Efficient boarding of aircrafts is critical to ensure planes make as many fly hours per day as possible,
but fast boarding also keeps passenger satisfaction at a high level. Interferences during the boarding procedure
are one of the main reasons of delay and increase of turnaroun
...
Efficient boarding of aircrafts is critical to ensure planes make as many fly hours per day as possible,
but fast boarding also keeps passenger satisfaction at a high level. Interferences during the boarding procedure
are one of the main reasons of delay and increase of turnaround time, becoming a relevant problem for
airline companies. Observations of the boarding process, at the gate as well as inside the aircraft, revealed the
main bottle necks in the boarding process: (1) Hand luggage: Storage space is not sufficient and/or not used
efficiently; (2) Preparation: Passengers are not well prepared for the boarding process; (3) Communication:
Audio announcements are unclear and unfocused; (4) Navigation/Way finding is complex. Translating these
bottle necks as possibilities for improvement, a group of 15 students have been asked to design solutions for
the airport and aircraft interior that reduce boarding and disembarking time and improve the passenger boarding
experience. Concepts ranged from an app to scan your hand luggage at home and make a reservation for
overhead bin space; to a redesigned waiting area to help passengers prepare for boarding; to new boarding
methods and redesigned aircraft seats. In this paper, several design concepts are presented in more detail.@en
