Boarding (transport)
Encyclopedia
Boarding is a term to describe the entry of passenger
s onto a vehicle
, usually in public transport
ation. Boarding starts with entering the vehicle and ends with the seating of each passenger and closure of the door
s. The term is used in road, water and air transport (for example, passengers board a coach).
s, a boarding call on the public announcement system asks travelers to proceed to the exit gate and board the aircraft. This can begin any time from an hour to thirty minutes before departure (depending on the size of the plane and number of passengers). For boarding an aircraft, airstair
s or jetway
s are used. Small aircraft may carry their own stairs.
Airlines control the access to the aircraft by checking passengers' boarding pass
es and matching them with the list of passengers. Many airlines use the IATA standard Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) to automate this process. A 2D bar code is scanned and the data are sent to the airline's system to look up the list of passengers. If the passenger is entitled to board, a positive message is sent back to the airline agent.
Boarding in air travel
is supervised by ground personnel. The pilot is responsible for the boarding as soon as the doors are closed because by law the aircraft is then "in flight".
After boarding, the taxiing
and takeoff
will follow in most cases.
and US Airways
do not. Southwest boards passengers in A, B, and C groups depending on their ticket purchase date. US Airways offers earlier boarding to affiliates, those who pay for the privilege, and economy passengers who check themselves in online. Across North American airlines, it is standard to allow early boarding for passengers with mobility impairments, those with small children, and first class passengers.
Several boarding patterns by seating location are possible:
Efficiency considerations to minimize overall boarding time include:
Competing considerations include:
Computer simulations indicate that the outside-in and reverse-pyramid patterns should be fastest, followed by block and random, followed by back-to-front and rotating zone. American Airlines found in a two-year study that randomized boarding was faster than outside-in.Despite this, most North American airlines use the back-to-front pattern.
Another proposed method to speed boarding is to have passengers sort themselves by row and seat while still standing in the waiting area.
can be done while it is located in harbour or at sea.
es in the United Kingdom by either indicating to the bus driver they want to board (by queueing at the bus stop or by holding out an arm) or by boarding when a bus has stopped at a bus station.
Once on board passengers purchase a ticket for their journey or show a travel pass.
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s onto a vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
, usually in public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
ation. Boarding starts with entering the vehicle and ends with the seating of each passenger and closure of the door
Plug door
A plug door is a door designed to seal itself by taking advantage of pressure difference on its two sides and is typically used on pressurised aircraft...
s. The term is used in road, water and air transport (for example, passengers board a coach).
Aviation
At commercial airportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s, a boarding call on the public announcement system asks travelers to proceed to the exit gate and board the aircraft. This can begin any time from an hour to thirty minutes before departure (depending on the size of the plane and number of passengers). For boarding an aircraft, airstair
Airstair
An airstair is a passenger staircase that is built in to an airliner — often, though not always, on the inside of a clamshell-style door. The stairs can be raised or lowered while the aircraft is on the ground, allowing passengers and ground personnel to board or depart the aircraft without the...
s or jetway
Jetway
A jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without having to go outside...
s are used. Small aircraft may carry their own stairs.
Airlines control the access to the aircraft by checking passengers' boarding pass
Boarding pass
A boarding pass is a document provided by an airline during check-in, giving a passenger permission to board the airplane for a particular flight. As a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, and the date and scheduled time for departure...
es and matching them with the list of passengers. Many airlines use the IATA standard Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) to automate this process. A 2D bar code is scanned and the data are sent to the airline's system to look up the list of passengers. If the passenger is entitled to board, a positive message is sent back to the airline agent.
Boarding in air travel
Air travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting or anything else that can sustain flight.-Domestic and international flights:...
is supervised by ground personnel. The pilot is responsible for the boarding as soon as the doors are closed because by law the aircraft is then "in flight".
After boarding, the taxiing
Taxiing
Taxiing refers to the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or push-back where the aircraft is moved by a tug...
and takeoff
Takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...
will follow in most cases.
Boarding patterns and efficiency
Most North American airlines have assigned seating, but Southwest AirlinesSouthwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
and US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
do not. Southwest boards passengers in A, B, and C groups depending on their ticket purchase date. US Airways offers earlier boarding to affiliates, those who pay for the privilege, and economy passengers who check themselves in online. Across North American airlines, it is standard to allow early boarding for passengers with mobility impairments, those with small children, and first class passengers.
Several boarding patterns by seating location are possible:
- Back-to-front by row
- Outside-in by column (window, middle, aisle)
- Block boarding (outside-in within a zone, with zones ordered back-to-front)
- Reverse pyramid (combines back-to-front with outside-in)
- Rotating zone (alternating back-to-front and front-to-back segments)
- Random
Efficiency considerations to minimize overall boarding time include:
- Whether or not passengers have to wait to pass other passengers in the aisle
- Whether or not passengers have to cross already-seated passengers in aisle and middle seats
- How many people can be storing luggage and taking their seats at the same time
Competing considerations include:
- Encouraging specific behaviors (paying more, self-service, checking in earlier, buying earlier)
- Whether or not families and friends can board together
- Passenger stress with regard to who gets what seat and competition for overhead bin space
Computer simulations indicate that the outside-in and reverse-pyramid patterns should be fastest, followed by block and random, followed by back-to-front and rotating zone. American Airlines found in a two-year study that randomized boarding was faster than outside-in.Despite this, most North American airlines use the back-to-front pattern.
Another proposed method to speed boarding is to have passengers sort themselves by row and seat while still standing in the waiting area.
Water transport
In water transport a boarding onto a watercraftWatercraft
A watercraft is a vessel or craft designed to move across or through water. The name is derived from the term "craft" which was used to describe all types of water going vessels...
can be done while it is located in harbour or at sea.
Buses
Passengers board busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es in the United Kingdom by either indicating to the bus driver they want to board (by queueing at the bus stop or by holding out an arm) or by boarding when a bus has stopped at a bus station.
Once on board passengers purchase a ticket for their journey or show a travel pass.