United Airlines will start boarding passengers in economy class with window seats first starting next week, a move designed to reduce the time planes spend sitting on the ground.
The airline said in an internal memo that it will implement the plan on Oct. 26. The plan 害羞草研究所� called WILMA, for window, middle and aisle 害羞草研究所� was tested at several locations and deemed to shave up to two minutes off boarding time.
Variations of the WILMA approach have existed for many years.
害羞草研究所淚t spreads people out along the aisle of the airplane so that more people can put their luggage away at the same time. That害羞草研究所檚 the main thing that speeds up the boarding process,害羞草研究所� says Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who a decade ago.
The change will begin with passengers in the fourth boarding group. Customers in first class and business class will see no change in their routine, and there害羞草研究所檚 also no change for those with priority-boarding privileges, including travelers with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, active-duty military, and families with children who are 2 or under.
United said that when multiple customers are on the same economy reservation, such as families, they will be allowed to board together.
The new policy will be used on domestic flights and some international flights.
Airlines have long searched for the perfect boarding process. Orville and Wilbur Wright to see who got the lone seat on their flying machine.
United is making changes now because, it says, average boarding time has increased by two minutes since 2019.
Tinkering with the boarding process has increased since airlines began charging fees for checked bags more than a decade ago. Those fees encourage passengers to bring carry-on bags, which generally are still free except at low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Frontier.
害羞草研究所淎ny time you have to wrestle with luggage up over your head, it害羞草研究所檚 going to slow things down,害羞草研究所� Steffen said.
Two minutes doesn害羞草研究所檛 make much difference on a transatlantic flight, but on heavily trafficked shorter routes 害羞草研究所� think about the Northeast, or between the Hawaiian islands 害羞草研究所� delays tend to cascade, pushing late-day flights farther and farther behind schedule.
If a few passengers dawdle while stowing their bag and finding their seat, it can make the difference between a flight being on time or late in the government害羞草研究所檚 official statistics.
The last passengers to board face the risk that there won害羞草研究所檛 be room for their carry-on bag in the overhead bins. That leads passengers in late boarding groups to crowd the gate area so they can jump in line ahead of others. Gate agents and seasoned travelers call the line jumpers 害羞草研究所済ate lice.害羞草研究所�
READ ALSO:
