Passengers board airplanes half as quickly as they used to — down from 20 passengers per minute to nine — in part because they bring along more (and heftier) carry-on luggage. (I suppose it doesn’t help that passengers are larger than they used to be.)
Scientists are trying to help. From Plane Geometry: Scientists Help Speed Boarding of Aircraft:
Mr. van den Briel’s research has led to an innovative boarding system at America West Airlines called ‘reverse pyramid.’ The first economy-class passengers to get on the plane are those with window seats in the middle and rear of the plane. Then America West gradually fills out the plane, giving priority to those with window or rear seats, until it finally boards those seated along aisles in the front.Anthony V. Mulé, senior vice president for customer services, says the system, introduced in 2003, has saved at least two minutes in boarding time. ‘This is a great illustration of how science helped improve both efficiency and customer service,’ says Mr. Mulé.
Mr. van den Briel is one of a small cadre of experts in the science of airline boarding. Their research has upset much of the conventional wisdom about how to get people quickly into their seats. Boarding from the rear to the front, still standard practice at many American airlines, is almost certainly not the fastest way, these scientists say. Among the faster methods may be letting everyone board randomly or calling out each individual seat number.