This is how to load pax!

Stinicker

http://uk.travel.yahoo.com/p-promo-3361535

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7YINYf9eZk

Fastest way to board plane revealed

By Edward Bovingdon

A new study has found that the most commonly used method of boarding passenger planes is actually one of the least efficient.
The tests compared the popular ‘boarding from the rear’ practice or ‘block boarding’ used by the majority of airlines, with other approaches including the Wilma Method and Steffen Method.
The Steffen Method triumphed in the test - nearly doubling boarding speed.
Named after Jason Steffen, an astrophysicist at Fermi National Laboratory in Illinois, the method involves boarding in alternate rows, window seats first, progressing from the rear forward.
For example, allowing seat number 26A followed by 24A, 22A and so on, then returning for 25A, 23A, 21A, 19A etc. The middle and aisle seats would then be filled in the same manner after all window passengers were seated.
The idea behind this new approach is to avoid passengers struggling to use the same physical space at the same time.
Watch a video of the Steffen Method:

The Steffen Method proved quicker than the Wilma Method, that allows all passengers with window seats on first, followed by the middle and then the aisle, however that also proved 70% more efficient than ‘block boarding'.
All methods were put to the test by TV producer Jon Hotchkiss and Dr Steffen using a mock-up of a 757 airplane in and 72 luggage-toting volunteers.
They tested five different scenarios: the most commonly used ‘block’ boarding, one by one from back to front, the ‘Wilma Method’, the ‘Steffen Method’, and completely random boarding.
In all cases, parent-child pairs were permitted to board first – due to the fact that families will want to stay together, regardless of boarding times.
Times taken to board plane using different methods:
‘Block’ boarding – 6:54
Back-to-front – 6:11
Random – 4:44
Wilma Method – 4:13
Steffen Method - 3:36
The experiment forms part of a new series called 'This Vs That', which is produced by Hotchkiss industries in the US and is being distributed internationally by Beyond. To watch the experiment in its entirety and to see other exciting experients following This vs That on Twitter @thisvsthatshow.

Certainly beats that mad rush for the seat on Ryanair!

Eleganza

With regard to ryanair boarding I've noted that people travelling in pairs will rush to get on and then one will sit in seat A other in seat c or seat d and f and hope that nobody asks them to sit in the middle seat, b or e.
they grumble if you ask for the seat and then rather than letting you sit in the middle one of them moves from d or c to b or e.
As most ryanair flights are over 90% full this undoubtedly delays boarding.
Ryanair really need to move to designated seating for all if they want to shave time off boarding.

Davidth88

I read this , it's an interesting mathematical excersise .

Of course it would never work , because it depends on

a) Everyone being at the gate
b) People actually knowing what their seat number is ( and believe me a lot of people don't understand seat numbers , you see this on every flight with people looking at their boarding pass as they go past every row as though row 17 will appear magically between row 3 and 4
c) People OBEYING instructions

I thing the middle ground , which is to board the window seats , then the middle then the aisle is a decent working model and could be applied easily.

Tea 1000

I agree that most people don't seem to understand seat numbering.
I reckon they should make the boarding order number very big, along with seat number very big on the ticket, with a brief description, like:

Boarding Priority:
1
Seat Number:
22B
(Middle seat near back of plane on your left if your facing rearwards)


Something like that! I'd say for many people all the clutter on the ticket might distract them from picking out the necessary information easily.

They could even have the waiting seats at the gate numbered the same as the plane seats are so that you sit where your ticket tells you to sit, and those seats are told to board in the correct sequence.