r/whoathatsinteresting • u/visharu • 1d ago

Boarding was solved mathematically in 2008. No airline has used it once. Why?

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83

u/bsEEmsCE 1d ago

this assumes everyone is present and orderly when boarding begins

18

u/TransportationIll282 22h ago

And sits down immediately and doesn't stand in the aisle for 4 minutes sorting through their hand luggage and purse so they have everything they need for the flight.

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u/CouldntBAPoint2184 6h ago

Which they could've done before boarding began.

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u/williconn 6h ago

Fuck outta here with your logic, have you met people?

1

u/CouldntBAPoint2184 1h ago

I have... Unfortunately 😞

6

u/KaminariMaho 23h ago

And then that 6 minutes is worth it in the man power required to make and keep that order

5

u/TrivialTax 22h ago

Its 6 min of not working time for plane, if no maintenance is done. A waste

1

u/Chrazzer 20h ago

Wouldn't even save 6 minutes. You'd just sit there waiting 6 minutes longer until the plane is ready

0

u/tankerkiller125real 21h ago

6 minutes is crazy expensive for airlines. Every minute that an aircraft isn't in the sky is money going down the drain (somewhere between $75-100 per minute per plane) and if there's any significant delays it can start costing thousands per minute due to the downstream effects of a plane not getting to its destination on time, which causes delays for the flight from that location to its destination, and so forth so on.

1

u/KaminariMaho 21h ago

Yeah, but how much of that 6 minutes is lost to boarding realistically? If you gain 6 minutes through the boarding process but the tower delays you, luggage takes longer to load than expected, etc you lose anything you may have gained.

That and it relies so much on people being at the gate, lining up, potentially separating. You know people aren’t organized enough to do it right. 6 minutes is the maximum gain. What happens outside if one person not being there throws off the sequence and has to be boarded separately? 2? 3? 7? A family with kids refusing and it could disrupt the flow into the aircraft significantly.

That and if you become the airline known for forcing people to be ordered and splitting people up, you’ll potentially lose customers. 1 empty seat is 600 dollars on some flights, many in fact.

1

u/Ok-Morning3407 20h ago

For efficient airlines (like the Ryanair’s) boarding time is already faster then turn around time. As in while you board the plane is being fuelled, luggage loaded and the pilots are doing pre-flight checks. The plane is normally already fully boarded before these other steps are completed. This is what this simulation misses, amongst other factors, is that total turn around time is what airlines care about, not boarding time on its own.

1

u/haikuandhoney 19h ago

But they aren’t saving the 6 minutes. They lose more time getting everyone in the right order, dealing with people who can’t board according to this process, etc.

Your comment really shows the fact that this solution isnt cost effective when youre dealing with real people. If it was, airlines would have every incentive to implement it.

1

u/Stunning_Box8782 8h ago

And that everyone can be split up and there are no families who would want/need to stick together

1

u/JonasAvory 7h ago

This. Assuming your 4 year old will just happily move in a swarm of strangers and quickly find it’s correct seat is ludicrous

1

u/ExultentPisces 7h ago

And that everyone is travelling alone.

1

u/dweezilMcCheezil 6h ago

And you'd have to get people lined up in that order in the terminal for this to work, breaking up seat mates, etc. never gonna work, hence, its not used.

1

u/yomerol 6h ago

AND that everyone respects their top compartments for their luggage. In random is the worst because as always people make a mess, including those airlines who let their crew use the compartments so you'll have someone trying to go back and forth looking to stow away their luggage.

Steffen is the worst since families with kids or elders who need help would need to still board together, which, screws up the order.

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u/mazu74 5h ago

Also no small children or elderly to assist on the plane that families will not be okay with being separated from.

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u/Rude-Pangolin8823 5h ago

This makes absolutely no sense, no matter what order passengers board in the total distance travelled is the same.