Gatwick airport trials speedy plane boarding method in bid to cut queues
Long queues to board passenger flights could soon be a thing of the past, if new methods being trialled at Gatwick are successful.
Britain’s second-biggest airport is working with Easyjet on plans to get passengers on planes more efficiently.
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Screens at boarding gate 101 at the airport will show passengers how to get on board their plane, and will trial several sequences over the two-month test period.
One method will involve boarding people in window seats first, working from the back seats of the plane to the front.
Gatwick said the techniques may shave off a tenth of the amount of time it takes to board a plane.
Gatwick serves 46m passengers a year, flying them to 74 different countries.
Abhi Chacko, head of enabling technologies and digital innovation at Gatwick, said: “We want to explore whether boarding by seat number will avoid queues in the gate room and when boarding the aircraft.
“Early indications are that this new technique has the potential to reduce the overall boarding time.
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“By communicating to passengers better and boarding passengers by seat number, we also expect to make the whole boarding experience more relaxing and, potentially, prevent large numbers of passengers rushing forward at any stage.”
Passengers who have booked priority boarding – or those who require special assistance or are travelling with young families – will still board first during the trial.
Main image credit: Getty