A better way to board a plane

[Erlanger]

Lets see how many airlines eventually adopt this method.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=6562852&page=1

 

[ExAF]

Lets see how many airlines eventually adopt this method.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=6562852&page=1

None...most passengers have the "the rules don't apply to me" philosophy, so they would board when they felt like it regardless of seat assignment.

 

[FlyinFife]

Sounds reasonable

In theory, it sounds like a good idea. But as the previous poster said, in actual practice I think it wouldn't work.

 

[JustaNumber]

In theory, it sounds like a good idea. But as the previous poster said, in actual practice I think it wouldn't work.

Well, it did say in the article, "The outcome is fairly robust in the sense that it's relatively insensitive to deviations from it...", i.e., all the dumbmasses who fail to follow instructions. After all, supposedly boarding even randomly is faster than the current method. I found that fascinating, and hopefully someone in management does too. I'm not sure what's more amazing, that someone came up with a boarding method that's SIX TIMES FASTER than the current method, or that management will probably completely ignore this scientific research!

 

[CA1900]

For simplicity, his model assumes a plane with 120 passengers seated in 40 rows, each with a central aisle having three seats to the left and three seats to the right of it.

Six people in 40 rows comes up to 240, by my math. For an astrophysicist, his arithmetic skills are amazingly bad. :laugh:

 

[thunderworm]

i don't think that the average person knows what an even or odd number is. they can barley read the numer on thier ticket and match that with one on the seat. it will never change especially since more people are flying.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Like they said..just assign them zones. Doubtful anyone will adopt it for a while though.

 

[ExAF]

Fuzzy Math

If they can't figure out what row they are in now, how will they figure out row + letter or row + window/center/aisle in the future? Never happen.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Six people in 40 rows comes up to 240, by my math. For an astrophysicist, his arithmetic skills are amazingly bad. :laugh:

No kidding. He's probably the "Instructordude" of astrophysicistinfo.com too.

 

[Andy Neill]

Lets see how many airlines eventually adopt this method.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=6562852&page=1

Doesn't Delta do this to some degree? They board by zones. After the courtesies extended to Zone 1 (1st Class, Premium Frequent Fliers, Special Needs, etc), it seems zone 2 is back of the plane window, zone 3 back of the plane aisle and front of the plane window, and zone 4 is front of the plane aisle. Seems like I have seen up to 8 zones on larger Delta planes. I like it.

 

[dollacrackho]

it doesn't matter how u board the plane the idiots will prevail . trying to jam their double overstuffed carry ons into the overheads like a fat woman trying to squeeze into the jeans she wore in high school. then the people that get on last scurry around the plane opening all the overheads looking for space.

 

[glasspilot1]

then the people that get on last scurry around the plane opening all the overheads looking for space.

That brings up one of my pet peeves!

The smart F/A's open all the overheads before boarding. Now, as the pax fill the bins THEY SHOULD LEAVE THE DOORS OPEN. Only at the end of the boarding process should the F/A's start closing the overheads.

I commuted for almost 20 years. I'd hate to add up all the wasted minutes I witnessed seeing the late boarders opening door after door looking for space for their bags. If the doors are still open you see it and move on. Those last passengers would be seated much faster with the above method.

 

[monkeybrains01]

Take out the overhead bins and all the the problems will be solved.

 

[J.Otto]

another "theory" to increase efficicency. my opinion is that people will still be SNAFUed in the aisles. its age, intelligence and lack of courtesy, which hampers things. the premature closing of partially filled overheads adds to this as well.

i doubt theyll adopt this. its too confusing for the passngers. lol.

 

[j41driver]

Six people in 40 rows comes up to 240, by my math. For an astrophysicist, his arithmetic skills are amazingly bad. :laugh:

He never said it was an airplane with 120 seats, he said it was an airplane with 120 passengers.

 

[cfd130]

Or as a comedian once said-when they announce the boarding of the plane all of the passengers act like it is the last plane out of Saigon-Hang tight folks they plane wont leave till everyone is on board LOL

 

[Flying-Corporal]

...boarding method that's SIX TIMES FASTER than the current method, or that management will probably completely ignore this scientific research!

I believe it says it's 1/6th faster, or 16% faster. Still, a 30 min boarding could be reduced to a 25 mins, saving 5 min on the ground.

It will work. Someone has to change computer systems to automatically assign zones using the new method. Even if some dumb pax makes a mistake it probably won't affect the overall efficiency.

It beats the stupid Southwest mad-dash-cattle-boarding process...

 

[Amish RakeFight]

There's always the last minute folks who belong scattered throughout. So they could easily put a dampen on this theoretical model of seating efficency.

Not everyone will conform to the seating calls. A lot of PAX hate sitting in their seat while on the ground, boarding.

 

[Mr Wu]

Probably the best idea to come from that whole article was the commenter that said people without carry on baggage should board last.

 

[Flying-Corporal]

I think it will make boarding even faster if airlines will start charging passengers for each bag they carry on board instead of for the ones the check-in.