibility of bottlenecks at border control at peak times, although passenger flow has been improved by the new facilities at Auckland.

* The need to allow time for passengers to do their duty-free shopping.

"There are always some people who think they have more time than they really do, or who get so immersed in the shopping that they forget about time altogether." Sims says.

* The need to allow time for people who forget their gate number or have difficulty finding their way there.

* The requirement to do a further passport and identity check in the departure lounge before passengers board the aircraft, which has extended the boarding time.

* The time needed to get between 300 and 400 people on board a plane, a problem which will be exacerbated when the new Airbus A380 planes, capable of seating up to 600, come into service.

* The reality that some passengers will arrive late and have to be rushed on board. "People don't very often miss out," says Sims. "That's one of the advantages of an airport the size of Auckland. The queue-combing for late passengers is effective and we almost always can rush latecomers through - though we don't recommend passengers counting on it."

* The fact that aircraft doors have to close 10 minutes before departure time.

When you go through that list, it's hardly surprising that, although the regulatory authorities don't actually decree how long before the departure time passengers should report, the airlines feel, as Sims puts it, "they have filled us so full of requirements that have to be complied with that we don't have much room for manoeuvre".

So it seems in the short term there's no great prospect of that changing.

Sims says New Zealanders will just have to join the rest of the world and accept that they can no longer turn up at the last minute.

"In the United States or Britain, people are so used to congestion that they build in extra checking-in time to allow for the fact they they will be held up at some point.

"I'm afraid that in the present security environment Kiwis are going to have to be educated to do the same and turn up when they are asked to."

But, in the long term, there is some hope. Sims reckons the advent of fully automated baggage checking, increased online booking and seat allocation, and greater use of electronic systems for check-in will save time eventually.

In the meantime, the good news is that something may at least be done to make the gate lounge a better place to wait.

"Part of our thinking in terms of encouraging people to go to the gate earlier is to work with the airport companies to make the lounges more enjoyable environments," Sims says.

"That's obviously a matter for the airport company but it's also a matter of us indicating what sort of investment we'd like them to put in.

"For instance, when we know there are going to be delays we already move plasma screens into the lounge to give people something to look at, but I think that should become standard practice."

Until that happens, your best bet is probably to take an extra book to read in the lounge because, unless you're a keen duty-free shopper, you're likely to be spending a lot more time in the gate lounge.