Delta Zone Boarding - Mystery
Sep 15, 2008, 12:33 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,679
Studies have shown that back to front is no faster than random line up. What does work is if you divide people into several groups. Each group has a little bit of every section of the plane. The general idea is people will move past each other more often than not thus a greater chance that many pax will be stowing at once. (i.e. Parallelism.)
Sep 15, 2008, 12:53 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Back to UA, missing DL; Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,487
Before addressing your question, can you please tell us who these "experts" are?
Sep 15, 2008, 4:00 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta, SPG
Posts: 547
The original boarding was alternating sections of the plane...
see:
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...neboard24.html
rumor however is now a "Wilma" type thing:
back windows
back middle
middle windows
back aisle
middle middle
front window
middle aisle
front aisle
see:
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...neboard24.html
rumor however is now a "Wilma" type thing:
back windows
back middle
middle windows
back aisle
middle middle
front window
middle aisle
front aisle
Sep 15, 2008, 4:33 pm
#19
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: LHR / BHX / MAN / ATL
Programs: DL DM 2MM - IHG Diamond
Posts: 4,052
There could also be the pax who board with zone 2, even though their BP says 7. As soon as they call Zone 1, the whole plane jumps up and stands in front of the door...so I imagine there are a lot of GA that could care less if said pax is boarding in the correct zone (outside of zone 1).
By and large, the zone thing works. As others have noted, when there are 80 pax in zone 2 it doesn't work out, but for the most part, it works and as a PM that is often in Y, I like it.
Sep 15, 2008, 4:51 pm
#20
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 4,782
Studies have shown that back to front is no faster than random line up. What does work is if you divide people into several groups. Each group has a little bit of every section of the plane. The general idea is people will move past each other more often than not thus a greater chance that many pax will be stowing at once. (i.e. Parallelism.)
The original boarding was alternating sections of the plane...
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...neboard24.html
rumor however is now a "Wilma" type thing:
back windows
back middle
middle windows
back aisle
middle middle
front window
middle aisle
front aisle
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...neboard24.html
rumor however is now a "Wilma" type thing:
back windows
back middle
middle windows
back aisle
middle middle
front window
middle aisle
front aisle
IMHO it is not the boarding order that really matters but how easily people can stow while stepping out of the aisles. If more people could learn how to step out of the aisles and stow it would go a lot faster. However, boarding quickly follows the lowest common denominator - the person with three carry ons, of which one they can not lift. :-(
Sep 15, 2008, 5:31 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: DL, US, XE, VS, VX, AS
Posts: 74
Zone Boarding
This is how it works from my understanding, bearing in mind each plane has its own little differences - I remember there is something weird about the area behind the galley on the MD
Say the plane has 7 zones and single aisle
FC/BE/Medals:
1,2
--FRONT--
777 777
777 777
555 555
555 555
677 776
667 766
666 666
444 444
444 444
566 665
556 655
555 555
333 333
333 333
455 554
445 544
444 444
344 443
334 433
333 333
333 333
--BACK--
Mind you, this takes a liberties, but is the gist of it. Basically, its back windows to front aisle (BW to FA), but also several rows up from the majority of the zone, a couple rows board so that while 'BW to FA' is settling more ppl are boarding.
Dave
Say the plane has 7 zones and single aisle
FC/BE/Medals:
1,2
--FRONT--
777 777
777 777
555 555
555 555
677 776
667 766
666 666
444 444
444 444
566 665
556 655
555 555
333 333
333 333
455 554
445 544
444 444
344 443
334 433
333 333
333 333
--BACK--
Mind you, this takes a liberties, but is the gist of it. Basically, its back windows to front aisle (BW to FA), but also several rows up from the majority of the zone, a couple rows board so that while 'BW to FA' is settling more ppl are boarding.
Dave
Last edited by UpstateDave; Sep 15, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Sep 15, 2008, 5:42 pm
#22
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 813
Per KM
There are nine boarding zones for each aircraft type.
Zone 1
Passengers seated in the premium cabin.
Passengers seated in the forward bulkhead of the main cabin.
Zone 2
Medallions seated in the front half of the main cabin.
Zone 3
Medallions seated in the rear half of the main cabin.
SkyTeam elite and codeshare elite passengers.
Zones 4 - 9
Passengers seated in the main cabin seated in window and middle seats first, then aisles.
Moving forward from the rear of the aircraft.
Note: For consistency, all-coach configuration aircrafts will also have nine boarding zones. Medallions in the front half of the aircraft will be Zone 1 and main cabin boarding will be renumbered to Zones 3-9.
There are nine boarding zones for each aircraft type.
Zone 1
Passengers seated in the premium cabin.
Passengers seated in the forward bulkhead of the main cabin.
Zone 2
Medallions seated in the front half of the main cabin.
Zone 3
Medallions seated in the rear half of the main cabin.
SkyTeam elite and codeshare elite passengers.
Zones 4 - 9
Passengers seated in the main cabin seated in window and middle seats first, then aisles.
Moving forward from the rear of the aircraft.
Note: For consistency, all-coach configuration aircrafts will also have nine boarding zones. Medallions in the front half of the aircraft will be Zone 1 and main cabin boarding will be renumbered to Zones 3-9.
Sep 15, 2008, 5:48 pm
#23
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: DL, US, XE, VS, VX, AS
Posts: 74
KM also said the second bag was free for a while :-)
What I posted was merely a 'consensus' dunno that anyone looked it up before telling me and nor did i look
What I posted was merely a 'consensus' dunno that anyone looked it up before telling me and nor did i look
Sep 18, 2008, 3:40 pm
#24
Join Date: May 2005
Location: various cities in the USofA: NYC, BWI, IAH, ORD, CVG, NYC
Programs: Former UA 1K, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 5,485
So what's up with this process? I'm CO Silver (yeah, yeah, big deal); shouldn't " "Breezeway" show up on my BP?
The CO FF# is entered in the res and the phone agent was able to put me in a preferred seat (exit row), but I'm in Zone 9 (!) on a 752 and 3 on an E70. No Breezeway to be found.
The CO FF# is entered in the res and the phone agent was able to put me in a preferred seat (exit row), but I'm in Zone 9 (!) on a 752 and 3 on an E70. No Breezeway to be found.