Does arrival time mean landing or gate?

Okay, so you're wondering about arrival times, huh? It's a good question! I mean, we've all been there, anxiously waiting, right? Wondering if that "arrival time" means we're about to deplane.

Well, when they say "arrival time," they actually mean the time the plane pulls up to the gate. Not when you first touch down on the runway – though wouldn't that be nice if that's what they meant? Nope. It's the grand finale of what they call "block time," which is basically door-to-door – from when they push back from the departure gate to when you're safely parked at your arrival gate. And, just to get a little more technical, your actual “flight time” is the time your wheels are up in the air. You know, when you're really flying. That's after the door closes.

I remember once I was flying into Chicago during a blizzard. We landed, and I swear we taxied around O'Hare for like, 45 minutes before finally getting to the gate! Ugh. The arrival time on the screen was way off from when we actually landed. I was already thinking about my warm bed! So, yeah, "arrival time" isn't always as immediate as you might hope!