It’s faster in theory, but as usual idiots will fuck it up.

No kidding. The cabin crew should get on the PA and tell those passengers that dump their bags off in the front will have their bags taken out of the cabin and thrown in the cargo hold. If they bitch too much about it, it goes on the next flight. The crew could help that’s by only opening the overhead bins in the…

No, I carry on one bag so that my giant feet can go under the seat. By tiny backpack I mean a child’s backpack, not one of those that almost has more external pocket storage than internal, but also not something that’s like a wallet with really long straps, just a regular, small backpack. If I had two bags, then I…

It’s surprisingly efficient. When someone is blocking a row, you just keep going down to the next one that’s either empty, or is occupied by a competent person who is already settled. You don’t have to wait for 23F to settle before you sit in 23D. You just move on down to 25A where the seat is free. By the time the…

Usually while boarding, I have to bite my tongue to keep from yelling “If you can’t lift it, it’s not a fucking carry-on!” It’s always the same special snowflake asshole who is trying to fit an overweight/oversized bag in the overhead. They think they’re uniquely smart for hacking the system and saving $30. While in…

Weird. I’ve seen them make people get back in perfect numerical order even.

Ah, but see, then they can also grab it out quickly on the way off the plane.

I wish airlines were a bit more strict about the definition of “carry-on.” I have not been on a flight in the past five years where I wasn’t trying to cram my tiny backpack next to a regular sized suitcase in the overhead. I get it, airlines charge for checked bags and not for carry-ons, but you’re screwing your…

Yeah, I’ve seen this, they usually “plead ignorance”. In a just world, people who tried this would be forced to board dead last, and if you try it more than once, you’re ALWAYS boarding last.

Can anybody tell me what Southwest’s logic for not assigning seats is? I’ve been wondering about this for years. It seems like a really inefficient process and I can’t figure out what the reasoning behind it is.

United: Boards using process known as WilMA. Disembarks using a process known as Bamm-Bamm.

The problem with putting any boarding method into practice is it ends up involving average people. No plan survives first contact with the enemy...

Apparently United’s process can be a drag-quite literally.

I’ve had to put my stuff behind me least once, maybe twice, but I just wait until everyone else has left.

Mythbusters didn’t take that into account. I remember because just before I saw the episode I’d been travelling with a couple of teenagers who didn’t speak any English and were first time abroad, so WilMA would have been an awful option for us. People always defend WilMA with the “but families with kids can board…

Edit: United boards using a process known as WilMA before moving onto a secondary process where passengers are “reaccomodated” via a process similar to the Hunger Games.

Families spread across a row don’t really affect the efficiency of this method very much. You will still not have to deal with people who have already sat down who would have to get up to accommodate someone in an inside seat.

While I’ve not really looked into it, I suspect the WilMA method accounts for this by having groups board together. For example, imagine a married couple. The husband is given a window seat, while the wife is assigned to the middle seat beside him. They both are assigned to the Window boarding group, as the wife…

Southwest is probably the only airline you can get away with that. I had the same thing happen on a Delta flight a few weeks back, but instead of boarding they were greeted with a nice red light and buzzing sound when they scanned their passes. I was honestly happy that they weren’t allowed to skip the line.

That’s interesting, because I’ve been on a few flights with them where they’ve kicked people out of the line. I guess it depends on the staff! (It was as hilarious to witness as you can imagine. The one couple thought they were being so smart)