Tests show fastest way to board passenger planes
 

Boarding those in window seats first followed by middle and aisle seats results in a 40% gain in efficiency.

However, an approach called the Steffen method, alternating rows in the window-middle-aisle strategy, nearly doubles boarding speed.

interesting concept

BBC science-environment

Makes sense but people don't think that way. I always go window seat and try to board early each time to avoid climbing over someone. 9 times out of 10, the people in the middle/aisle seat are there before me. They don't seem to think that the window seat will be occupied.

Boarding window/middle/aisle in alternating rows would be impossible to manage. How would they enforce who is boarding and when? Anyway, as soon as they mention 'boarding' regardless of what it precedes, people flock to the jetway. So how would they make sure the right people are boarding at the right time, and minimising delays in turning back passengers.

The Southwest method of giving people spots in the boarding queue actually seems to work reasonably well. They have poles set up at the boarding gate with screens that effectively have people line up in lines of 30 and have to be within their assigned bucket of five positions.

The first two lines - or 60 pax - can be lined up when boarding commences. As the second set of 30 starts to board they can prepare the next 30.

(If you're not familiar with this - you can read about it at the Southwest Boarding School).

On board most pax seemed to sit in the first available seat closest to the front of the aircraft, but overall when I flew Southwest it was far and away the most disciplined and organised boarding process I've ever seen, which was not what I was expecting.

Load balancing?
 

How is load balancing achieved if boarding passes don't correspond to aircraft seat numbers?

surely boarding announcements could be done in zones or actual seat numbers & then as flight attendant checked boarding passes, could ask people to move aside, if they are there too early.

Couldn't they just print a big letter on each boarding pass, and then say "boarding all passengers with 'A' on their boarding pass"? Then the process would be much easier to manage.

I think the bigger issue is baggage - the main reason people board as early as they can is so they can take up the overhead space. It is a lot worse in the US but while there is limited space above you and people don't bother putting anything under the seat in front of you, boarding is always going to be a slow process.

I would really like to know, and from someone in airline management, why no airlines in Australia enforce the carry on baggage rules. It's obvious to everyone who flies that a large number of people on every flight have baggage that is substantially bigger and probably heavier that what the rules say. Businessmen are quite often the worst offenders! And yet not a single airline enforces the rules as they should!!

I can understand Virgin and Qantas not enforcing it - the fact Jetstar don't is bizarre, considering how much money they can make from it.