Flying Kiwi

I was on a WLG-AKL flight last night, seated around mid-plane on an A320. They had the standard jet bridge to the front door, but also stairs to the back door of the plane, and the boarding announcement said passengers seated past row 13 (of 29) should go down the stairs to the tarmac and board by way of the rear stairs. The result was a drawn-out aisle conflict similar to WW I-style trench warfare, as PAX attempting to board from the rear and move forward to their seats fought the oncoming tide of PAX boarding through the front even though they were seated in the rear. The flood through the front won out, leaving many of the rear-boarders stuck on the stairs until near the end of boarding.

I thought too late to get out my camera for a video - I was one of the early rear-boarders so wasn't too long on the stairs, but by the time I got to my seat the process was nearly complete.

Has anyone else experienced this new customer service innovation from the airline that brought us open sided seat back compartments (perfect for dropping small items to the floor), Skycouch (extends out into the floor space beneath your seat, making already cramped economy that much harder to tolerate), and AirPoints?

zoovet

Yes I have seen this on a recent AirNZ flight, with a two way system in the back half of the plane. And I've also seen exactly the same problem in airlines in Europe last month. However in AirNZ 's defence, they get all the passengers on and off an A320 much quicker than do US or European airlines, so I wouldn't criticise them too much.

Flying Kiwi

As compared to US airlines they should do much better, since Air NZ limit the size and number of carry-ons. That's the reason boarding is so slow in the US, as people engage in increasingly futile searches for places to put their oversized bags until they're eventually forced to gate check them.

The dual boarding system could work, but they'd need to have most of the plane boarding from the front and only perhaps the last third boarding from the rear - and they'd need to make sure passengers follow the direction. I really doubt it'd be worth the effort, though - boarding through just the front door makes more sense when you have a jet bridge.

jawnbc

It is terrible. But I've seen much much worse. Thanks to massive savings in doing so, I flew Norwegian in Premium. They didn't actually call the flight in ARN: the bell "dinged" and there was a massive rush towards the gate. No premium boarding, no special assistance. And it totally blew my sense that Scandinavians were inherently orderly and patient people

Bub001

nzkarit

How do people go the wrong way? I normally see big signs with arrows saying which way to go.

Rebound

Most people are like sheep and just follow

nzkarit

I find most of my Bus flights have the door shut 1 or 2 min before the public departure time (there is also the scheduled push back time, scheduled take off time, etc which are all different)

NZ_Flyer

sbiddle

This has been the standard boarding process for probably 4 years now since they moved to the A320.

In all my flights I've never seen anything quite like what you're describing!

Markhm

NZbutterfly

I LOVE dual boarding! Get to the see tail up close and personal It's fast. Never had much of an issue.

I do remember seeing someone in front of me actually see the stairs to go down to the tarmac and they said "oh HELL no!"... and went the way of the airbridge. I just laughed to myself. Of course there's elderly etc who are entitled to use the airbridge. But for those at the rear and able bodied - the stairs should be the go. I'm used to other airports where the front and back are stairs so no biggie.

End up at the back usually as a result of flexitime swap.

macdo

Plenty of other airlines do this. Not seen it as bad as described by OP though. Qantas does make a specific announcement advising those who have difficulty with stairs to board via the airbridge. That is only fair and requires some civility around the mid section of the plane. Disembarking I notice that people with limited mobility tend, wisely, to say seated till the aisle has cleared.

jeffrocowboy

as does airnz - and agree in my experience not as bad as OP has reported (though to be fair Im sitting in the front usually)

sbiddle

It'd be safe to say I've probably had at least a few hundred domestic jet flights since they introduced dual boarding. The only time I have ever seen issues with boarding (and I experienced it last night coming back from AKL) is a completely full weekend flights at night (or in a few cases where it's been pouring with rain) where they opt to only use the airbridge. It slows down boarding a lot but it's still amazing how much quicker we can fill up an A320 here in NZ vs a typical US carrier where boarding is a guaranteed nightmare on every flight.