Thank you all for the very interesting responses.
One observation: when you are the first one on and sitting in premium when the rest of the passengers must go through your area: it seems unpleasant to try to read or relax or have conversation since particularly if you seat on the isle far too many persons carrying their briefcases and backpacks, etc will bump may times into you, or even drop things on you as they are bringin in their drinks and or munching on their food.
My observation for plane designers: there should be a separate door or at least immediate turn to one side or the other to designated areas.

I like to board early. Aside from the carry-on issue, it just feels less stressful to me to get on earlier and not have to wait in a long line of people along the jetway and down the aisle.

I like to board early.

Had to board late once, (we were not even the last few passengers, maybe last 50 or so?), carried a backpack for my 17" megalaptop. It still fit the specs, but there was just no room for it overhead. I had to put it under the seat, and in E- you know how it feels.

Also, if you board late, you do risk having passengers sit in your seat--you can ask them to move of course, but its just easier not to have that hassle to deal with and not have to listen to the sad stories if you're already in your seat. This never happened to me but I have seen it happen to others.

Being a window person (except on the CRJ), I try to board earlier rather than later. Otherwise, I need to trouble Mr. Aisle-- already settled in, headphones on, shoes off, deeply engrossed in a paperback or cell phone conversation-- who's apparently never had the indignity of having to share a row. Once, after about a minute the FA came to ask if there was a problem, then asked me to step into a row to let the pax behind me board... which was a couple rows behind so I had to swim upstream after Mr. A finally won his momentary fight with gravity. Had my train not been delayed and I boarded with Group 1 as usual, all that stress imposed on all parties would have been avoided.

Overhead space is merely a bonus.

I board as soon as possible in F (or J, in a three-class flight) because those seats are more comfortable than those at the gate.

I tend to board as soon as possible in economy as well, in order to get overhead space that's convenient to my seat. I typically travel with a roll-aboard (goes up there) and a backpack (goes down there). Sometimes I need something from the roll-aboard, and I hate to have to swim upstream to collect it from further back in the plane when we arrive.

If I don't have anything with me, or just the backpack, I might wait. Will this inconvenience Mr./Mrs. Aisle? Perhaps, but that's what you get for selecting an aisle seat and boarding early. It's never been a major issue - it's not like I stomp all over him/her. And will there be someone else in my seat? Hasn't happened more than once or twice, also not a major issue. (Once someone confused the two sides of the plane. Not a problem, I was OK with the other one.)

If I have something I need to put into the overhead bin, than I get on early. If I don't, it is whatever I feel like.

Depends on ...


If FC international ... last.. (I want to her the door close once I step in...) Especially when I am in the FC/HON Terminal and driven to the plane or travel with my daughter

Domestic (but not in the US) and some handluagge LAST. If I need to I take out my Laptop and gate check the bag....

Domestic US (no matter what class) FIRST, I see it so often that Y people dump their stuff in FC.... and the frequency US airlines loose bags is incredible...

I board early if I have a carryon, even if I'm up front. The last year I've noticed that coach passengers in the last group have slid their carryon bags into the front cabin overhead (and the FA's have either ignored or in some cases not noticed). Just don't want the hassle of not having overhead space for my bag.

I'm with the majority...I usually board as soon as I can, especially if I have a carryon bag. (Aside from my computer bag) On F9 I settle in to my 11f with my book du jour, and let the masses waft by. :)

It depends on who I'm with. If I'm flying on my own, I board as soon as possible. If my family or friends are with me to say goodbye, I sort of feel rude to just jump up and leave them, so then I usually wait until the final boarding call, even though there's still a heap of people queueing at the boarding pass readers anyway...

Which gets me thinking - does AA/UA/DL use cardboard/magnetic strip boarding passes, or just... EFTPOS receipt style ones?

I always board as close to the end as possible, means I spend less time in my cramped seat and getting hit by people's carry-ons (I usually get an aisle seat). Probably the most interesting thing I have been hit with is a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

Oh, usually the last, as I generally fly intra-European. In fact, I get rather annoyed when airports lie to you about 'boarding', particularly in the lounges. LGW/N and AMS, I'm looking at you :)

SIN is very bad at announcing boarding and final call on the screens far too early (before they've even started thinking about boarding).

I much prefer to be one of the first to board, and then get up to let the window & middle seaters in - rather than run the risk of having somebody else decide they like my empty aisle seat better than their own middle seat. Absentee seat occupants are easy targets for seat snipers!

If I get on the plane anytime before the doors close I'm Ok with it.

If I had a preference like some here and didn't make my preference it would make the whole trip a disappoinment. So the only time that I am disappointed is when the doors are closed. YMMV