On flights that don’t have any seat allocation, boarding is done in check-in order. Thus the first thirty passengers to check-in get to get on first, the next thirty next etc… For the airlines this is a good idea since it encourages people to check-in early to assure themselves a “good” seat, or for groups of friends to sit together. This then reduces the risk of having long queues checking-in just before the gate closes delaying the flight.

However the plan falls apart during boarding because people want to sit as near as possible to the front of the plane so they can get off first. All those eager types are dicking around in the aisle stowing hand baggage while the rest of us wait to get past.

This problem could be solved at a stroke by parking the aeroplane backwards at the end of the outbound leg of the flight. On a flight from say Gatwick to Geneva, the plane arriving at Geneva would be reversed onto the stand and the airbridge brought up to the rear door. On its return to Gatwick, the plane would go to the stand head first.

This would encourage people to go to the farther end of the plane on boarding in order to be early off, allowing more people on at a time and speeding up the plane’s turn around time.
-- Gordon Comstock, Mar 08 2006

As I understand it, the trick with airplanes is to treat most passengers disgracefully, to inspire those who can afford it to pay outrageous amounts to travel first class.

I always used to marvel how "steerage" class passengers were treated on ocean liners (dramatically portrayed by the film Titanic). Yet now, the very same system is in place for air travel.
-- DrCurry, Mar 08 2006


//As I understand it, the trick with airplanes is to treat most passengers disgracefully// But cleverly make them walk through the business class on their way to their "veal calf" class seats, so they'll see what they're missing.
-- coprocephalous, Mar 08 2006


Agree with both of you, but what I'm talking about are the all-steerage class flights such as EasyJet.
-- Gordon Comstock, Mar 08 2006


Don't mind us, we're just venting in your space, as no one seems to want to comment on the idea itself.
-- DrCurry, Mar 08 2006


very simple, clever, funny, bun.
-- zeno, Mar 08 2006


Ryanair already do something similar. They do away with airbridges and let people board from both sides at the same time. It's in their interest because they have extremely short turn-around times (20 min).
-- kinemojo, May 26 2006


That's what makes them "The On-time Airline!" with "Over 97% of flights landing on time!". Why I only ever get to use the 3% that are late is still unclear to me.
-- wagster, May 26 2006



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