“ We should follow
fundamental and
applied research
contributions”
can shorten the time required for passenger authentication,
but that can just result in passenger queues in the jetway
growing nearly 25% faster. With efficient boarding in mind,
three operational questions arise: how can the queue in the
jetway be reduced by faster seating; how can operators get
control over the passenger sequence, dynamically?; and
how can current technologies support aircraft boarding?
FASTER SEATING PROCEDURES
The scientific, engineering approach to answering these
questions can be structured as follows: developing a model
that covers a broad range of passenger behaviours (such as
group behaviour and prior flying experience); operational
constraints (such as seat load factors and late arrivals);
conducting field observations to provide a solid database
for each parameter modelled; and testing the standard
approaches to calibrate the model with simulations. These
steps are required in order to provide reliable and
meaningful evaluations of new and innovative solutions.
Different approaches to speeding-up aircraft boarding
can be divided into three categories: strategies and
technologies with minor impact (0-10%), medium (10-
20%), and high impact (20-35%). It should be mentioned
that the stochastic boarding model demonstrates deviations
smaller than 5% between simulation and field
measurements, and some of the minor reductions in
boarding times are below this level of significance. Small
benefits could be achieved by the application of block
boarding, as well as the introduction of hand luggage
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BOARDING I NNOVATION
Visit the Features
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for more analysis of
boarding efficiency
ideas
Perhaps the first analysis with regards to speeding-up
passenger boarding was provided by Marelli et al in 19982.
They compared what they regarded as the most promising
approaches for boarding a single-aisle aircraft, namely the
use of two doors and a concept called ‘outside-in’ (window
seats boarded first, then middle seats, and then the aisle
seats). They found that the use of a second door
(a middle door) cut boarding times by 20%, while the
outside-in approach halved boarding times.
The key philosophy behind these approaches is the predefinition
of an optimal sequence for passengers entering
the aircraft, a sequence which can mitigate waiting times
in the aisle caused by people stowing luggage in overhead
compartments, or taking time to locate and access their
seats. Today, 21 years later, airlines are still researching how
to make boarding more efficient, and many still consider
Marelli’s ideas, often in a four-year cycle. Airlines are
still re-inventing, testing and implementing these ‘new’
technologies. Instead of watching ‘MythBusters Episode
222: Airplane Boarding’, we should follow fundamental
and applied research contributions and ask ourselves if
they are the right way to push aviation into the future.
Marelli et al used computer simulations to discover
and evaluate efficient boarding strategies. But with today’s
mobile devices, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Big Data,
digitisation and machine learning, we should use the
tremendous potential of such state-of-art technologies
and really pursue the motivation of Marelli‘s first research:
gaining control of the sequence of passengers.
In this context, faster
boarding doesn’t mean
passengers waiting in the
jetway instead of in front of a
quick-boarding gate, but
rather that all passengers
should be seated in the
aircraft faster – and reliably
faster. Successful tests of
biometric scans at boarding
gates have shown that they
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