

Ask HN: Why Do Airlines Board From Back To Front? - Ryel


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patio11
Mostly, they don't. Boarding priority is governed by a few factors, most
prominently giving the frequent fliers and first-class ticket holders the
feeling like they're getting their money's worth. Coach is boarded back to
front because a) coach is (semi-intentionally) treated like luggage which
moves itself and b) boarding back-to-front is faster that front-to-back, in
that it has less "person stowing their bag blocks the aisle" moments. Saving
10 minutes on boarding per plane per trip is worth, literally, hundreds of
millions of dollars.

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lsiebert
Remember, if boarding is screwed up and slow (and studies have suggest that
it's significantly faster to board window, middle, aisle, all things being
equal), then early boarding is a privilege/perk they can sell.

