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Why do airlines board in such a strange order?
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Ever wonder what the deal is with the "zones" that are printed on your boarding pass or why it seems like they're boarding planes in a completely backwards way? Seems like if you wanted to save time you'd fill up the back of the plane first as you filed in from the front. Instead, you often find your way fighting to get to the back of the plane against the flow of people who walked to the back to stow their luggage in your overhead-bin and the boarding process takes twice as long as it should. Frustrating, isn't it?Fact of the matter is, airlines don't necessarily try to mash everyone up on purpose. What they do try to do, however, is try to cater to their first class and frequent flyers by awarding them with better seats and priority boarding. These travelers usually want to sit near the front of the plane (it's quieter and you can get out faster) and when the airlines pre-board them they usually file in, put their bags wherever they want and take a seat before the herd arrives.
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So it's not really a matter of the frequent flyer wanting to be in the stuffy, bacteria soaked plane longer, but rather that they want to settle in, take a seat, open up their book and drink their cranberry juice before fighting the masses.
Some carriers, like Northwest Airlines, used to specifically board the elites first, then load the regular passengers in zones from back to front. Few years back though they realized that it really didn't save that much time to board in this way and that they wanted the gate agents to be busy elsewhere instead of herding traffic. Now they preboard those with special needs, first class then elite members before releasing the stampede onto the plane.
I used to wait until the the last possible second before I got onto the plane. Now, with the checked luggage restrictions and volumes in the overhead bins, I try to get on as early as possible so there is space for my backpack above; I can't stand it when people put their oversized luggage above my seat.
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Filed under: Airlines, Transportation, Airports
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Sheila Nov 18th 2007 5:24PM
For the person that said that the airlines charge for checking bags I just want to clarify that. It's not the airlines themselves that charge, it's the airport. Most airlines use airport personnel to work the curbside check-in so the airport then charges a fee for bags. Southwest uses their own personnel (except in a few airports where the airport won't allow it) so they don't charge the fee for checking your bags, you make the decision on whether or not to tip them. As for the overhead bin space, bags are supposed to fit with the bottom of the bag (when it's standing) towards the bag and the top handle in the front but most people put their bags in sideways and then that's when you have the problem of items not fitting in the overhead. The overhead bins were made for 3 bags to fit in it, coinciding with the 3 seats below it. Most airlines also have a luggage sizer showing how big your bag has to be in order to go in the overhead, and you're also only supposed to have 1 bag in the overhead per person and your second item (remember it's supposed to be a small personal item) goes underneath the seat in front of you. The people traveling with children really don't need to bring their carseats and strollers to the gate if they're not going to use them and have them gate checked since that takes up more time also. If you really don't need it, then you should just check it if you're already checking bags anyways.
Kelli Nov 18th 2007 5:25PM
I used to drive, until I had my 3 year old who has a disability. Driving is too long and too uncomfortable for her. Now, I fly. I must bring her wheelchair as it is too far for her to walk through the airport - I should bring her walker so she is independent once we get to our destination.
I do NOT bring any overhead luggage and combine my valuables and necessities for my daughter into one bag that goes under my seat.
I don't fly bulkhead seats because I can't have what I need to take care of her at my fingertips - and if it is a flight with turbulence then I'm stuck in my seat unable to get to my bag and the whole plane is stuck with a screaming child because my bag somewhere else.
I pre-board, particularly on unassigned seat flights because otherwise I have no guarantee of sitting with my daughter. I also have to store her wheelchair on board - which makes all the stewards crazy because they don't want to wheel it down the aisle. So -- I carry it to the back of the plane myself. This makes them a bit happier. It costs 3000.00 and the one and only time I was convinced that they would take good care of it - they threw it down the belt at the gate check and broke it - it took 3 months to get insurance to pay for it to be fixed. Her walker doesn't fit into the wheelchair closet - so, it stays home. I DO get off the plane last. I DON'T mind getting off the plane last - but, if I had a connecting flight as I assume other passengers with disabilities often have - they need even more time to get to their gates.
Kelli
atp2007 Nov 18th 2007 5:42PM
I have to take a bag with me on board because of my medication and cameras. Recently, we flew with seats near the front and were boarded the last group by the airline. When we got in, we found that all the rear passengers had filled the front overheads with their heavy baggage because they didn't want to carry them up and down the aisle. I couldn't find any space near my seat and wasn't going to have my meds way in the back of the plane, so I kept it at my feet. When the stewardess was unable to find any space for the bag of the passenger across the aisle from me, she looked at my bag but didn't even bother asking me to stow it. It also makes it difficult to unplane when the people from the back rush forward and are blocking the aisle while taking down their stowed overhead bags at the ends of our aisles.
atp2007 Nov 18th 2007 5:48PM
Forgot to mention that much of this would be solved if the airplane stewards and stewardesses would just monitor the aisles in coach and tell people not to leave their bags in the front of the plane. This would be more helpful than standing at the door inanely or just chatting with the front cabin upper classes.
tltafa Nov 18th 2007 6:00PM
As a flight attendant for many years, may I point out that 'the crew' does not 'store all that junk' in the overhead compartments above the bulkhead rows...at least not at my airline. What is stored up there is emergency equipment that is mandated for safety purposes. We also have magazine storage for inflight reading above those seats. I agree that it's not a great place for these items, but it where they are required to be. I also would agree that there is no worse place to sit with children than a bulkhead row. However, there is a popular misconception that this is desirable seating for families, and families frequently insist on these seats. We individually brief disabled passengers at my airline, and are told it's a FAA requirement to do so. As part of the brief discussion we have with them prior to departure, I always suggest that to avoid being run over, they wait for the main flow of passengers to deplane. That enables us to help them, if need be. It also enables them to take their time to deplane at their own speed without fear of being trampled!
dbsabzb Nov 18th 2007 6:35PM
I fly frequently. Most flight attendants are rude and arrogant. They will not assist you with any overhead storage...they say it isn't their job...their job is safety. Okay, then how about saving someone who might get a bag dropped on their head? And the first class flight attendant is the worse because the coach passengers get in their a** kissing way. Most of these first class passengers are business travelers or traveling free because of their business frequent flyer miles and haven't spend a penny of their own money! Ha Ha most of them are just as coach as the rest of us. I have had whole bags stolen (that had medical records of others in them) and several times bags were ransacked. For those that carry everything with them...we may not know what they must have with them...we shouldn't presume that we know everything. And finally, once I had to sit next to a SWA employee that was flying free...the only problem was he overlapped into my seat by 1/3...he was center and I was aisle. That was a seat I personally paid for that was ruined by an employee. Nothing is fair and when something good happens you are pleasantly surprised. I'm just thankful that the reservations and tickets are handled on-line so I don't have to deal with another airline employee!
Zoe Nov 18th 2007 7:23PM
I am waiting for adult-only flights with no carry-on baggage. That will make flying a much better experience.
Tiffany Nov 18th 2007 8:30PM
I have had this suggestion. In order to avoid worrying about lost luggage and carry-on luggage being a problem when boarding and deplaning, ship your luggage via UPS or FedEX to your destination ahead of time and then ship it back home. I probably eould not go for this option, but I do love the curbside option and take a laptop and small purse as my only carry-ons
KP Nov 18th 2007 9:29PM
As a former airline employee (in Reservations) who has flown both as an employee and as a fare-paying passenger, I felt compelled to add my two cents. I just wanted to say that, regarding overhead bin storage, I have found that traveling with a duffle bag or gym bag as a carry-on is easier than the hard cases, because they can be molded to fit into smaller or irregular spaces. When I was traveling for a long trip, I checked my bag containing clothes, etc. and used the duffle as an "emergency" kit, with only a few changes of clothes, meds, anything I would need for an unexpected stopover or in case my checked bag didn't make the connection. Since my duffle was smaller because I didn't pack everything into it, it always fit close by my seat somewhere.
Regarding the SWA employee flying in the previous post, I just had to say something - at the airline I worked for, we paid service charges to fly standby on a "free" ticket. While not as much as a fare, we still had to pay something, and we did not get confirmed seats. And if the SWA employee was flying free, no service charges, at least he had the middle seat, and not the customer on that post.
I worked in customer service in Reservations for a number of years, and I have to say seat assignments were probably the number one complaint. I once had a man whose seat assignment was changed tell me he "paid for seat 13A, and if he wanted to pull it out of the floor, bring it home and use it as a coffee table, he could." (I loved my calls- oh, the stories I have..) Seat changes are really frustrating, but this was one reason it happens: when an equipment change is done, say, from a 737 to an S80, the seating configuration is different. We had a seat software program that automatically reassigned customers whose seat numbers existed on both planes. The customers that had seats that don't exist on the S80 lost their seat assignments, and were then notified so they could assign another seat. There are a percentage of seats blocked for airport check-in, however, which is why sometimes when you call or go on the website, there are no seats to assign. It does not mean you won't get a seat. The airport will assign it when you check in. Or, keep checking the seat map online. I explained to the man mentioned above that what you purchase is transportation, not a specific seat. Your e-ticket is a contract to get you from point A to point B, not from point A to point B in seat 13A.
I have found flight attendants to be fantastic. And to those who say they are always rude, arrogant, etc. In a customer service industry, it is just a fact of life that the customers who present their complaints without yelling, swearing, bullying or threatening the employee are more likely to get what they want. No one likes to be verbally abused, even if you're getting paid for it.
Sorry this is so long. Have a good night!
Anne Wingate Nov 18th 2007 9:32PM
To #9--I am a little old lady with grey hair and a cane. I require assistance to get on the plane, and I ALWAYS wait until everyone else is off before I get off the plane. I take up more than my fair share of overhead space because my medications alone fill a good-sized flight bag. I don't dare check them because delayed luggage--which I HAVE had--could easily kill me. I don't check my computer because I am a writer and editor and don't dare risk a stolen computer. I ship my clothes ahead of time and ship them back home before I leave, along with anything I have bought at my destination. I don't take ANYTHING with me that I wouldn't need if I got stuck three or four days at an airport because of a national emergency. The one time in the last ten years that I have checked baggage, when I was trying to remove it I found that it was jammed onto the carousel so thoroughly that it yanked ME onto the carousel and I got dragged about ten yards. One man REACHED OVER ME, GRABBED HIS BAG, AND LEFT!!! A nice middle-aged Chinese gentleman and a nice American teenager got me and my small suitcase off the carousel, and I spent the next four days in bed on strong narcotics recovering from the worst of the damage. That was three months ago and I'm still not fully recovered. Why don't I drive instead? I don't have a car and my medical condition precludes driving.
colette Nov 19th 2007 1:45AM
Wow! How frightening that people can get so angry about a bag! I am a flight attendant and I have seen it all. Commonsense is the way to go, really.. If you have a need to control every situation you really should just drive. Overhead bins are not assigned to your ticket which by the way only entitles you to transportation, they are a convienence. Anyone who has traveled on commuter planes knows that you are unable to bring most bags onboard and ask any flight attendant how many times she/he gets screamed at or insulted about that on a daily basis.
Flight crews do not decide who can have what space and or where, most will try to help accomadate you in anyway they can but do consider that you may travel once that day when most flight crews deal with hundreds of people a day! Since 9/11, there have been more stresses placed on the average passenger and the one who gets the backlash of that is some underpaid flight crew member who is just trying to do their job.. you might remeber safety..I personally have assisted many passengers who may have died had it not been for our training..everything from dehydration to heart attacks.
We don't make the rules.. we just follow them. perhaps if you really followed them we would all have a better experience onboard.
We know it is not a pleasent experience with the waiting in lines and etra security but if you think it out, pack sensibly and mind your manners and maybe, just maybe remember you are not the only one onboard things may go smoother for you and everyone else.
ML Nov 19th 2007 5:54AM
I am a frequent flyer...not a first class traveler, but I do belong to 3 airlines "elite" programs. I never "overpack" and my carryon is usually a backpack OR some sort of duffel bag that will easily fit under my seat. I've never been asked to put any of my carryon's in the overhead bin. I say this, if you complain about not having enough room in the storage bins, then check your bags!!! Happy Flying!
Sleepfreak Nov 19th 2007 1:57PM
Ok for the person who suggested getting rid of carry ons.... do you never take anything valuable with you?! I am constantly flying, and I often take such items with me such as jewlery and my laptop and medications. These are items that if placed in luggage under the aircraft that if lost, the airline will not pay you to recover your losses. And I am not going to pay to store myself in the overhead compartment, airlines have already started to nickel and dime you to death on board, and people would not have to bring so many items on board inthe cabin if the airlines provided such items such as blankets and food for free again...
PCRIchardson Nov 23rd 2007 1:22AM
First of all, NEVER put your prescriptions in your checked luggage. It will damage them permanently. They are not supposed to be exposed to extreme heat or cold.
I also travel a lot and have had luggage lost, had other passengers take my luggage home, had nice clothes stolen from my luggage , etc. If you travel a lot, you learn to carry as much on the plane as possible in order to PROTECT YOUR THINGS FROM LOSS. I try to take as little as possible . THe thing that bugs me as a woman is that if I put my purse inside of a large computer bag, and then carry a small suitcase the way the businessmen do, I sometimes get stopped because the stewards expect me to carry only a purse and the suitcase rather than the computer bag and the suitcase the way the men do.
Also, I love the first class bulkhead seats because they have more legroom and it's easier to get out to go to the bathroom . Sometimes the stewards or stewardesses witll let you put your bag in the closet or there is a space available above you, or you can use part of the overhead behind the one above you and put the stuff you are using on the flight in your lap at takeoff.
HappyPoet Nov 28th 2007 9:10PM
Perhaps airlines should do a better job of informing customers that the bin directly over their assigned seat is not included in the ticket price.
This info is not anywhere on my United ticket, but if true, it would change my answer -- I would not try to defend something that is not included with my ticket price.
Silly me for thinking the bin directly over my seat was included in the ticket price. Sheeesh.