Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
Group 4 to 9 isn't always the biggest group on one recent and fairly typical EDI-LHR commuter service the numbers were
Prem = 2 (1 plus companion)
Group 1 = 87 passengers
Group 2 = 11
Group 3 = 2
Group 4 = 8
Group 5 = 4
Groiup 6 = 0
Group 7 = 3
Group 9 = 12
No group recorded =3
And in that case it was the recorded message, so each group was boarded separately - even if the gaps between groups was only a few seconds.
It's up to every passenger whether to feed the beast by turning up early, or alternatively turn up late, which is what I do. Yes my bag sometimes goes down a row or two, but shorthaul disembarkation takes around 7 minutes - even if feels longer - which is way shorter than any difference between a fast flight and a slow flight + slow ground operations. So to my mind this "got to be first, can't wait for my bag" mindset is illogical.
I have very little experience of the commuter service within the UK (some experience on a semi commuter route LHR-DUB) but I do a fair share of intra European flights, especially at least monthly to and from NAP and as I said, they numbers are nowhere close to what you have just described, group 1 but also 2 & 3 are nowhere close to the 4-9 group, which in my experience are called together