Why do Airlines board from the front of the plane to the back?
 

Surely after First and Business Classes have boarded it makes more sense to board from the back of the airplane forwards?

Would certainly avoid the line that builds up behind the passenger/s who's bag needs to be squeezed into the overhead.

Just a thought

What airline do you fly? American boards by group. The first group called is the back of the plane and it works forward.

Of course, it seems impossible to control the people who board with the wrong group because they don't want to stand in line and want to be first. They invariably block the aisles for all the people trying to get past them. I really wish the attendants would be bold enough to look at their tickets and say, "sorry, we haven't called your group yet. Please go to the back of the line."

I think USAir does board this way. Priority boarding goes to first class, parents with young children and preferred level FF members. Then they start at the back of the plane and go forwards.

Other than AirFrance where everyone just got on when they pleased (and pushed you out of the way to make sure they were first) I've never been on an airline that had assigned seating that did not board priority passengers first, then everyone else starting in the back.

As they don't have business and first, I'm assuming you aren't talking about SouthWest.

Other than SW, I honestly can't recall one domestic airline that didn't use the priority then back to front boarding method.

Actually, USAirways has changed this. They now board from the front of the plane to the back. At least they did last weekend. I was the back of the plane and in Zone 5 which was the last group to board.

I think or was told that the zones on USAir have to do with priority of passengers--FF, bank card, etc. I think I read it on our FF site. I found it sort of strange when it happened to us in December. It had been a while since flying US.

I used to be a pretty high faluten USAirways Frequent Flyer accumulating 100,000+ miles per year. I have no idea if the boarding has to do with the FF status.

I just flew JetBlue for the first time. They first board families with small children and those who need extra time - then they board from the "center out" (their words). Rows 13-1 from the front and rows 14-on from the back. It worked just fine.

P.S. I also liked the extra leg room - I could actually cross my legs during the flight.

Thanks Guys
If nothing else this post is helping me to choose airlines for future flights

We generally fly United, it's DH preferred carrier so, we generally have to pay for only one flight :-)

Patrick - agree totally!

Karen - excellent, am flying US to Jamaica late April, will be nice to know that my major bugbear won't be an issue.

Ryan - flew LHR to CDG a couple of years ago and had the same problem but then again I have a few stories to show that the French don't like to wait in line.

As for that last comment - don't shoot me down I used to work for a French company in the UK and the French employees were such nice people to work with.

Now if Jet Blue could just get their pricing together. I keep looking at their prices from Florida to either New York or California. But since they do each way separate, it seems whenever I find a great fare to go, the return is exhorbitant -- even trying a variety of return days. American is always cheaper (usually by a lot) for the same routes and dates.

I can think of only one justification for boarding from the front of coach to the rear.

It might make the storage of carryons a bit easier, since the bins in the front wouldn't be full of bags from passengers in the rear.

That said, I have never been on a flight other than Southwest where the plane was not boarded from the back of coach to the front.

Keith

I flew at Christmas on United and we boarded in "classes". In this case, they seemed randomly assigned. It may have had to do with FF status, but we were in an early group and have no status, so I doubt it.

It actually seemed like a decent idea. If you board 20 people at a time and they are scattered all over the plane, there is less of a hold-up to all get into the same overhead bins and seats.

And, people can generally stand in the aisle to put things into the overhead bin if they're not in the way of someone wanting that seat, so it didn't seem to produce long lines behind people either. Worked well I thought! :)

We fly a lot on Northwest and they have always boarded families with small children and disabled and first class first and then boarded by rows from the back to the front. I have never been on a plane that has boarded from the front to the back even on other airlines.

United boards in zones. Zone 1, which boards right after first class, includes everyone who has elite status -- Premier and up -- plus their companions (if on the same PNR). On some routes, this can seem like half the plane, and usually the front half since elites qualify for Economy Plus seating. Others in E+ get boarding passes with zone 2, presumably because some may be full-fare economy passengers. That's probably why it seems like they board most of the front before the back.

Also, once general boarding begins, the zones don't go from front to back or from back to front. The zone system is sort of staggere, with some seats from each of different parts of the aircraft. The idea is to keep from having knots of people all trying to sit in the same small area.

No matter what airline I fly, no matter how platinum my credit card is, I always seem to get Zone Zee (the very last):-/. But since I check my bags and do not need the overhead bin, I don't mind. It's that much less time cooped up in that seat!

Patrick: Our fare was the same for both flights. But we did notice the closer we got to "spring break" the higher the fare (we booked in January). At that time, JetBlue was cheaper than American and Delta.

Doesn't matter which way the plane boards, you are always gonna have two A*holes holding you up trying to fit a refrigerator-sized contraption into the overhead while simultaneously taking off 2 raincoats and a sweater in the middle of the aisle. (Totally oblivious to the 45 people stuck behind him I might add.)

LOL Tracy! Isn't that the truth?

I cannot stand the people that get on the plane with a carryon, personal item (handbag), and then 8 shopping bags, a meal, and a coat.

... and then they lay their coat lengthwise along the entire overhead. Grrr....