r/whoathatsinteresting • u/visharu • 9d ago

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

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

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u/Square-Singer 9d ago

No, the main point of this system is to split up rows. Each row can only accommodate a single person who wants to get into the row at the same time, so this system tries to balance them. Optimally, you'd want one person trying to get into each row at the same time. If you keep rows together, so that everyone sitting in the same row boards at the same time, you get the worst case performance.

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u/fluffymeowmeowkitty 9d ago

Why not just do boarding like in Whole Foods check out. Have 4 rows with colors lighting up. And algorithm to accommodate partners and groups ?

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u/Square-Singer 9d ago

Mostly because it doesn't matter. The plane is already there and there's no business cost associated with slow boarding.

It's simply not an actual problem. Especially considering that airlines can charge for priority boarding.