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Why stand in line to board an airplane?

The seats are assigned. People have been standing in line for 15 minutes now. Why on earth would anyone want to stand there, when they could just sit and wait until the line clears?

I understand wanting to get off a plane ASAP, but boarding? You just end up sitting on the plane, waiting for everyone else to get on.

originalucifer ,
@originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com avatar

eh, if youre in first class you could potentially start getting served drinks before boarding is complete. i know i have.

that said, ive often waited til the plane was mostly seated/no line before boarding even if seated in first.

Dempf ,

The nice thing if you ever fly first class is that you’ll typically get boarding priority and sometimes even your own door on larger planes so that you don’t have to interact with the poors (j/k I’m a poor too, I’ve just booked first/business class before when I have enough points saved up so that it’s worth it).

esc27 ,

Anxiety (especially now that planes are oversold and standby passengers are nearby waiting to grab empty seats…), the need for overhead bin space, not wanting to have to climb over people, illogical impatience, etc.

tsonfeir ,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

The door is probably going to rip off mid flight anyway. At least, if it’s a Boeing

taladar ,

I don’t have your trust in Boeing planes failing that predictably.

tsonfeir ,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

Don’t get all serious.

Dempf ,

Yes, in the US, 14 CFR part 250.7 means that they can’t throw you off after you’re checked in and your ticket has been scanned at the gate during the boarding process. It was changed by Congress after that doctor got thrown off a United flight in 2017. The airline can still throw you off if you’re disruptive, and my understanding is that a pilot in command can order you off for pretty much any reason, as they have full command of the aircraft, so if you’re ever in that situation then you better follow the pilot’s instructions. But if the pilot does throw you off due to a bumping situation then the airline is breaking the law.

Airlines can also make their own policies on which passengers have the highest priority to get bumped, which can involve check-in time, and I imagine can involve basically who is at the gate, ready to go. So there are some advantages to being there and queuing early.

JohnnyCanuck ,
@JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca avatar

Overhead bin space for carry-on bags.

As someone who travels with carry-on only (as much as possible), if I’m in economy I make sure to board as soon as I can to ensure there’s space in the overhead bins for my bag.

IrateAnteater ,

Man, I hate traveling carry-on only (unless it’s a short enough trip that the required change of clothes can fit in a backpack). I’ll pay the $50 or whatever it is to not have to worry about needing to cram all my stuff up into the overheads.

JohnnyCanuck ,
@JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca avatar
  • I hate when airlines lose bags
  • I dislike bringing more stuff than I can easily carry on my back
  • I only have one bag and my laptop goes in it, so it ain’t going down below.

It isn’t about price. In fact some airlines are starting to charge more for a carry-on.

I’m also really good at bringing less. I travel months at a time with carry on only.

MajorMajormajormajor ,

Plus, once you land at your destination you just grab your bag and go. There is no waiting at the baggage carasoul, you beat some of the rush too.

IrateAnteater ,

I guess part of my different perspective is that 99% of my flight travels are for work, and I’m paid by the hour, even on days when I’m doing nothing but traveling.

TrickDacy ,

How about waiting for fuckin ever for a checked bag? I think I’ve waited 40+ minutes for a checked bag before. Not only does it suck to wait after a day or traveling but you also get to have anxiety that your bag might be lost as you continually watch people you recognize from your flight take their bags and go

JohnnyCanuck ,
@JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca avatar

Oh yeah, forgot to list that one. Some airports are terrible for it too.

TrickDacy ,

For sure! The Rome airport is probably the worst I’ve seen

macarthur_park ,

As annoying as it is to lug a bag around and find room for it, I much prefer this to checking it. There’s the small but nonzero chance your bag doesn’t make it to your destination, plus the added time waiting at baggage return.

scrubbles ,
@scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech avatar

Yeah I avoid checking bags if I have a layover. Direct flight? Eh it’s pretty hard to fuck up then, still absolutely can, but harder. Going to a destination I hate checking because I’m eager to get going, coming home it’s just another 15-20 minutes waiting for my bag usually, so I don’t care.

OhmsLawn OP ,

I get that it’s a hassle to find overhead space late, but I’ve never been in a situation where there wasn’t anywhere at all to put my bag. At the very least, the flight crew can usually put it aside somewhere.

Granted, I haven’t flown US domestic in years, so the nightmare might be worse than I imagine.

ramirezmike ,

I flew around 26 times domestically last year and most of the flights ran out of space. It’s really common for the airline to ask for volunteers to check their carry-ons. If you aren’t in the first 2/3rds of people on the plane, you’ll likely be forced to check your carry-ons.

This problem has gotten worse over the years because airlines have increased the prices for checking your luggage so many people opt to bring carry-ons instead.

OhmsLawn OP ,

That’s awful.

Damionsipher ,

I used to wait until the last minute to board, until the time I had to put my carry on bag at the back of the plane and my personal item under the seat and ended up being the last person off. One of the more uncomfortable flights I’ve been on.

PatMustard ,

But you can fit your hand-luggage under the seat in front

JohnnyCanuck ,
@JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca avatar

Carry-on is not the same as personal item. My backpack does not fit under 90% of seats, and if it did, I would have nowhere to put my feet, thus the importance of finding overhead space.

PatMustard ,

I’ve not known any airlines that let you bring on hand luggage that’s too big to go under the chairs so consider yourself lucky to even have that!

TrickDacy ,

Yeah I kind of get this but at the same time, it’s rare I have an issue finding a spot for my bag very near my seat. I’ve always been of the same attitude as OP

JohnnyCanuck ,
@JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca avatar

Great, if that works for you! I’ve seen plenty of people have to check their carry-ons. I’ll gladly get on before you to ensure my overhead space.

TrickDacy ,

So as luck would have it, yesterday this bit me haha

I was one of the first few forced to check my bag at the gate. Then, also, my bag was waiting for me at the kiosk when I got there which feels very rare. I feel like I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes any time I check a bag. So I guess I both did and didn’t learn my lesson? Lol

lanolinoil ,
@lanolinoil@lemmy.world avatar

The sooner I get to my seat the sooner I’m out of the god damned airport and can begin whatever escapism I’ve chosen for the flight. The thing I truly hate is the airport and being in it.

schnurrito ,

Especially if that “escapism” is sleeping

lanolinoil ,
@lanolinoil@lemmy.world avatar

I wish – I can’t really sleep on flights oddly but I can fall asleep instantaneously almost everywhere else.

trikavanya ,

Stand, don’t stand, I don’t care. But I’m sitting in the marked disabled seats, with a gate checked walker, and only similarly disabled people or people wrangling little kids are getting on before me, so standing in front of me only tempts me to run into the back of your legs with my walker to bulldoze you out of my way. Leave those of us with extra trouble moving a little space, please!

jol ,

In general, people should mind their surroundings and those around them just a little bit. So many people find it OK to just stand talking in front of doors, stairs, even escalators.

Meissnerscorpsucle ,

no doubt. major pet peeve of mine, people enter a building (IE store) and just STOP blocking the entrance. I get you need to get you bearings but step out of the wat to do it!

Thcdenton ,

I dont I just chill. Those goobers will fuck something up and I’ll stand there for like 30 min like a moron.

Sir_Kevin ,
@Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

These same people will all stand up at once the moment the plane stops… and continue to uncomfortably stand there for like twenty minutes.

On my last flight my gf sprung up and was irritated that I wasn’t doing the same. Like where the fuck you going to go? One foot to the left? Just, why? I’m chillin.

bradorsomething ,

I stand up to stretch my muscles, mostly.

feebl ,

You can stand during the flight?

RGB3x3 ,

Not if you’re in a middle or window seat. It’s kinda rude to make one or two people constantly get up and down.

Dirk ,
@Dirk@lemmy.ml avatar

This is why I only book aisle seats. I have more leg room and I can stand up ad sit down quickly without disturbing others in my row.

Aceticon ,

Short-haul: window seat for the view. Long-haul: aisle seat for the comfort.

OhmsLawn OP ,

Yeah, no. I’ll stand up right away, help people around me reach their luggage, along with getting ours down and prepared to roll. Nobody behind me on the plane is going to appreciate it I’m fumbling around with my bags while they’re trying to get off.

jadedwench ,

I will happily defend you on this point. Down vote away people. As long as you don’t shove past the rows in front of you or bonk me with luggage, we good. I try to remember the passengers who had to store luggage father back and see if I can get it passed forward. I will totally boss people to sit back down if someone needs to get to the front ASAP due to close connections. If it is going to be a while, I will try to grab my backpack and sit back down.

Now, people with oversized rollerboards? Yeah. I get pretty irritated over that and the vast number of issues that causes with boarding and deplaning. The airlines make it worse with price hikes. I personally check all of my luggage and rarely run into issues. If I have any major concerns I will throw a couple things into a bag that will fit under my seat or FedEx it if we are really going there.

Jimmycrackcrack ,

People are posting a lot of maybe more rational reasons, but I think there’s another answer that’s more in line with just being a human. Airports suck, air travel, generally, sucks and the whole process is riddle with both intentional and also just unavoidable misery. Every time a new step in the sequence of unpleasant and boring steps that is air travel nears, we start to anticipate it and get anxious to move on to that next step in the process. It doesn’t make it faster, it likely only makes the misery arguably worse, but some times people just can’t help trying to mentally hasten things even if in reality nothing is hastened at all.

gazter ,

I’m about to sit down for the next six hours. I’m happy to stand for a bit.

Ultragigagigantic ,
@Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world avatar

CGP Grey has a good video on a better way to board planes.

TinklesMcPoo ,

I know he acknowledges the capitalistic barrier to this solution but the other issue I see most often are folks simply not being there by boarding time. These methods all assume you would have everyone ready to board in their respective groups at once. I would imagine that throwing a few folks out of order in even the modified Steffen approach could bring down the theoretical time by quote a bit.

I like Bill Burrs stance as well

SuperCub ,

I think the reason people aren’t there at their zone’s boarding time is because they only print the initial boarding time on the ticket and just wing it after that.

Dirk ,
@Dirk@lemmy.ml avatar

People are dumb. Mostly.

laurelraven ,

Depends on what airline you’re taking, Southwest doesn’t assign seats

GBU_28 ,

Overhead space. The only upgrade I pay for is boarding group, and I want to maximize my upgrade purchase, so I want to be at the front of group 2.

I only travel with an appropriately sized carry-on but I’m a bit tall so I can NOT have the bag by my feet.

So I want to guarantee I have the overhead right above my seat.

I also generally work on the plane so I can get my laptop and such out easily while standing at my seat, then put my bag up worry free.

Frozengyro ,

Also, when you will likely be sitting for 2+ hours, I like to stretch my legs a bit before then. I don’t need to sit at my gate for an hour before going into a plane to sit for 3 more hours.

modifier ,

This is the answer. Trace it back to the early 2000s when airlines started charging for checked bags. That created an immediate premium for overhead space and kicked off the Boarding Wars we now find ourselves in today, where airlines and passengers alike contort themselves literally and figuratively in an attempt to work around this one massive consequence of corporate greed.

-20 airline professional

GBU_28 ,

I wish there was just seat designations in the overhead. If shit is in my slot, yeet.

jkrtn ,

I agree. But this would require them to provide adequate space up there for each passenger. They are squeezing seats together so tightly that may no longer be possible.

modifier ,

Bin designs are just now getting to the point where there is something like a 1:1 relationship between passengers and overhead space. Only a small fraction of the flights operating (at least in the US) have these bins, though.

Some of the new Boeing aircraft, as it happens, so it’s a trade off…

treadful ,
@treadful@lemmy.zip avatar

https://media1.tenor.com/m/ihohWsIjTCcAAAAd/mr-burns-door.gif

Alexstarfire ,

So what you’re saying is, I’m indestructible.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

Oh, no, no, and in fact, even a slight breeze could be…

Alexstarfire ,

Indestructible

teawrecks ,

From the airline’s point of view, having the next person right there ready to get in their seat is preferable to having everyone come up one at a time. This is why they have boarding groups. You usually see between 3 and 5 boarding groups because it’s a reasonable number between 1 and N (N being the total number of passengers). I’m curious how ~10 boarding groups would fare, but presumably there’s a reason airlines don’t do that.

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