My travel partners many times pose this question: when you are in the boarding area, when to board: some say try to board right awy at the first opportunity; others say wait until last call so they do not have to be crammed in or suffer in the heat of the plane? What do you suggest or practice?

I think it all depends on if you carry luggage onboard. If I carry on, I get on early, if I don't, I wait.

I'm always one of the last to board...The plane will have to fit the total number of carryons by all pax. The stress saved is well worth risking waiting 5 minutes at the end before being able to collect your stuff from row 97.
That's unless I am already at the gate and we're being bussed to the plane- then invariably I want to be among the first so that I can grab one of the 4 seats!

Not so in the States, where people carry on more stuff than will fit in the available space and on a full flight, the last 10 to 25 people are out of luck. So if you have a computer of valuables with you, you're screwed; they have to be gate-checked. I like to board early.

Since my first trip in a plane,i always tried to board first and also deplane first.Even now as i always travel in F still try to push my way to be first to board.

Seriously?
I've never been to the USA, but that surely doesn't sound nice...there should be limits to what one can bring onboard, and they should get enforced!

They should, but they aren't. Subject of many discussions ...

But sure enough if my stuff is within the allowed limits I can tell them to eff off if they ask me to get it gate-checked.

This happens to people who board at the end all the time. If it doesn't fit underneath the seat in front of you and they don't have anywhere else to put it they'll give you the option of gate checking it or getting off the flight.

when i'm sitting up front in first I don't care when boarding... almost always tons of overhead space.

When in coach, early on... but I do like being among the first to leave.

Depends on if it is a full flight and if I have carry on. Usually try to board first if full so can get bin space, wait if not full and will find bin space anyways.

I always try to board as soon as I can, after all it's one of the benefits of elite status on the airline. Plus, as people have mentioned, you won't have any overhead space if you board last. I also like being on right away, because I can stow my lugage and just sit there reading if I'm on first. If I board with the main pack of people, I end up having to stand around in the jetway. Then I get to stand around more in the isle as people stow their luggage. Even getting to my seat involves extra wait as the people in the aisle and middle seat have to stand up. It seems to be a lot less hassle when I get on with the elites.

Before I was an elite, though, I've boarded last with a friend of mine that likes to do that. His argument is that you stand around anyway, so might as well wait. I guess that was true until, again, I got early boarding with Premier status. It did feel cool to have the gate door close right as you walk through it; kind of gives you the feeling, at least briefly, that your so important that they waited for you Obviously, they didn't, but that that's exactly what would happen if they were waiting for you (the door closing right behind you).

Edit:

Just wanted to add that boarding last also means that you have to kick people out of your assigned seat if you have good seats. I guess that might be an advantage or disadvantage of boarding last, depending on your personality For example, when coming home from Hawaii (don't remember if it was the HNL->LAX or LAX-ORD leg), I had the two windows seats on a 777 reserved on a 2-5-2 configuration. Of course, someone was sitting in our seats. They played stupid and then moved to their middle seats when we showed them our boarding passes and kicked them out. Their middle seats were a row in front, so it was obvious they hadn't mistakenly read their boarding passes, but were instead trying to snag "upgrades."

If I think overhead space will be limited then I like to get on early and get everything stowed away. It's also good to get comfortable in my seat and start reading etc. I don't see any point hanging around outside the gate.

Outside US if have lounge access then one of the last to board. Some airlines are very good with enforcing carry-on and timing the call from the lounge so that usually walk up to the gate and straight onto the a/c.

But in the US, if having carry-on then try to board early because the airlines wont enforce carry-on.

The airline's own brochures say not to put valuables in checked baggage. If the airline insists on taking your properly sized suitcase and you have valuables in it, you may get off and should insist that the airline still use its best efforts to transport you without collecting any additional fees or fare.

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