The Fastest Way to Board a Plane Feels Like the Slowest
Why Hacker News recommends it
It is the default link in any thread about boarding or deplaning order, praised as an excellent, clear treatment.
What it is
CGP Grey compares airplane boarding methods, based on an arXiv paper, and shows why the intuitive back-to-front approach is slow while random or outside-in boarding does better.
Recommended by 9 HN commenters across 6 different months, 2020 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec ninjinxo · 2023-08 · on “A proposal for much faster aircraft exit – “Fill and Flush””
Better off watching CGP Grey's video "The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use" which has more discussion of the topic, more simulations, and puts forward better methods that are either faster or allow families to remain grouped. [this video] This is basically [LINK] but differs to the paper in that it doesn't consider: alternating odd-and-even row disembarkment, which would give passengers more aisle space to potentially speed-up luggage handling.
Strong rec sand500 · 2023-09 · on “Boarding a plane is a nightmare. Here’s how we got here”
Highly recommend this video of plane boarding methods by CGP Grey [this video] The end is the real kicker, how we deplane is the worst method.
Recommends Reedx · 2020-01 · on “Letting slower passengers board airplane first is faster, study finds”
CGP Grey has a great video examining different boarding methods and why some are slower or faster than others: [this video] Also noting that the way we deplane (front to back) is the slowest method, heh.
Recommends the__alchemist · 2021-02 · on “Optimal boarding method for airline passengers (2008)”
Here's a derivative Youtube video (CGP grey). It visualizes how different proposed methods work: [this video]
Recommends l1n · 2023-04 · on “Ask HN: Why aren’t planes boarded back-to-front?”
You might like this CGP Grey video that explains it pretty well: The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use [this video]
Recommends lwhsiao · 2023-08 · on “A proposal for much faster aircraft exit – “Fill and Flush””
CGP Grey did a great YouTube video on this several years ago, and why airlines won't use it: [this video] Note that this is from a boarding, not deplaning viewpoint, but the concepts are similar.
Recommends roland35 · 2023-08 · on “A proposal for much faster aircraft exit – “Fill and Flush””
There is a great video from CGP Grey about the similar problem of boarding an airplane: [this video] Unfortunately, having flown many times, I just don't see humans ever being able to self organize to this degree, especially at the end of a flight!
Recommends djha-skin · 2023-10 · on “United Airlines plans to board passengers with window seats first”
Obligatory reference to CGP Grey's excellent treatment of the topic (video): [this video] And he shows that window middle aisle saves a little bit of time, but not much.