Comments on: Virgin America Tries Letting People Without Carry-Ons Board First

By: Rak

Rak — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:27:58 +0000

Am flying on one of the test routes for this policy right now. I think it worked great. There didn’t appear to be anyone breaking the rules and it allows for non-bin folks to get settled and not have to wait for people struggling with luggage. They make it very clear that people who don’t have anything to store in the overhead bins qualify.

By: sunil

sunil — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:16:18 +0000

interesting idea – when i was flying from puerto rico to dallas tx, american airlines tried boarding backrow to front, window first and then middle and aisle. worked wonders and i wonder why not more airlines do this!

By: Priority Boarding for Bag-Less Passengers? - In Transit Blog - NYTimes.com

Priority Boarding for Bag-Less Passengers? - In Transit Blog - NYTimes.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:48:41 +0000

[...] airline is quick to point out is only a test and not standard practice. The blog CrankyFlier.com recently noted, “Theoretically, it should speed up the boarding process. I say ‘theoretically’ [...]

By: Daily Radar: 10.23.09 » Travel Insights 100

Daily Radar: 10.23.09 » Travel Insights 100 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:02:07 +0000

[...] who must fight for overhead bin space, making the overall boarding process more efficient. Many are skeptical about the process. Do you think it will work? [Cranky [...]

By: Virgin America to Allow “No Bag” Passengers to Board First

Virgin America to Allow “No Bag” Passengers to Board First — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:22:50 +0000

[...] Here’s what I think is a pretty good idea, as first reported by Cranky Flyer: [...]

By: Is Letting Bag-Free Passengers Board First a Good Idea? | Flight Wisdom

Is Letting Bag-Free Passengers Board First a Good Idea? | Flight Wisdom — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:42:12 +0000

[...] people, as the Cranky Flier stated, tend to try to get around these things. We’re not sure, as he thinks, a large amount of [...]

By: Davester

Davester — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:07:23 +0000

where did the picture go? I thought it was funny. It reminded me of those black and white (no pun intended) Mac commercials with famous people that obviously didn’t have a Mac – I think Hemmingway, Mohammed Ali, maybe James Dean (or was that GAP?). I think the picture was very smartly done, and is a tribute to Ms Parks in a certain way. That it is, it places her brave act in a humorous contemporary setting. It’s not a like it was a picture of someone being beat up that was then used for this purpose. Lighten up, and I don’t mean that in the Michael Jackson sort of way.

By: David SFeastbay

David SFeastbay — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:54:40 +0000

JayB ...., families who may or may not be scheming for their own TV reality shows, That's a good one. Word to the wise, if you see Balloon Boy Daddy getting on your plane....leave! lol

By: JayB

JayB — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:06:27 +0000

David SFeastbay wrote:

Since we are dealing with humans and not robots, there will never be a sure thing way to board faster. A 20 year old will always be faster then a 70 year old, a single traveler will always be faster then a couple with small children. I think instead of passengers having to board faster because of the airlines, the airlines will need to change things to allow for longer boarding times due the passengers.

Very well said! Of course, we could hire "jammers!" Maybe a FedEx-like package sorter, and something to throw us into our seats. But can't we just accept a few problems in our daily lives? Unless every person getting on the plane is a clone of each other, problems, at least what we feel are problems, will develop. Can you ever expect everything to work just perfectly when you're dealing, at one place, elite seasoned travelers, first-time travelers, old people, young people, kids, handicapped folks, families who may or may not be scheming for their own TV reality shows, people whose cultures seem to dictate a survival of the fittest mentality. The real world. We just want avoidable difficulties/hazards to be cleared away before we get on the plane and hope that our fellow travelers are at least a little cognizant of the needs of someone other than themselves. Well, maybe that is asking for too much!

By: CF

CF — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:53:50 +0000

Nicholas Barnard wrote:

Its actually already been done. See Double Docker. Although I remember some inkling of these having a higher rate of airplane strikes which can make them expensive.

Yep. United tried this in Denver for Ted when I was working there, and I seem to remember it actually fell down on the wing at one point. I know Southwest was doing it in Albany as well. On another note, I've spoken with a couple of friends of mine who are black and generally can't be offended by anything. When they said that the picture went too far, I decided it was time to pull it down.