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A Plane-ly Obvious Solution…

By Brian | March 7, 2007 | Share on Facebook

They typically load passengers on the plane starting at the back, so people aren’t stepping over each other in the aisle. Logical.

They also pre-board their frequent flyers to provide an incentive for becoming one of their regular customers. Makes perfect sense.

So how come, when the flight’s a commuter flight (i.e., Chicago to Newark at 6:30pm), and more than half the passengers are frequent flyers, do they just randomly board all the frequent flyers first, as opposed to boarding the frequent flyers from the back of the plane forward? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone, including the frequent flyers, if they didn’t have to step over each other once onboard?

I’m just askin’ is all…

Topics: Travel Talk | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “A Plane-ly Obvious Solution…”

  1. Jeff Porten says at March 9th, 2007 at 3:24 am :
    You really don’t know the answer to this one? It’s because, when it’s been tried, priority passengers who boarded last complained about being “less priority” than those who boarded first.

    I’ll do you one better. It’s fairly well known that airplanes would be safer if the seats were all facing backwards (in the event of a sudden deceleration, you’re pushed into your chair instead of thrown into the chair ahead of you). The reason no planes are like this is because the first class passengers don’t want to be in the “back” of the plane. But for trains, buses, and subways, face backwards when you can.

  2. Brian says at March 9th, 2007 at 7:54 pm :
    It’s fairly well known that airplanes would be safer if the seats were all facing backwards

    Not necessarily. True that you’re pushed into the seat, but debris from the impact flies into your face, not into the back of your seat.

    Also, the chair behind behind (in front of?) you is just as likely to get thrown into you as you are likely to get thrown into a chair facing forward. (This is why they make you put your tray tables up & seats in an upright position during takeoff & landing).

  3. Jeff Porten says at March 12th, 2007 at 10:01 am :
    Think about what you just said. With a plane impact, the forces involved are so high (plus the presence of jet fuel) that your best form of protection would be to be encased in concrete, or to have a major pantheon on your side.

    This is for decelerations without impact, which are most likely during takeoff and landing. You’re likely not talking forces strong enough to break chairs, and which would you prefer — being hit with a Coke at 100 MPH, or having your head hit the seat ahead of you at 100 MPH (or your knees, with your spine held firmly in place)? No contest.

    On buses and trains, impact becomes something worth designing for — in which case, I still maintain that stuff coming at you is better than you flying at stuff.

  4. Brian says at March 12th, 2007 at 10:54 pm :
    From the mythbusters:

    Only 20% die on impact in a plane crash. 80% of people survive, but the rest die from smoke inhalation and fire damage, so the broken leg injuries are significant.