In 1993 Newsweek reported that aides said President Bill Clinton operated on “Clinton Standard Time.” Chief Justice William Rehnquist once had to wait 45 minutes. The press waited 50 minutes on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base.
His press secretary, Dee Dee Myers, explained: “Things come up, and he does have to deal with them.”
At NYU Langone’s family health centers, a dental patient who arrives more than 15 minutes after the appointment time “will be considered late.” The patient may have to schedule a new appointment for another day.
Patients also wait for their doctors. A 2015 report by Vitals found an average wait of 19 minutes and 16 seconds.
Students at many American colleges believe they may leave if the professor is more than 15 minutes late. In 2015 Michigan State University’s student paper reported that the university has no such guidelines. The University of Pittsburgh’s student paper reported the same.
At Cal State Fullerton in 2012, the chair of the Academic Senate described an older custom. Students had to wait a set time for a late professor, and the time was “dependent upon the rank of the professor.”
The courts of Minnesota tell people to arrive at the courtroom 30 minutes before their hearing. “Court is not an appointment that can be missed or rescheduled.” In a criminal case, a person who does not appear may face a warrant for arrest. In a civil case, the person will likely lose by default.
On the day of the SAT, the college admission test, test centers open at 7:45 a.m. and doors close at 8 a.m. “You can’t be admitted once testing has started.” A student who is late must register again and pay the standard fee again.
For American airlines, a flight counts as on time if it departs from the gate or arrives at the gate less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Large airlines file monthly on-time reports, and the government publishes the results.
Even the official clock allows a margin.
Before 1883, American towns set their clocks by the sun, and there were more than 100 different local times. In October 1883, railroad delegates meeting in Chicago adopted a system of standard time. It took effect on November 18, 1883, the Day of Two Noons. Congress made standard time law with the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918.
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, dinner was at three o’clock, and at two on Sundays. Guests who chose to dine with the family were expected to appear within fifteen minutes of the dinner bell. Washington reportedly allowed a five-minute grace period.
A story told about Washington has him explain to late guests: “I have a cook who never asks whether the company has come, but whether the hour has come.” The story appears without a source, and it may be apocryphal.
Evite, the online invitation service, advises dinner guests to arrive “within 15 minutes of the start time.” For cocktail parties and other large parties, “your arrival is more flexible.” For weddings, graduations and funerals, the advice changes: “Always be on time and if possible, 15 minutes early.”
A guest who is late should “send the host a quick text so they know.”
In 2013 a team led by Steven Rogelberg of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte published a study of lateness to meetings. They surveyed 195 employees in the southeastern United States about more than 300 meetings. Latecomers left others “feeling disrespected, upset, frustrated, and disappointed.” They also saw the late person as rude.
The participants said they themselves were late to meetings 5 percent of the time. The same study found that 37 percent of meetings started late.