Boarding commercial aircraft
Boarding commercial aircraft
Author
Discussion

Slow.Patrol

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

30 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
I've done a bit of flying this month. In Canada.

One thing that is puzzling me is why the airline board the aircraft from the front to the back.

I can understand getting the posh people on first, but surely it when loading the cattle lot from the front, it would make more sense to load the back rows first instead of having to wait for all the front to stow their baggage.

Is this just an Air Canada thing?

However, it is nice to see the cabin baggage policy being enforced. Lots of oversized bags being sent to the hold. hehe

And why do people have a window seat on a day flight and keep the blind down?


wisbech

3,798 posts

137 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
You are right, but…

air canada will charge for seats up front, and have the free seats at the back. So making the people who paid more wait isn’t good business.

(Technically the fastest way to board is by column - window/ middle/ aisle rather than by row. However very hard to do as many people don’t travel solo so airlines don’t bother)







Slow.Patrol

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

30 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
Must admit we are normally the last on and the last off. We have checked in luggage, so no point in racing to end up sitting by the carousel for 20 minutes

G Thang

741 posts

44 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
I never understand why people want to get on the plane first.

Spend longer standing in the queue so they can spend longer in their cramped little seat. It's not as if they're going to get to the destination before everyone else.

I'd rather lounge about in the departure lounge and be last on board.


98elise

30,055 posts

177 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
G Thang said:
I never understand why people want to get on the plane first.

Spend longer standing in the queue so they can spend longer in their cramped little seat. It's not as if they're going to get to the destination before everyone else.

I'd rather lounge about in the departure lounge and be last on board.
The only benefit is getting your hand luggage directly above you.


abzmike

10,479 posts

122 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
Unless you’re up the front and get a glass of bubbly upon boarding, the motivation for boarding first is finding somewhere to put your bag in the overhead bins.

48k

15,306 posts

164 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
If you load the rear passengers first there can be a risk that the aircraft could tip up (depending on aircraft type and some other factors).

Blib

46,195 posts

213 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
48k said:
If you load the rear passengers first there can be a risk that the aircraft could tip up (depending on aircraft type and some other factors).
Will a nose up attitude decrease take off time?

CanAm

11,510 posts

288 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
48k said:
If you load the rear passengers first there can be a risk that the aircraft could tip up (depending on aircraft type and some other factors).
I've heard that too, but it doesn't seem to cause a problem on unloading when the weight is even more biased towards the rear.

alangla

5,705 posts

197 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
Blib said:
Will a nose up attitude decrease take off time?
Depends how fast the runway conveyor belt is moving.

On a more serious note, are there not some types of turboprop that need a tail stand in case the aircraft did actually tip backwards?

paulguitar

30,820 posts

129 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
G Thang said:
I never understand why people want to get on the plane first.

Spend longer standing in the queue so they can spend longer in their cramped little seat. It's not as if they're going to get to the destination before everyone else.

I'd rather lounge about in the departure lounge and be last on board.
If you don't get on promptly, you can miss your glass of Champagne.







48k

15,306 posts

164 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
CanAm said:
48k said:
If you load the rear passengers first there can be a risk that the aircraft could tip up (depending on aircraft type and some other factors).
I've heard that too, but it doesn't seem to cause a problem on unloading when the weight is even more biased towards the rear.
Actually it does apply to unloading too. Latest example being the Whizz Air 737-800 in Norway last month.


Buzz84

1,250 posts

165 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
To be fair, if the airline try to board from the back forwards they never actually enforce it at the jetway and turn anyone not from a row they have called

as a result someone in the first few rows gets on anyway and blocks the whole plane from boarding as they decant half their belongings to the seat pocket for them and their partners and then try to fit all their bags in the overhead compartments maning no one can pass.




For me and my family, we are booked on the plane so it's not going without us and have assigned seats.

We just wait till the end, miss the mad scramble and have less time for the kids to get fidgety before the fun bit of taxi and take off start.

Same at the other end, stay seated usher the kids off as it quits down, we will still end up waiting for bags to arrive at baggage claim.

Otherwise it's all about stressing and rushing around. Hurry up and wait...

POIDH

1,915 posts

81 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
No matter what way the airline board, there will always be some numpty with three bags, who then needs to rake through them while stood in the aisle to find book, glasses, phone, headphones, purse/wallet, all of which are scattered to the corner of the three bags. Then, just as you think they are done, they decide to take off thier coat, and want to pull down a bag to put the coat in...and then announce they are the window seat.
FFS, everyone else has things in hand or on the top of
a single bag and basically arrives at seat, flings a bag in the lockers and sits down...

alangla

5,705 posts

197 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
POIDH said:
No matter what way the airline board, there will always be some numpty with three bags, who then needs to rake through them while stood in the aisle to find book, glasses, phone, headphones, purse/wallet, all of which are scattered to the corner of the three bags. Then, just as you think they are done, they decide to take off thier coat, and want to pull down a bag to put the coat in...and then announce they are the window seat.
FFS, everyone else has things in hand or on the top of
a single bag and basically arrives at seat, flings a bag in the lockers and sits down...
You forgot to say that as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, this individual will stand up, open multiple lockers, then rummage in all 3 bags, probably dropping stuff on the people in the aisle seats

alock

4,401 posts

227 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
People rush to get on, and also pay for priority boarding, because there's more cabin-luggage than space, and hence everyone wants to guarantee their bag is above them.

The solution is blindingly obvious, halve the size of allowed bags.

What I find most irritating, is it you're one of the sensible people and travel with a tiny bag, you're the one asked to have your bag at your feet because too many people have suitcases in the cabin.

The entire problem is caused by the idiots taking large bags into the cabin.

smallpaul

1,955 posts

152 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
CanAm said:
48k said:
If you load the rear passengers first there can be a risk that the aircraft could tip up (depending on aircraft type and some other factors).
I've heard that too, but it doesn't seem to cause a problem on unloading when the weight is even more biased towards the rear.
Depends. Most of the time it is okay, don't need to do anything. Sometimes (about 2% of time) there's a unloading procedure to follow.

Most common procedure is to wait until all passengers have disembarked to unload the Forward bags and cargo.


Scabutz

8,526 posts

96 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
I thought we all turned left when getting on a plane. What's happened to this place. Honestly.

Sheepshanks

37,518 posts

135 months

Sunday 20th July
quotequote all
G Thang said:
I never understand why people want to get on the plane first.

Spend longer standing in the queue so they can spend longer in their cramped little seat. It's not as if they're going to get to the destination before everyone else.

I'd rather lounge about in the departure lounge and be last on board.
I was often late getting on flights and twice found someone in my seat, with us both having the same seat number on our boarding passes. The time it happened on shuttle to London they were saying I’d have to get off, it was only that I was flying on to the US so had a bag in the hold that they relented until everyone was boarded and there was a spare seat.

The other thing is some planes can be very tight for overhead storage.

DaveyBoyWonder

3,234 posts

190 months

Monday 21st July
quotequote all
We were on a Jet2 flight to Geneva earlier this month and due to a problem with the front hold doors (this is the story they said), they had to load everything in the holds further back and as a result, move anyone sitting at the back of the plane to free seats at the front to balance it all out. Captain did say there was no safety issue, it just helped though. Got a free brew and Kit Kat out of it though because we moved further forward...