Airlines want to board planes quickly. Every minute a plane is on the ground is a minute that very expensive asset is not making money. And every minute that boarding takes longer than expected, a flight delays which can become very costly. To name just a few issues:
- Another plane needs the gate and is also delayed
- A flight might miss their departure window if air traffic control is backed up
- Customers on board might miss their connection
- Cabin crew at several airlines are now paid extra for boarding time
Southwest Airlines has said it would cost them 8-10 planes per day just to add “a couple of minutes of block time to each flight in our schedule.”
Yet there’s a persistent belief that won’t go away that there’s a “scientifically correct way to board” that’s much faster, but airlines are just too stupid or complacent to make it happen.
Regular airplane boarding method is the slowest one
by
u/tppiel in
interestingasfuck
The ‘Steffen method’ boards:
passengers in a series of waves, with the first passengers called to board seated in window seats two rows apart—first 30A, then 28A, then 26A and so on. Next, the same for the other side of the plane (30F, 28F, 26F).
The process continues with odd row window seats on either side, middle seats, and finally aisle seats. Each person can sit down within moments of one another without getting in anyone’s way.
In field tests, it proved to be almost twice as fast as most conventional methods, and 20% to 30% faster than have-at-it, entirely random boarding—which is also faster than the method used by airlines..
Airlines actually study this. They’re not stupid. And it doesn’t actually work.
- Not everyone is at the gate to board in the ‘correct’ order. They may be getting food, stuck at TSA, or coming in off a late inbound connection.
- Customers still get up and back into the aisle after they’ve seated.
- You’re separating families with children when you board this way. You can’t just send a two year old off on their own, boarding before or after their parents.
- Boarding order matters, because there’s not enough overhead bin space to go around on many flights. So airlines give earlier boarding to their frequent flyers and cobrand credit card customers.
And it just doesn’t speed things up in real world testing after all, as former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker explained at an internal company meeting, “We’ve studied this with operations engineers who go look and watch and we don’t see any material change.”
Airlines all tinker with their process from time to time and never stop tinkering, because they’re never been able to do much to improve – with few exceptions.
The old Southwest Airlines boarding, where your seat was first-come first-serve, encouraged everyone to show up at the gate early and get on board quickly. And free checked bags meant passengers were bringing fewer things on board, so they boarded much faster not having to put everything up in the overhead bins (or scavenge for space). That was operational efficiency.
Today’s seating policy being utilized by Greedwest is slower and more painful than the policy they use since inception. This change was made to accomodate the whiners and cryers who complained because they could not reserve a seat.
The reason why US airlines take so long to board and deplane is because Americans carry so much on planes and US airlines allow passengers to carry much larger and heavier bags than practically anwhere else in the world.
and yet the math clearly says that adding 10 more minutes to boarding and deplaning per flight does not create more opportunities to fly the plane wiht decent revenue.
US airlines do make billions of dollars from seat fees and checked baggage fees and the reason why WN switched is because the math favors the model that the big 3 have used for years.
in aggregate, there is nothing different from the passengers any airlines other than the ULCCs carry. WN’s passengers are motivated by the same things as other airlines’ customers.
Airlines, like every other business, do not simply shoot for the best solution for one metric but the best across multiple metrics.
Fastest boarding is not the best from all perspectives including maximizing revenue and profits.
I can’t deny the material fact that they studied. But I live in Japan (which has its many, many flaws that I’m fully aware) but they constantly show it’s very possible:
I arrive at the airport 40 minutes before departure for a bit of buffer. Go through security in 5 (closer to 20 when things are bad). Walk to gate in 5. Wait at gate for 10 before boarding (10 minutes before domestic flight, sometimes a few minutes earlier when stars are aligned), and an almost full flight will finish boarding and leave on-time.
One obvious difference is they don’t charge for check-in luggage, but I’m not sure that’s the only difference.
Was the old WN boarding efficient or caused issues? Issues with seat savers, parents not being able to sit near minor children.. highest number of wheelchair users per flight then any airline who all cost the airline $$.
As for luggage did people take more then they needed? Did that cost the airline more fuel and labor cost to load and unload
My humble opinion is that the airlines should ENFORCE overhead bags and the like ABOVE THE ASSIGNED SEAT ROW! I’ll call them “bin lice” kinda like “gate lice”. I will agree that people carry more luggage aboard as the checked bag fee is ludicrous. I should be able to check a suitcase that weighs no more than XX pounds and no more than XX/YY/ZZ inches, carry on that meets the carry on dimensions and something that fits under the seat in front. I recall that the TV show “Mythbusters” had a segment that featured a way to load passengers that was, indeed, faster. I don’t think any airline ever tried it, though
Southwest forgot who their core customer is —-business travelers. Also, the way they board now is so convoluted it takes longer and causes those overhead bin problems. One easy fix would be —-if you want to buy a basic ticket, you get a free checked bag. You’re boarding last anyway, there won’t be any space. Just give them a free checked bag upfront.
Not sure what MBA thesis they used to make these changes, but for the love of all things holy, change it back.
The reason why the most optimally efficient system (in theory) of boarding won’t work is that human beings are never optimally efficient in our behavior. We thrive on variability, variety, creativity, and flexibility. When our individual illusion of complete personal free agency goes to the extreme and we become selfish, social efficiency isn’t a matter of compliance or concern.
Plus, there is now a significant pool of human beings that can’t receive or understand instructions unless they are delivered on their smart phone screens.
But everyone understands free-for-all boarding. It’s how we shop at Walmart on Black Friday. And Walmart is profitable.
Woah, @David R. Miller is back with a fairly tame ‘hot-take.’ Where’s your usual vitriol, sir?
I submit that there should be a bag stowing “you bring it, you sling it” skill test at the gate, before boarding starts. If you can’t stow your stuff in the practice bin within 10 seconds then you should have to gate check your bag. Mwuahahahaha just kidding… or am I??
When systems become too complicated, they break down. This every other row nonsense would never work. However, I do think that boarding window (+those with companion in middle), middle (+those with companion in aisle), then aisle would be more efficient boarding groups. If you have the space at the gate to queue by row number then even better.
The biggest improvement though would be taking away any incentive to board early or to bring on oversized carryons that slow down boarding. You do that by having (and selling) assigned overhead bin space sized so you can’t put an oversized bag in sideways. I don’t know why no airline does this.
On Air Mantis, we will do all of this, and be union free. And our flight attendants will be hot. And we’ll have Starlink. J/k, I’d never invest in that shitty industry.
I prefer the Army way. Have a Sergeant Major or First Sergeant at the front and back of the cabin yelling and cursing at everyone to fill in back to front, sit down with your carry-ons in your lap, shut up, and wait for further instructions.