You may strongly disagree with an air company
on what to call food, how hot it should be in the cabin, or how much space a grown person
needs for a 3-hour flight. But there's one thing that both you and the
airline probably agree on: boarding the plane takes WAY too long. In fact, nowadays, people are boarding planes
for the longest time in history! Boeing did some research on the topic, and
it turns out that in the 1970s, boarding time was only 15 minutes. These days, though, it takes about 30-40 minutes
for everyone to get to their seat. And why is that?... Well, people today are trying to save money,
so they take as many carry-ons as they can rather than pay for checked luggage. I mean, how many times have you stood there
and waited for someone as they try to cram a bag that’s way too big for the small overhead
bin? Ugh, if I had a nickel! While it might just be an inconvenient waste
of time for you, it’s a serious waste of money for the airline. Every extra moment the plane spends on the
tarmac costs a small fortune ($1,000 a minute to be exact!). So it’s no wonder airlines keep testing
new ways of funneling the hordes of passengers and their oversized or overabundant bags into
the plane. Today, most air companies use the back-to-front
method of passenger boarding. This way isn't just the most popular, it’s
also the least efficient! In theory, it should work just fine: passengers
take their seats by zones starting from the back of the cabin and moving toward the front
of the plane. It makes sense since those whose seats are
in the back won't get in the way of the passengers seated in the front, right? Uh, nope! This method only leads to frustrating bottlenecks
that occur in the aisles when all passengers at once try to push their carry-ons into the
same overhead lockers. As a result, the line backs up in the aisle,
on the jet bridge, and even near the gate. Everyone gets frustrated, tired, and grumpy,
end of story. So how on Earth did they do it in the ‘70s? It all comes down to the baggage fees we have
these days. Since few people are willing to part with
their money, they just try to shove their stuff into one giant carry-on. This leads to more people clogging the aisles
trying to fit their oversized bags in the limited space of the overhead locker. That we know already. But why don't airlines just let people check
their bags for free? This way, passengers wouldn't try to sneak
their massive carry-ons on board and then waste precious time trying to make them fit. No doubt, this idea sounds great, but think
about it: every year, US carriers make more than $4 billion in checked-bag fees. Would you be willing to give up that kinda
dough? Yeah, me neither! Some airlines have found an interesting (though
unpopular with passengers) solution: they charge more for carry-on bags than they do
for checked luggage. If you forgot to pay for your carry-on, you'll
have to do it at the gate, and it may cost you a staggering $100. Well, this method seems to be working since
one of such airlines claims that their boarding time is 5 minutes faster than its competitors. Yet that still doesn't solve all the problems. Let's try and figure out if there are other,
more effective ways of boarding the plane. Well, for starters, there’s the outward-in
boarding approach. MythBusters found this method to be the fastest
one yet. According to this approach, passengers who
have window seats get on board first. After that, the people with middle seats get
their turn. And finally, people with aisle seats board
the plane. Makes sense, right? But surprisingly, even after a few airlines
adopted the outward-in approach, their boarding times didn’t improve all that much. People still get stuck behind those who insist
that on their previous flight, that bag fit in the overhead locker without any problems! Oh, brother… In 2014, a new approach appeared that’s
currently considered the most efficient boarding method. It was invented by astrophysicist Dr. Jason
Steffen (well, no wonder it’s so effective!). This technique was dubbed "The Steffen Method,"
and it's twice as fast as the back-to-front boarding approach and 20-30% faster than the
outside-in seating method. According to The Steffen Method, passengers
board from the outside in, they take seats in every other row, and the process starts
at the back of the plane. So, first of all, the airline boards passengers
with window seats in row 14, then in row 12, and so on until all the window seats are occupied. Then you do the same thing with passengers
that have middle seats, and last but not least are those with aisle seats. This method works really great because there's
a buffer between rows, and nobody has to stop and wait until a person in front of them finishes
fidgeting with their things. Ok, so why haven't all airlines switched to
this method yet? The main issue is that families, couples,
or friends can't board together. That's why it's impossible to use The Steffen
Method in its ideal form. Fair enough, but what about this approach:
the order passengers board the plane in depends on how much carry-on baggage they have with
them, from greatest to least. Besides, every passenger has their own strictly
assigned place in the overhead compartment where they’re supposed to put their carry-on. As a result, the luggage gets spread evenly
throughout the plane, and it cuts the time people need to board. This approach does sound reasonable, but check
this out. While all these super smart scientific boarding
methods are great and all, the most effective way to get to your seat has nothing to do
with them. It's based on chaos. Yep, you heard right! Southwest Airlines has been using this method
of boarding for decades: they just don't give their passengers any assigned seats. Although this open seating policy rates low
in passenger satisfaction, it does work! If you're a passenger on this airline, you'll
get a boarding group and boarding position. After that, you just have to be fast to grab
your favorite seat! By the way, what do you prefer: window or
aisle seats? (Are there even people who prefer middle seats?) Let me know down below! Anyway, theoretically speaking, this method
is bound to lead to a mad dash for empty seats and utter chaos. But believe it or not, it works smoother than
you’d think! Consider this: you prefer window seats. And as soon as you see one that isn't occupied,
you'll most likely push your bag into the overhead bin and claim this seat before someone
else steals it. Quick, easy, and efficient! Oh, and there's one more thing about Southwest
Airlines that works in their favor for fast boarding. It's one of the few airlines that don't have
check-in baggage fees. It means that fewer people try to fit all
their belongings in a carry-on. As a result, this airline’s average boarding
time is a mere 14 minutes and 7 seconds, which is 42% faster than the back-to-front method
most air companies favor. Actually, each airline seems to have its favorite
boarding method. For example, Virgin Atlantic and American
believe that the more passengers board at once, the better. That's why they seat people more or less randomly. JetBlue starts to board passengers from the
back and lets in five rows at a time. The airline admits that it’s not the fastest
way to fill the plane, but their passengers do like how predictable and structured it
is. Asian carriers, such as Korean Air, Air China,
or Japan Airlines, also use the back-to-front approach. But in their case, this method doesn't slow
boarding down. What's their secret? Typically, Asian air companies have wider
airplanes with two aisles. Thus, people can board faster. For example, Korean Air states that it takes
only 20 to 25 minutes for 400 passengers to board an Airbus A380. But whatever boarding approach an airline
uses, it’ll always have some delays at the very beginning. Any guesses why? It’s because they always invite their top
customers on board first and foremost. First and business class passengers, frequent
flyers, and those who have paid extra to be among the first to get on board usually sit
in the first rows on the plane. So while these passengers are getting seated,
they slow down everyone behind them. Of course, you can safely assume that no airline
is gonna do anything to solve this issue! All that being said, are airlines going to
implement a more time-efficient and smoother way to board a plane any time soon? It’ll probably happen someday, but not at
the moment. So, shuffle along and make new friends in
the boarding line – you’ll have more than enough time for that! Which boarding method do you think is the
best? Sound off down in the comments! Remember to give this video a “like,”
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of life!
