Originally Posted by
DCA writer
So says IAD. You'd wait in the main terminal, then board a people mover that would roll directly to your aircraft. Technically, the ones that can elevate themselves to meet the door of a plane are called "plane-mates," while the ones that just look like the Urban Assault Vehicle version of a bus are "mobile lounges."
They were definitely used for boarding at some (other) airports. My first flight, circa 1974, was from JFK to TLV and we boarded the El Al jet using one of these.