The majority of travelers say they think boarding a plane from back to front would be the most efficient according to a joint survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC, an international ground transportation provider and GO Airport Express, a GO Group member company based in Chicago.
More than 280 people responded to the survey, which was conducted in response to news some airlines have been testing boarding from back to front as well as outside in, with window passengers first, then middle seats then aisles. Fifty-five percent expressed the view that back-to-front would be the fastest and fairest way to board.
Some survey participants had their own suggestions, including requiring that passengers be required to store their carry-ons only in the bins directly overhead their seats. Another suggested randomized boarding so that passengers are scattered throughout the plane when storing their luggage and getting seated to reduce jams in the aisles, while one said it didn’t matter much “once the baggage wars break out.”
“While every loading system will have its challenges, passengers are clearly frustrated with the current system,” says John McCarthy, president, The GO Group, LLC. “Airlines should continue to experiment and test new ways to reduce boarding time and best manage carry-on storage issues.”
The GO Group, LLC is a one-stop source for shared-ride shuttles, private cars and sedans. Its members transport some 13 million passengers to and from some 66 airports in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe annually. One of the oldest companies in Chicago, GO Airport Express traces its founding to 1853 and the Parmelee Transportation Company, which provided a carriage service between Chicago’s railroad stations and the downtown hotels.