Frame from The Fastest Way to Board a Plane Feels Like the Slowest Plays with YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed

The Fastest Way to Board a Plane Feels Like the Slowest

Open on YouTube First HN thread

9 HN users recommended this explainer in 6 different months between 2020 and 2023.

2007–2026
2 strong recommendations 7 recommendations 4 citations HackerTube score 7

It is the default link in any thread about boarding or deplaning order, praised as an excellent, clear treatment.

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.

Pull quote: “Highly recommend this video of plane boarding methods by CGP Grey” (HN, 2023)

Also tagged: airplane boarding efficiency, boarding methods, queueing, airlines, simulation, cgp grey

What Hacker News said

13 labeled comments from the HN archive; up to 20 are kept per video, favoring different commenters. Each one links back to the original thread.

Strongly recommends ninjinxo August 2023 under A proposal for much faster aircraft exit – “Fill and Flush”
More discussion, simulations, and better boarding methods that keep families grouped.
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.
Great video on similar problem of boarding an airplane.
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!
Shows boarding order matters to loading speed.
Read the full comment
or maybe people are in a new place and processing a totally foreign environment? Maybe theyre stressed/tired from flying? Not thinking because theyre in a rush? Its not that hard to find reasons for why people might make mistakes in an airport. > another example: queueing to board the plane. other than to fit in, why on earth would I stand there and compete to spend more time in a sweaty uncomfortable seat packed with 400 other people? plus, if you get on last, you can take advantage of empty rows before anyone else what? people are following direction, and the way the plane boards is actually important to how fast it loads, so youre messing with that because its a mild convenience to you and you consider that intelligent behaviour? cpg grey has a video on this i suggest you take a look [this video]

Citations, criticism and jokes

Cites it OliverGilan January 2021 under I Tried to Get a ‘Leftover Dose’ of the Vaccine Last Night
Random boarding is most efficient, used as analogy for vaccination.
Read the full comment
I understand the justification for having restrictions on who can be vaccinated but part of me thinks this is all extremely counterproductive. Yes, old people are at greater risk but also the more young people are vaccinated the harder it is for the virus to spread and the faster we reach herd immunity which also ends up protecting old people. I end up thinking about this great video [1] by CGP Grey where he explains that the most efficient boarding method for an airplane isn't actually front-to-back but just random. Surely if we just said anyone could get a vaccine then we'd be more successful in reaching herd immunity right? Edit: You could also just make a portion of the day for older people only and the rest of the time open it up to everyone. I feel like right now we have the worst of all worlds [1]: [this video]
Cites it jldugger April 2023 under Ask HN: Why aren’t planes boarded back-to-front?
Covers the boarding question years ago.
CGP Grey covered this already years ago: [this video] . It doesn't work even optimally. But more importantly, boarding isn't the only action being taken. You can't take off without fuel and luggage, and even food factors into turnarounds.
Covers various boarding options and why it is all moot.
Unloading is pretty fast. Loading is the slow part. However efficient loading doesn't make passengers happy. Priority boarding is worth an extra fee from some passengers and adds several minutes to boarding time. [this video] for a bit more about various options and the reason it is all moot.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Search
j k
Next / previous video in a list
Enter
Open the focused video
l
Like (on a video page)
w
Watch later (on a video page)
?
This help
Esc
Close