A PILOT has revealed the lie they always tell passengers during a flight if they are delayed.

Crew will often tell passengers who are on a flight that is running late that they will be able to "make up the time" while in the air.

Writing on Reddit, a pilot actually explained that when they say they will make up some lost time, this is rarely true, especially on shorter flights.

They explained: "There is very little we can actually do to 'make-up time.'

"The longer the flight, the more we can do, but still, we're talking 5-10 minutes, not an hour."

To make up time, pilots can try to use wind speed by maximising tailwinds as well as request "direct routings" or shortcuts.

Flying faster is rarely an option for trying to make up time.

Pilot Nick Anderson, who flies for an international airline, previously told Conde Nast Traveler that flights always have a "small speed bracket" meaning they will fly at the fastest time which is most economical.

This means pilots could opt to go above the speed to make up time, although this burns more fuel – not just costing more, but affecting the environment.

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So pilots will likely only do it if the costs mean they can avoid other expensive issues, such as missed flight connections.

Even then, this is likely only to be up to 10 minutes on long haul flights, and even less for short haul.

If you want to avoid long flight delays, then you should avoid the peak summer holidays.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilot Charlie Page told The Points Guy: "The summer holidays bring increased demand for flights and with that comes inevitable problems."

The later in the day, the more likely your flight is to be delayed too, due to a knock on effect from other landings.

This is why experts advise travellers to always book the first flight of the day to avoid delays.

Former pilot Kathleen Bangs told Forbes: “The early bird gets airborne, statistically, with less delays and fewer cancellations.

“The later it gets in the day, the more likely your flight is to be delayed or cancelled."

Here is how to claim compensation if your flight is delayed.

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