Boarding Time

July 9, 2013
Three ways to get passengers on plane faster.

Nothing beats the economics of flying a plane full of people from Point A to Point B. It’s the economics of getting those people on at Point A that could stand some improvement.

Extra minutes at the gate add up, and we’ve read studies that each minute a plane spends at the gate costs $30.

Is there a better way?

Here are three ideas:

Don’t board by row: In 2008, an astrophysicist dreamed up an unorthodox approach after spending too much time standing in line to board a flight. Jason Steffen wrote a computer simulation to test a few different methods. Boarding by row was the worst. With the so-called Steffen Method, passengers are boarded by seat type while also ensuring that everyone in line is seated in alternating row. It’s a bit complicated as you’d imagine from someone who works for the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, but you can read more about it here.

Let passengers traveling light on first: American Airlines recently announced a new method of boarding that allows passengers traveling with only a carry-on item that fits under the seat in front of them to board early. The airline still lets premium passengers on first, but the light travelers would be before “Group Two.”  However, this blog points out the trouble with this approach – “Whac-A-Mole” syndrome.

Passengers and bags just don’t mix: Spirit Airlines is well-known for having a charge for everything. In fact, it’s cheaper to check a bag than to bring a bag onboard. The airline says it can board an A320 in 20 minutes and its average turn time is 35 minutes. More here.