Who Should Get to Board the Plane First?

Oct. 28, 2009 — -- Quick quiz: Which seems to take longer?

A. Competing in a marathon.

B. Driving from Los Angeles to New York.

C. Boarding an airplane.

I think we all know the answer to this one is C.

Remember when getting on a plane was a breeze? It was a matter of A-List first (those regal first class passengers) followed by the B-List (the humble herd). Then families with "little ones" got in on the action (although the airlines tightened the rules a bit when they noticed more and more "little ones" were 6 feet tall and shaving). Then, as frequent flier programs gained in popularity, elite members started elbowing their way to the front of the line as well.

The latest innovation: paying for a better spot in the queue, which even the most egalitarian airlines are trying -- et tu, Southwest?

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At the same, the twin evils of lost bags and fees for checking bags prompted more passengers to go the carry-on route, which only seemed to add to the length of the boarding process by creating bottlenecks in the aisles that resembled L.A. freeways at rush hour.

As a former administration official might have put it, "it's the bin space, stupid" -- and indeed it is. Too much time is taken trying to cram too many bags into too little space.

Is there a solution? Well, Virgin America is testing a new boarding process that some consider revolutionary -- one that old-school travelers are going to love, but the carry-on crowd may come to despise.

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