MAY
19

airplane_seating.jpgAirlines Try Smarter Boarding

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks boarding Noah's Ark was probably more organized and efficient than boarding your typical commercial airliner. Airports have not been the most creative in solving these problems, as their computer systems have not properly allowed them to try a variety of boarding patterns, but now that is becoming a thing of the past as most airlines try different ways to create a more effective way of boarding an airplane.

It's the announcement that every frequent flier dreads: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very full flight today. Please step out of the aisle and into your row as quickly as possible so that other passengers are able to reach their seats."

But the chaos of aircraft boarding may soon go the way of the 727. Several major airlines are working to develop more efficient ways to board an aircraft, using computer simulations to come up with mathematically proven -- if counterintuitive -- boarding models with names like the "rotating zone system" and the "reverse pyramid."

In Wired's article they have an animation that shows the traditional boarding order and the new systems that are being put in place to try to speed up boarding times. I really liked the "reverse pyramid" scheme as it looked like the most efficient.

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding [Wired]

TAGS:

COMMENTS ( 0 )
EMAIL THIS


MAY
05

standing.gifStanding Room Only

Have you noticed that every year it seems like there is less and less leg room on a plane? If you haven't, then it must be nice to be sitting in First Class seats. Recently, New York Times reporter Christopher Elliot reported that Airbus pitched a standing room only area to Asian carriers. The idea was that you could fit many more people in a plane if you lined them up and strapped them to what amounts to a padded backboard.

Airbus has denied the claims saying that they are "totally idiotic", but Christopher Elliot is not changing his story, and he has posted a concept image that he received from someone on the whole concept.

Interestingly enough, they don't look too bad, and if it was safe, and cheap, it could be a viable option for short commutes of say half an hour or so, like from Ottawa to Toronto, besides, it can't be any worse than being six feet and two inches tall and being squished into a seat that was designed to be only reasonably comfortable for someone five feet and ten inches tall.

Photograph of Airbus Human Steerage [The Consumerist]

TAGS:

COMMENTS ( 0 )
EMAIL THIS

SEARCH