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Back to front: Even windows, odd windows, even middle seats, odd middle seats, even aisle seats, odd aisle seats. No blockages, no climbing over people.
Anyone with too much baggage gets kicked off the flight. Now that’s a deterrent!
Would only work in theory, would be stressful to implement and families being split up etc. etc. but very efficient!
Swiss tried that quite a few years back. It’s by far the most efficient but they said pasengers refused to comply.
They never quite did the even/odd thing, but they did do a window–>aisle system. Lufthansa at least still seem to do it.
My son is a bit of a geek who likes mathematical models and insists that completely random boarding (IIRC) is the quickest because of the way pax fan out to fill their seats. He even tried to make me watch a YouTube video which apparently has a cartoon demonstrating the principle!
Spot on. I’ve been loaded last a couple of times due to the lack of assistance staff and it can cause chaos.
Also, why the heck would anyone care that someone in a wheelchair or or with mobility problems gets to go on first? They aren’t going to steal your champagne…although I might try that next time. 🙂
They also have the added stress of not knowing whether there will be anyone there to help you off at your destination. A very common occurrence at UK airports.
Special assistance / wheelchair people need to go on first or last, not somewhere in between.
They seem to be taken off last to avoid holding everyone else up, which makes sense, so maybe they need to board last too?I don’t agree.
Passengers that require assistance that are travelling alone should be seated in a window seat as they would not easily be able to move to let others out.
Given this, they should board first shouldn’t they?How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
The weight of bags doesn’t really matter, for airlines that do that was conceived as a money spinner, if you can lift it that’s fine. BA is evidence of that with their 23kg cabin baggage limit.
What matters is the size (dimensions) of the bag and that needs to be properly enforced with a bit of discretion based on cabin class and circumstances.
LOT (LS) in WAW are pretty good at this and due to the size of many aircraft they need to enforce it more than other carriers because even with completely empty lockers some bags just won’t fit. Staff might go around the gate area and ask pax to check the size of their bags in the sizer and during boarding Y pax are asked to place their bag in the sizer. This catches a fair number of bags to be sent into the hold and so most of the time the boarding goes quite smoothly.
Another way to improve the situation is hold baggage delivery times, again, I find the bags come out faster with LO than BA and the most fair comparison would be between the hubs. If pax knew it wouldn’t take an age (or get lost) more would be willing to check a bag than the dreaded fight at the gate to keep it. Priority bag tags work excellently on LO.
How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
Yes I think this is an important distinction, as it quite changes practicalities.
Some years ago I read a concept article (Airbus IIRC) that planes of the future might be modular with passenger and cargo modules waiting at airports pre-boarded/loaded to facilitate quick switches with modules on incoming flights. I don’t think it was 1st April before somebody asks 🙂
How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
Why the hell shouldn’t they travel by themselves?
How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
Why the hell shouldn’t they travel by themselves?
Level 3 are not able to move themselves around the cabin, so need to take someone with them that can assist them in this
It is set out by BA that they do not have the capacity for special assistance to this degree on the flight:“You will need to travel with a safety assistant if you need help to do any of the following:
Lift yourself, for example in or out of your seat
Reach an emergency exit unaided
Communicate with the crew on safety matters
Unfasten your seat belt
Retrieve and fit a life jacket
Fit an oxygen mask”How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
Why the hell shouldn’t they travel by themselves?
Level 3 are not able to move themselves around the cabin, so need to take someone with them that can assist them in this
It is set out by BA that they do not have the capacity for special assistance to this degree on the flight:“You will need to travel with a safety assistant if you need help to do any of the following:
Lift yourself, for example in or out of your seat
Reach an emergency exit unaided
Communicate with the crew on safety matters
Unfasten your seat belt
Retrieve and fit a life jacket
Fit an oxygen mask”That is a note in addition to Level 3 assistance which is actually this
Service 3
Full level service to and from the aircraft.
Use of a specialist aisle chair and transfer to your seat during boarding and disembarkation along with the use of an on-board aisle chair during the flight to move around the cabin.How much more difficult would it be for someone who requires assistance to get out of the window seat to use the loo though?
I was thinking more of the level 3 assistance and domestic flights to be fair. I was not expecting those with this level of assistance requirements to be travelling long haul by themselves.
Why the hell shouldn’t they travel by themselves?
Level 3 are not able to move themselves around the cabin, so need to take someone with them that can assist them in this
It is set out by BA that they do not have the capacity for special assistance to this degree on the flight:“You will need to travel with a safety assistant if you need help to do any of the following:
Lift yourself, for example in or out of your seat
Reach an emergency exit unaided
Communicate with the crew on safety matters
Unfasten your seat belt
Retrieve and fit a life jacket
Fit an oxygen mask”That is an additional not and does not apply to all Level 3 .
This is the main Level 3 service level
Service 3
Full level service to and from the aircraft.
Use of a specialist aisle chair and transfer to your seat during boarding and disembarkation along with the use of an on-board aisle chair during the flight to move around the cabin.OK, looks like I misunderstood the levels.
The point I was trying to raise was about those who are unable to lift themselves from the seat. I was thinking that if they were flying solo on a short haul it would make most sense for them to be window. On long haul, they would be flying with someone else so the same placement considerations would be needed / would not work.This seems to be in line with BAs policy
“You will need to travel with a safety assistant if you need help to do any of the following:
Lift yourself, for example in or out of your seat
but if they can’t lift themselves in or out of their seat how on earth do you expect them to shuffle along to the window seat. It’s demeaning and totally unnecessary.
but if they can’t lift themselves in or out of their seat how on earth do you expect them to shuffle along to the window seat. It’s demeaning and totally unnecessary.
I assumed there would be some mechanism to help with this, and boarding first gives some privacy whilst doing this.
The alternative is that they take up a whole row.but if they can’t lift themselves in or out of their seat how on earth do you expect them to shuffle along to the window seat. It’s demeaning and totally unnecessary.
I assumed there would be some mechanism to help with this, and boarding first gives some privacy whilst doing this.
The alternative is that they take up a whole row.Why would they take up an entire row? I had someone with no legs on the aisle seat of a row of 3 before. No problem at all and they were very polite, as we were, when going past when we needed the toilet.
but if they can’t lift themselves in or out of their seat how on earth do you expect them to shuffle along to the window seat. It’s demeaning and totally unnecessary.
I assumed there would be some mechanism to help with this, and boarding first gives some privacy whilst doing this.
The alternative is that they take up a whole row.Why would they take up an entire row? I had someone with no legs on the aisle seat of a row of 3 before. No problem at all and they were very polite, as we were, when going past when we needed the toilet.
I assume that the person of which you speak could lift themselves in and out of their seat by themselves, hence manoeuvre effectively to enable people to pass?
I assume that the person of which you speak could lift themselves in and out of their seat by themselves, hence manoeuvre effectively to enable people to pass?
Not sure why you’re assuming that? They could not and had to stay seated the whole flight in their seat.
Just a small point; with BA the screen at the gate showing the flight number and destination: Prior to boarding, it shows “please take a seat”. It then changes to “boarding”. It would be really handy if it showed “Boarding Group X” for those who hadn’t heard the announcement over the general hubbub, or those who have just turned up at the gate during the boarding process.
BA’s tech is light years behind players like United who sent notifications via the app or txt when your boarding group is called.
Just a small point; with BA the screen at the gate showing the flight number and destination: Prior to boarding, it shows “please take a seat”. It then changes to “boarding”. It would be really handy if it showed “Boarding Group X” for those who hadn’t heard the announcement over the general hubbub, or those who have just turned up at the gate during the boarding process.
Yes! Delta list the current boarding group only on their screens. And at DUB where they get a lot of infrequent flyers impatient with the wait at the gate (after long ago clearing US immigration), they supplement the gwte area screens with a wicker basket full of paddle signs that a gate agent holds up Len Goodman style.
Agree with baggage for premium customers only in premium cabin, agree with tightly enforced Group 1 & boarding, I’d welcome a mini bottle of champagne & water on the table in premium on boarding for even short flights to make the wait more tolerable…
Agree with baggage for premium customers only in premium cabin, agree with tightly enforced Group 1 & boarding, I’d welcome a mini bottle of champagne & water on the table in premium on boarding for even short flights to make the wait more tolerable…
I’m with you re mini water bottles upon boarding. So often, one is not provided. And then I can’t risk taking my bag out of the overhead to retrieve one I bought earlier due to the abovementioned overhead dramatics.
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