Like many others this winter traveling season I got stuck in an airport with a canceled flight. It sucks. There’s no way around it. Your gate gets switched three times and you have to pick up your stuff and move each time since the announcements are only there in the new area. There goes my plug I was charging from.
Once things seem stable they announce they are ready to board the plane. First class, families, elderly, etc, then the other people. Most airlines have reassigned seats. There is only one that I know of that you pick the seat you find once you’re on board.
You file in line in whatever queue fashion is established by the airline. You board, hope you have overhead space for your carry on and you get yourself strapped in. I remember reading in the past of a better way to board a plane that had to do with seating windows from the back to front first then moving in or something like that. I don’t think this would be a problem if there was enough overhead space so people could make sure their carry on could make it. People could just be assigned an actual order number to board instead of scrambling to be the first in your group. Of course there is also the issue of people bringing a large carry on and a large personal bag and trying to jam them in. Maybe make people use the space under the chairs as well and not just stuff everything overhead? Just thinking. Moving on.
But when we disembark (?unboard?) why don’t we do this in reverse of how we boarded? You were in say group B or 2 but your seat is over the wing for a more stable flight and got all of your things on. Now you’re stuck waiting for everyone else to get off before you can get out if you aren’t in the aisle. Why do we wait for person after person to leave before we get up?
I’ve seen people in the back just walk up as far as they can as soon as the signal came to unbuckle and leave. They may have had a small carry on and the rest checked in and could move faster to leave. People look super pissed that someone broke the normal order of things. Maybe they were that first person to board in that broup B/2. Does that then give them the right to move out as fast as possible? What about those people that needed the extra time getting on? Should they need to wait until all the faster people are out? Maybe those who only have carry on get to leave first and those that have to wait for checked in bags leave after? If you are on a flight where you stay on the same plane, they ask that you wait until everyone else leaves before leaving so they can get a head count. Then you can leave to get a bite to eat or just stretch. Perhaps I’m giving too much credit to people to be good to one another.
It really was interesting to see the reactions from the people as this well dressed man walked with confidence from the back to just ahead of where I was seated. I was more amused than even bothered. It was a direct flight. I had nothing checked in. I just needed to get off the plane. Maybe if I had been on the aisle I would have done the same and just pushed up. Wouldn’t that have been more efficient also? Less time and space being used as I see it. Maybe I will the next time I have a chance. If someone is picking me up, they don’t have to wait so long either.
Ultimately, I can’t see us being this good and kind to each other just yet as far as how to board and getting off. Even though we board differently, there is a sense of social order involved with getting off. A time and place make us feel comfortable. Disrupting that might make people feel unequal. Almost as if you were the last person to get on and had to put your carry on in the last row even though your seat is up front. That just plain sucks. You can’t do anything until everyone else is off. You might have even saved time by checking it in although that would be an issues of time vs money.
I wonder if the people in first class feel the same if they are row 3 and have to wait to get off. Hmm..
An interesting thought from an interesting situation.
-Santa’s Fallen Angel