Airline boarding has become such an issue that the New York Times even devoted a major story to it recently.
In short, for all the fancy models the major airlines come up with, boarding is taking longer and longer. Now, since many carriers are charging for early boarding, they don’t mind much, because the process has become another cash cow.
It may be another cash cow for the airlines, but for the average traveler, and even many elite travelers, the process has become another thing most people hate about travel. It’s not just that boarding takes a long time, it’s the whole madhouse in the gate area, standing in the jetway or the aisles, and then often, worrying about finding a place to stow a carry-on.
Being an elite flier helps somewhat, but it’s not a guarantee. I’ve often found myself standing still in the Jetway as one or two early boarders who have stopped in the first or second row bring the whole line to a halt. Sometimes even relatively early boarders find the luggage space above their seats full.
Here’s my suggestion. First class probably has to go first; that’s not that many people.
After first class, board people who don’t need overhead bin space. Period. They can carry one little bag that fits under the seat — no exceptions.
Then an airline could start to board families, elites, military, whoever they want to board and in what order. But those first people on board should be able to get on board and sit down quickly.
Such a change in boarding might also generate more revenue for the airline. Some passengers might check luggage, or travel lighter, in exchange for avoiding some boarding chaos and being able to get on the plane sooner. Call it a stealth early-boarding plan.
Or, if an airline just wanted to increase their on-time departures, they could offer free gate-check for anyone willing not to put their bags in the overhead bins. (Gate check takes a few minutes, but most of it is pre-boarding to get the tags, as gate-checked bags are just dropped in one place on the ramp.)
A corollary to this plan is occasionally already in place with some airlines, at the end of the boarding process. When late-arriving and/or standby passengers are told, “If you want to get on this plane, you MUST gate-check anything that doesn’t fit under the seat.” (I admit, I love hearing that announcement, even the few times I have been a standby, because I have waited frequently watching someone trying to play Tetris with full overhead bins, and once missed a connection for a delay for that reason.)
What do you think, Consumer Traveler readers? Do you have other ideas to speed up boarding? We know airline executives read this blog. So, who knows, your suggestion might get to someone who could actually implement it.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
