Why don’t they board planes back to front?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That absolutely should. We can put people on the moon but we can't do anything to fix the chaos that is airline travel. It's ridiculous.

It’s been more than 50 years since we put someone on the moon. We have regressed.

[Anonymous]

I just had a flight that had people boarding at the rear and front of the plane at the same time, depending on seat location. It was great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That absolutely should. We can put people on the moon but we can't do anything to fix the chaos that is airline travel. It's ridiculous.

They want to allow the people who sit in row 5 to feel superior to those who sit in row 25, that's why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually there have a bunch of studies done that the best thing to do is board staggered rows at a time. Ie: you don’t want 25, 24, and 23 all boarding together. You want 25, 22, and 19 boarding, giving them all enough room to get situated. Then 24, 21, 18 and so on. I’m not sure of the exact spacing but it was something like this.

Anyway, no airline does it. And as someone who checks bags, don’t even get me started on the time wasted by carryon luggage.

While this carry-on nonsense was started by the airlines who decided that you couldn't check bags anymore without paying a fee.

There's also such poor reliability with cargo bag service that people are afraid to check what they need.

I've had delayed bags related to 3 European trips using global major carriers. One of the delays meant we could not keep to our itinerary and had to base ourselves in the arrival city (Munich) instead of our first destination to ensure we got our bags. It seemed unlikely that the airline could route the bags to where we were headed. I also went on a Caribbean cruise where Air Jamaica and our cruise line failed to get delayed luggage to the boat during an entire week. Tens of passengers transiting Miami to Jamaica where the cruise departed spent the entire week without their bags. The bags did travel to some intermediate airports but never made the boat and were picked up in Miami on the way home. We knew from the customs clearance tags.

So, regardless of luggage fee pricing, now I feel compelled to have clothing in luggage in the cabin where I can be sure I can have it with me. I just went on a short trip to a wedding and my entire wedding guest outfit was in my personal item underseat backpack. Including heels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They want to allow the people who sit in row 5 to feel superior to those who sit in row 25, that's why.

You would have us believe that there's no practical value in sitting a dozen or two rows closer to the front of a plane, and that it's all about superiority complexes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously that is the most efficient approach.

However, the people who pay for first class and business class need to be made to feel special.

You do get that without them your flight would cost double whatever you paid? Perhaps triple?

[Anonymous]

Yes. But if you pay a lot you'd expect more options ie boarding first. I'm not saying I disagree with you but it's a customer service dilemma. Usually when you pay for lux, the expectation is you get first dibs. I assume you are not paying for first class so you don't kind of get that concept?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just had a flight that had people boarding at the rear and front of the plane at the same time, depending on seat location. It was great.

I love it when airports do this. I’ve only experienced it on islands and in South America. Generally places with smaller airports where they board with stairs rather than a jet bridge. It is so much faster. Works for getting off the plane as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just had a flight that had people boarding at the rear and front of the plane at the same time, depending on seat location. It was great.

I love it when airports do this. I’ve only experienced it on islands and in South America. Generally places with smaller airports where they board with stairs rather than a jet bridge. It is so much faster. Works for getting off the plane as well.

I recall flying JetBlue out of Long Beach and they boarded from both ends of the plane from stairs on the tarmac.

They started middle and then worked out to both ends.

[Anonymous]

They have already studied this incessantly, OP. The problem is that humans are dumb. People do not behave rationally.

Carry on luggage bins. Really need to be removed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually there have a bunch of studies done that the best thing to do is board staggered rows at a time. Ie: you don’t want 25, 24, and 23 all boarding together. You want 25, 22, and 19 boarding, giving them all enough room to get situated. Then 24, 21, 18 and so on. I’m not sure of the exact spacing but it was something like this.

Anyway, no airline does it. And as someone who checks bags, don’t even get me started on the time wasted by carryon luggage.

While this carry-on nonsense was started by the airlines who decided that you couldn't check bags anymore without paying a fee.

You pay a fee to carryon your bag too. The cheapest fare doesn’t include it usually. You pay for everything one way or another; don’t be fooled. Carryon luggage is why it takes so long to get on and off planes.its also why we have so little headroom.

What airlines are you flying? All of the major carriers include a carryon even in their basic fares.

United and JetBlue don’t allow carryons with their basic fare. You must not fly much.

I have status so all bags are free. No clue what the poors do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually there have a bunch of studies done that the best thing to do is board staggered rows at a time. Ie: you don’t want 25, 24, and 23 all boarding together. You want 25, 22, and 19 boarding, giving them all enough room to get situated. Then 24, 21, 18 and so on. I’m not sure of the exact spacing but it was something like this.

Anyway, no airline does it. And as someone who checks bags, don’t even get me started on the time wasted by carryon luggage.

While this carry-on nonsense was started by the airlines who decided that you couldn't check bags anymore without paying a fee.

You pay a fee to carryon your bag too. The cheapest fare doesn’t include it usually. You pay for everything one way or another; don’t be fooled. Carryon luggage is why it takes so long to get on and off planes.its also why we have so little headroom.

What airlines are you flying? All of the major carriers include a carryon even in their basic fares.

United and JetBlue don’t allow carryons with their basic fare. You must not fly much.

I have status so all bags are free. No clue what the poors do

Everyone has status. Everyone can check bags free. Nobody wants to because of the reverse incentive.
I agree that we need to eliminate overhead space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess none of y'all are in the last boarding group with these worries that "the people in the back will use all the overhead space." Because guess what, if you board last now, the people who got on the plane first...use all the overhead space. This is a not enough space issue, I don't get why boarding from the rear would make it worse.

Seriously? You don’t understand this. The people boarding first and in the front of the plane paid more or have status. If you board from the back it’s the cheap fares. People are paying more to guarantee overhead space. Boarding from the back (cheap seats) negates paying more. This is why this will never happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually there have a bunch of studies done that the best thing to do is board staggered rows at a time. Ie: you don’t want 25, 24, and 23 all boarding together. You want 25, 22, and 19 boarding, giving them all enough room to get situated. Then 24, 21, 18 and so on. I’m not sure of the exact spacing but it was something like this.

Anyway, no airline does it. And as someone who checks bags, don’t even get me started on the time wasted by carryon luggage.

I think it's because passengers often cannot hear their rows called correctly, and they're so used to doing it differently that they would be afraid to miss their row call if you skip some in this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually there have a bunch of studies done that the best thing to do is board staggered rows at a time. Ie: you don’t want 25, 24, and 23 all boarding together. You want 25, 22, and 19 boarding, giving them all enough room to get situated. Then 24, 21, 18 and so on. I’m not sure of the exact spacing but it was something like this.

Anyway, no airline does it. And as someone who checks bags, don’t even get me started on the time wasted by carryon luggage.

I think it's because passengers often cannot hear their rows called correctly, and they're so used to doing it differently that they would be afraid to miss their row call if you skip some in this way.

Me again. You could call "All the odd numbered rows!", and then "All the even numbered rows!".