Better Ways to Get Off a Plane

You have likely shared my frustration in slowly watching passengers de-board a plane. Could they go any slower?! There must be a better way.

It feels like if we could solve this problem we would be giving people back dozens of minutes maybe even up to an hour a year.

There must be a better way!

Using computer simulations, multiple groups of independent researchers have found that deboarding by aisle, rather than row, would cut deboarding times down significantly. In other words, you’d let all aisle passengers off first, then all middle seats, then all windows.

Why we should let all the aisle seat passengers off first.

Initially, it might feel weird to wait this way, but it has a key advantage over the conventional method. Currently, each person moves towards the exit as soon as they physically can — a decision that makes sense for them in isolation, but slows down everyone behind thembecause they often end up blocking the whole line as they get their bag down. The only real efficient use of the aisle and overhead bins comes right when the plane first parks, and all the aisle seat passengers are able to get their bags down at once without blocking others.

https://www.vox.com/2014/7/8/5877863/it-takes-forever-to-get-off-an-airplane-there-might-be-a-better-way