Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds • Hacker News Board

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#381

Post by jpamata » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 5:39 AM UTC

twojacobtwo wrote: post #359

glennpratt wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you’re getting off with your family you should just wait for everyone else Uhh, no. First of all, we aren't slow, second kids have tiny bladders and third when did childless folks become such fragile babies?

There is a question that I think needs to be asked more often: Why do those who do have/chose to have children always expect everyone else to bear their externalized burdens? You just pointed out that an optimal solution will not work because of your situation and you just assume that the rest of us should have to accept that your choice to have children automatically grants you the right to impinge on the rest of us…

The question could also be asked for the contrary. It's more of a philosophical question, mostly diving into discussions for/against natalism in the end.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#382

Post by seansmccullough » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 5:42 AM UTC

sjg007 wrote: post #283

The real problem is the carry on. Checked bags should be free. A carry on bigger than a small backpack should be expensive.

100% agree. Also, carry-ons are a major safety hazard in the event you have to evacuate the aircraft - a bunch of people will try to get their bags.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#383

Post by tomrod » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 5:55 AM UTC

twojacobtwo wrote: post #359

glennpratt wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you’re getting off with your family you should just wait for everyone else Uhh, no. First of all, we aren't slow, second kids have tiny bladders and third when did childless folks become such fragile babies?

There is a question that I think needs to be asked more often: Why do those who do have/chose to have children always expect everyone else to bear their externalized burdens? You just pointed out that an optimal solution will not work because of your situation and you just assume that the rest of us should have to accept that your choice to have children automatically grants you the right to impinge on the rest of us…

> You just pointed out that an optimal solution will not work because of your situation and you just assume that the rest of us should have to accept that

Correct. People have children, this is functionally why society structures persist. It is entitlement, and deservedly so. Raising children is a hard task. We should make accommodations for those who choose to do so, and avoid arrogance or anger because we chose / could not have them ourselves.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#384

Post by darrenf » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 5:57 AM UTC

magduf wrote: post #209

ngoel36 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We do row-by-row because, generally, people with higher status and/or fares sit closer to the front -- and it feels more fair to let them off (and on) first, even if it costs minutes.

Huh? No, that makes no sense at all. The fares are exactly the same in the entire section of the cabin, and only differ by section (i.e., business class costs more than economy, "economy plus" costs more than economy, etc.). Planes don't have different costs by row within the same section. We do row-by-row because we intuitively think that people closer to the exit should be able to get to the exit faster, even thoug…

> Huh? No, that makes no sense at all. The fares are exactly the same in the entire section of the cabin, and only differ by section

Tickets in a cabin vary greatly in price on many airlines according to several independent variables including: seat location/quality; degrees of flexibility (changeable vs non); refundable vs not; hold baggage included vs not; singles vs returns; currency used (cash vs frequent flyer currency); earnings in frequent flyer scheme; point to point vs connecting; point of sale country; ... there are probably more.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#385

Post by jacobolus » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 6:04 AM UTC

glennpratt wrote: post #302

jacobolus wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> getting on/off with my family is not optional for me If you’re getting off with your family you should just wait for everyone else to exit first anyway unless you have a connecting flight with no time margin or something. Families are super slow to deboard planes. If your kids are young, you should probably be allowed to board first before other travelers. A column by column rule wouldn’t apply to you either way.

> If you’re getting off with your family you should just wait for everyone else Uhh, no. First of all, we aren't slow, second kids have tiny bladders and third when did childless folks become such fragile babies?

> kids have tiny bladders

Very small kids have diapers. Planes have bathrooms.

> when did childless folks become such fragile babies?

Huh? I have a 10 month old and a 3 year old. I am offering advice based on my personal experience.

It’s a lot more pleasant for both us and everyone else if we wait for faster groups to clear out first. After sitting on a plane for 2–12 hours, waiting an extra 5 minutes is not a big deal.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#386

Post by distances » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 6:06 AM UTC

asdff wrote: post #213

oarabbus_ wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, the legroom is considerably lacking in economy class. But aside from that (a small price to pay for a trip that would otherwise take days to months, no?) what makes you call being on a flight being like "damn cattle"? >But on the other hand, when you treat (and pack) your customers like a bunch of damn cattle, don't be surprised when they act like a bunch of damn cattle.

I don't get the gripe with leg room, unless you are oddly shaped. I'm 6' and I don't care about leg room or leaning back, because in every flight you can just push your bag under your seat and stretch your legs fully under the seat ahead of you. I find a 5 hour flight more comfortable than 3 hour sporting event on an aluminum bleacher.

> in every flight you can just push your bag under your seat and stretch your legs fully under the seat ahead of you.

What flights are you taking? Usually knees are touching/almost touching the seat in front of you. There's absolutely no way to stretch your legs under that seat. You can only wiggle your legs sideways.

This in low cost carriers on Europe, so I know what I'm buying and like it this way. I wouldn't pay extra for legroom unless flight time starts creeping to four hours.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#387

Post by distances » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 6:11 AM UTC

cortesoft wrote: post #340

billatq wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I’d like to be able to exit from multiple sides of the plane. Getting people to be orderly is hard, but at least you can half it.

I used to always fly southwest out of Burbank, and they exit from the front and back. I would always board late and go to the back, and be the first one out. I got pissed when they started telling people during boarding about how they exit at our destination, and more people sat in back.

This implies you could choose your seat, and the plane wasn't full. That sounds like a different era to start with.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#388

Post by jedberg » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 6:35 AM UTC

ajmurmann wrote: post #352

jedberg wrote: post #110

Southwest has sort of figured this out. First of all, they use random boarding, which is almost the fastest, and the fastest of the viable options (good luck getting people to board alternate rows). They also interleave slow and fast passengers. They let handicapped people board, then the first 1/3 of passengers, then families with kids, and then the rest of the passengers. By the last 1/3 of the passengers, it's mos…

"good luck getting people to board alternate rows" Do you know right now if boarding group D is people from the back of the plane, people with window seats or odd rows?

Not sure which method each airline uses but the problem is that all of them let their premier members board first regardless of seat, and they let groups board together regardless of boarding group, so it screws the whole thing up.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#389

Post by goblin89 » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 6:57 AM UTC

wutbrodo wrote: post #323

efraim wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, people like to sit next to people they know such as family. A column approach sounds more effective, but it would split up people traveling together.

Excluding children, for whom exceptions can be made, I'm not sure I understand why this is much of a problem. Does it really matter if you walk fifty feet without being next to your travel partner?

I don’t quite understand the desire for friends or family traveling together to exit the airplane at the same time and hold up others as a result.

Airports have waiting areas between arrival gate and passport control, probably precisely to let passengers traveling together catch up with each other. Even the worst possible airport would have a bathroom, and toilet entrances are implicitly a waiting (queueing) areas.

Unfortunately, introducing any sort of rigid structure and order into airplane disembarkation process sounds like an impossible task.

Re: Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds

#390

Post by discobean » Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 7:15 AM UTC

They should have people board a plane shaped capsule/container before, then when the plane is ready they push/dock the capsule/container into the body of the plane and you fly off.