The secrets of a quick embarkation
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Hampshire
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Trickle Boarding better for everyone
A few years back we tried the "trickle boarding" concept on B747 long haul. The cabin was opened earlier. SLF were allowed aboard on arrival at the gate. This almost eliminated queuing and made the "boarding experience" far more pleasant for pax than the usual pushing and shoving. Also helped gate staff who had more time to deal with queries and help individual SLF. It worked better than boarding by seat row and got a great response from the SLF. With a twin aisle, and crew arriving at a/c on time, we did not find this system caused any problems with crew prep. Sadly, a change in senior management brought an end to this experiment. Great shame, because it really did make long haul boarding so much more pleasant for everyone and got everyone off in a good frame of mind. I acknowledge may not be so easy to try with single aisle.
Join Date: Oct 2007
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As humble SLF who tries his very best to get himself seated as quickly as possible my real pet hate is fellow SLF who reach their row, then stand in the isle removing items from their briefcase before placing the latter in the overhead bin, then take their jacket off, fold it neatly and place it in the bin. Like to put them in the bin I would.
Join Date: Jan 2007
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As SLF, I apreciate a quick boarding. I don't like queueing and proceeding like a turtle to my seat.
In the end it's about us SLF who are boarding, and who decide how fast and smooth this happens. It's not rocket science, but just common sense. Some tips to improve your (and other people's) boarding experience:
1) try to seperate stuff which you're going keep with you from the rest which is to be stowed in overhad-bins.
I can take off my jacket even before I go through the gate (actually no need to, I usually wear a light comfortable jacket which is goog enough to fight the A/C and has enough pockets to carry my camera, mobiles, paper tissues, peppermints, mp3-player...).
Newspaper/book and a bottle of water I can carry in my hand, I just need to throw my backpack in the overhead bin or under the seat (even better) - done.
In simple terms, think ahead about the stuff you like to access during the flight and put it in the pockets of your clothes, carry it in your hands while boarding, or at least make it easily accessible if it needs to be packed in a cabin-bag/backpack.
2) consider where you are seated
- I usually have a window seat, so I make sure I'm going to be within the 1st quarter of the queue who is going to pass the gate. If I arrive late, I don't take a seat but stay/linger near the gate.
- In case my seat is at the isle, I just enjoy my comfortable seat at the gate until almost all of the crowd has been processed. No need to hurry :-)
Both habits helped me to make my boarding experience as smooth as possible. That's all I do. In case more people try to improve their boarding-expierence (maybe using better/different procedures), this will lower embarkation time boarding at all - and make the cabin crew smile even more ;-)
In the end it's about us SLF who are boarding, and who decide how fast and smooth this happens. It's not rocket science, but just common sense. Some tips to improve your (and other people's) boarding experience:
1) try to seperate stuff which you're going keep with you from the rest which is to be stowed in overhad-bins.
I can take off my jacket even before I go through the gate (actually no need to, I usually wear a light comfortable jacket which is goog enough to fight the A/C and has enough pockets to carry my camera, mobiles, paper tissues, peppermints, mp3-player...).
Newspaper/book and a bottle of water I can carry in my hand, I just need to throw my backpack in the overhead bin or under the seat (even better) - done.
In simple terms, think ahead about the stuff you like to access during the flight and put it in the pockets of your clothes, carry it in your hands while boarding, or at least make it easily accessible if it needs to be packed in a cabin-bag/backpack.
2) consider where you are seated
- I usually have a window seat, so I make sure I'm going to be within the 1st quarter of the queue who is going to pass the gate. If I arrive late, I don't take a seat but stay/linger near the gate.
- In case my seat is at the isle, I just enjoy my comfortable seat at the gate until almost all of the crowd has been processed. No need to hurry :-)
Both habits helped me to make my boarding experience as smooth as possible. That's all I do. In case more people try to improve their boarding-expierence (maybe using better/different procedures), this will lower embarkation time boarding at all - and make the cabin crew smile even more ;-)
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Dubai,UAE
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- Prioritize pre-boarding duties, minimize the time the galley ops spend hiding in the galleys.
- Keep crew hovering near the front of their respective cabins and being as interactive as possible with pax during boarding, keepign the flow going, maximizing space in hatracks, moving pax out of the aisle space when they stand there holding up traffic as they dig in their carry ons for their iPods.
- When a group is seated across the middle seats, don't pedantically divide them up between the two aisles, send them all down one and let them fight it out who sits where.
- When pax express horror and dismay at being asked for their boarding card as they board the aircraft, don't start spouting on about 'security regulations' and 'official requirements' etc... Give them the option of going of the back of the queue so you can explain it after all the other pax have shown their boarding cards, or simply tell them you're just making sure they get on the right aircraft. Any further explanation invites argument and stalls the whole process.
- Talk with the ground staff as much as possible. Work out how many are missing, when you can start pre-deps, when you can start reseating as early as possible.
- When pax have immediate queries as they board (reseating, baggage, medication etc...) get them out of the doorway and aisles ASAP. Have a crew member not on door duty deal with them out of the way.
- More crew in the cabin, less in the galley. The more you talk to pax before takeoff, the easier time you have in flight.
- Keep crew hovering near the front of their respective cabins and being as interactive as possible with pax during boarding, keepign the flow going, maximizing space in hatracks, moving pax out of the aisle space when they stand there holding up traffic as they dig in their carry ons for their iPods.
- When a group is seated across the middle seats, don't pedantically divide them up between the two aisles, send them all down one and let them fight it out who sits where.
- When pax express horror and dismay at being asked for their boarding card as they board the aircraft, don't start spouting on about 'security regulations' and 'official requirements' etc... Give them the option of going of the back of the queue so you can explain it after all the other pax have shown their boarding cards, or simply tell them you're just making sure they get on the right aircraft. Any further explanation invites argument and stalls the whole process.
- Talk with the ground staff as much as possible. Work out how many are missing, when you can start pre-deps, when you can start reseating as early as possible.
- When pax have immediate queries as they board (reseating, baggage, medication etc...) get them out of the doorway and aisles ASAP. Have a crew member not on door duty deal with them out of the way.
- More crew in the cabin, less in the galley. The more you talk to pax before takeoff, the easier time you have in flight.
It's all of the above: better organisation at the holding gate, trickle boarding where possible or feasible, restrict carry on baggage, and SLF need to switch their brains on.
If only I had a quid for every time it's commented upon, or I see it for myself, this inability with grasping the concept numerical sequence for seating. If you get on at the front of the plane and your seat is 62F, what makes you think it's near the front??
As I get near the plane, I have already extracted my book, iPod, headphones and boarding card, dump them in the seat, bag in locker, sweep stuff off seat into pocket and sit down. Not hard. If LH, once we are up, up and away, get bag back, take out amenities and more comfortable kit, go the loo and change. Put the bag back and enjoy the flight. Equally, not hard.
People standing in the aisles faffing around, blocking every else's progress should ideally be shot and their carcases thrown onto the tarmac as a warning to others sat in their holding lounges.
If only I had a quid for every time it's commented upon, or I see it for myself, this inability with grasping the concept numerical sequence for seating. If you get on at the front of the plane and your seat is 62F, what makes you think it's near the front??
As I get near the plane, I have already extracted my book, iPod, headphones and boarding card, dump them in the seat, bag in locker, sweep stuff off seat into pocket and sit down. Not hard. If LH, once we are up, up and away, get bag back, take out amenities and more comfortable kit, go the loo and change. Put the bag back and enjoy the flight. Equally, not hard.
People standing in the aisles faffing around, blocking every else's progress should ideally be shot and their carcases thrown onto the tarmac as a warning to others sat in their holding lounges.
Join Date: Mar 2009
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People standing in the aisles faffing around, blocking every else's progress should ideally be shot and their carcases thrown onto the tarmac as a warning to others sat in their holding lounges.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Manchester, UK
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Travelling as PAX between MAN & DUB with Aer Lingus (I always book a window seat in advance) what the crews do is they tell PAX in front of Row 14 to use Front Steps & PAX behind Row 14 to use Back Steps for boarding at the gate - I once got an aisle (assigned) seat...never again, because people who had been assigned window seats were stepping over me and it was horrible on a full flight...it makes more sense to allow window seat PAX to board first and doors as above - the new terminals at DUB have hardly any airbridges and only the evening flights from DUB have them at the older gates - as for arriving at MAN its like a building site with that silly little overcrowded bus, which on evening arrivals there is only one for a full flight, 2 if you are lucky
