I just can't stand these better than thou zone jumpers. These are the same people who put their bags at the front of the plane when they are sitting in the back. I've paid a lot of money building status with the airline so that I may have a bit more comfort and the occasional upgrade.

Now here here is an NFL fan who need some personal time in that whuppin room with Adrian Peterson.
If you want a better zone get the airline credit card.

The 'science' of boarding efficiency is questionable at best. It isn't about science, it is about perceptions....We might be smart animals, but we're still animals.

Airlines Go Back to Boarding School to Reduce Chaos ...
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...57930970524522

Best boarding strategy for airlines: random, study says
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smar...om-study-says/

The airlines' endless quest for better boarding
http://host.madison.com/business/the...57930970524522

I can't believe how long this thread has gone on, but I'll pile on my $.02...
Steve Jobs was an a*hole but mostly acted not out of self-interest but in creating something larger than himself or any member of the team. Line jumpers are just a*holes.
If I were emperor of an airline, I'd make the first two checked bags free, give bonuses to baggage handling teams that beat a 15-minute goal time for the first bag hitting the carousel after the wheels stop, pay for it with a charge for carryons that exceed the actual design space of the aircraft (I'm talking to you, Mr and Ms 1 week of clothes in your carryon), and board in an order designed purely to accelerate the process (like alternating rows starting at the back). I'd also have the GA's use cattle prods to keep the boarding area free of people blocking the line when they're 2 groups too early.
There's a reason I'm not in customer service :-)

It used to be possible to declare excess valuation and purchase insurance when checking bags on an airline. I haven't heard of this in a long time.

Some travel insurance would provide coverage.

Your "status" is illusory. It really just means "someone whom the airlines have determined that they can wring more money out of".

Actual "status" would be independent of dropping more money. I'm a believer that all people are created equal.

I've tried it when I have a big (but legal) load with me, and have always been turned away. It's probably always been on United, so maybe they're more vigilant than some other airlines. They seem to have more categories that affect your boarding group number.

There have been times when I've been tempted to carry a cane and go on with the "need a little more time for boarding" boarders. The only reason why I, and probably most "cheaters" want to borard before my assigned time is to assure that there will be overhead storage space, but I find that even when I'm in the last group, that even on a nearly full flight, I've been able to find space overhead near my seat that's within reach or a couple of rows forward so I don't have to wait until the rush clears to go toward the back of the plane to retrieve my stuff.

Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe they really have it figured out so that statistically everyone who needs overhead space has it. But still, I hang around the line when I see it getting near the end of the group before mine so I can be one of the first in my group to board. There are a lot of cheapskates like me and I try to at least beat out the fair competition. ;(

Different angle: People who decide who looks like a cheater and take matters into their own hands:

Son, early 20s but flies frequently, was in line to board plane when some well-dressed gentleman behind him kept pushing and mumbling that Son was in the wrong line. Son ignored him, texting on his phone, until gentleman pulled his arm and told him to "go over there, this is boarding group 1." To which son replied, "What's a boarding group?" At that point, gentleman went ballistic and tried to forcefully push him out of the line, screaming at him. By then people started staring, waiting to see what would happen, gate attendant came over, son produced his boarding pass, and gate attendant declared loudly, "the young man is in boarding group 1." Gentleman had enough shame to slink away to the bathrooms.
BTW, Son knows what a boarding group is....

I'd prefer them to make a loud obnoxious "you got caught" buzz.

They don't have to be booted off the flight, just re-zoned to after the last pre-assigned zone and allowed to board only after everyone else. Otherwise, there's no penalty for getting caught.

We just flew out of FRA on UAL last week. First time I had seen this: The boarding numbers were on an upright bar with the headings: Group 1, Group 2 and so on to Group 5 (it was a 747). Everyone lined up in their appropriate lines. It was great. There wasn't that much space at the gate, either. But it worked.

Your son is to be commended for his patience. I wouldn't have blamed him if his response was, "Sir, I know what a boarding group is and if you lay hands on me again neither of us is going to make the flight."

Actually, no patience involved here. His completely ignoring the initial complaints and pushing and then topping it off with "What's a boarding group?" really set the other person off. At least the "gentleman" was embarrassed....

I've been flying for 56 years and have never seen a GA stop anyone from boarding before their "time".

While they can't optimize both, they can certainly create an optimum for the joint measure (that is, provide the maximum perks subject to not losing much efficiency, or the maximum efficiency consistent with lots of perks, or something in between). It's the airline's decision how to do that.

If we had a competitive society in reality, airlines that made the wrong decision would be out-competed by those that made better choices.

I was on an AA flight two years ago headed for MGA. My travel companion (no status for either of us) decided that she'd rather board with group 2 than 4 and left me and got through without being stopped. She wanted to make sure she got overhead space since she had a large carry-on (plus a large checked baggage). She felt it was no big deal (not that it matters, she's an attorney).