Gajan

As promised I would get back with some inside information regarding KLM's Smart Boarding concept. From KLM I gathered the information below.

For a while KLM has been researching the possibilities to reduce the turn-around times of their short-haul aircraft as time on the ground costs money.
Over the past few months KLM has been testing the smart boarding concept. As the results have been promising as per winter timetable 2013-2014 it has been implemented on 3 Schengen flights from AMS to BUD, HEL and TXL.

As known by most of you, there are certain models which suggest that boarding can be improved compared the current situation. KLM uses a combination of filling the aeroplane from back to front and filling the window seats first, then the middle seats and finally the aisle seats. During the tests it has been shown that boarding times have been cut considerably.

In practice the procedure works as follows:

1. Upon entering the gate area each passenger scans his/her boarding pass. The computer provides a number which determines the boarding sequence of passenger concerned. Once boarding has started, the number on the screen determines which number is called, only then is the passenger allowed to board;
   
2. SkyPriority passengers are given low numbers. Within this group the lowest number is given to the elite members sitting on window seats at the back of the aeroplane, elite members on aisle seats in the front of the aircraft will be given higher numbers within the elite group (same principle of filling back to front);
   
3. If any passenger (SkyPriority or not) turns up once boarding has commenced, the computer will automatically recalculate the best position when this passenger is to board;
   
4. People travelling on one PNR and seated next to each other will be given consecutive numbers;
   
5. Smart Boarding will not be used for bus gates;
   
6. The boarding number is given at the gate because this way KLM knows which passengers are already at the gate. Moreover: the later you determine the sequence, the better it is optimized. If you determine numbers before the first passenger checks in, many passengers have not selected a seat yet. Finally many IT systems worldwide would have to be changed to print a new number on the boarding pass.
   
7. The process is still being monitored hand the boarding process will be further optimized based on the learnings this winter.
8. Any suggestions or feedback are welcome, especially if you have experienced smart boarding yourself.

Question for discussion:
With the new smart boarding method there is less congestion and interference on board. However, allowing SkyPriority passengers to board first is a concession to the optimal sequence. Elite passengers often sit in an aisle seat in the front of the plane. So they will have to get up later to allow the passengers in the window and middle seats next to them to get into their seat. As they do this, they block the aisle for passengers that need to get to the back of the plane. Besides that: the idea is to board from back to front, but now passengers seated in the back have to wait until Elite passengers in the front have taken their seat and cleared the aisle.

Should KLM strictly adhere to priority boarding, even if this means the overall boarding process is less efficient and therefore takes longer?
Could you think of alternative ways to provide recognition and sufficient space for hand luggage? For instance, imagine you can wait in the lounge until the KLM app on your phone notifies you that you need to start walking to the gate; when you arrive there it is your turn and you walk right on the plane?