Researchers from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, has employed mathematical model that will help reduce lengthy airport gate queues by seating passengers according to the amount of hand luggage they have. The researchers – Professor R. John Milne and undergraduate student Alexander Kelly – claim that seating passengers with more carry-on bags first, substantially cuts the time it takes to fill an aircraft, which would ease congestion saving airlines up to $10million (£600,000) a year each in costs associated with delayed flights.
Passengers with the number of bags and the most hand luggage will board first and be allocated window seats so they won't have to stand up to clear the way for those boarding after, wasting seconds. Previous studies have found that passengers with two bags take around 60 per cent longer to board than those who have no bags.
Passengers with fewer bags come second, and would be assigned to the middle seats. Finally, passengers with no bags to stow in the overhead lockers would board last, and would fill up the aisle seats.
Milne and Kelly do concede however that their formula doesn't take into account a range of other factors that might affect passenger boarding such as passengers or groups travelling together that may have seta preferences. It also doesn’t account for first class passengers or passengers with special needs.
The research was published in the Journal of Air Transport Management.