Originally Posted by
diburning
What if I told you that only having one or two boarding groups is probably the fastest way to board a plane, but because "full service" airlines need to provide benefits for elites and partner elites, and be able to sell early boarding as a revenue stream that they have all these boarding groups that slow things down?
There are several factors that impact boarding speed. Cultural differences are one of the biggest factors. Americans board slower, because many have little or no concern for the back-up they're causing by lingering in the aisle. Rampant obesity doesn't help.
Boarding process is also a factor, but I would disagree that boarding groups are a major contributor to slower boarding. WN essentially has nine boarding groups (pre-boarding, A1-30, A31-60, A List, families with children, B1-30, B31-60, C1-30, and C-31 on), but can board more quickly than any US legacy because (a) they allow pax to check 2 bags for free and (b) there are no assigned seats. This latter factor is particularly significant, because studies have shown that random boarding is the most efficient (faster than a structured boarding back to front and/or windows-in process).