Why don’t airlines board planes starting with the back rows then move forward?
In: Engineering
At the airline I work for, we do board back to front. However, we can only do this on certain aircraft types, because otherwise it will pose a danger for aircraft tipping back on their tails. Aircraft are carefully designed to be balanced on the ground; most aircraft types can’t handle having a full back half and an empty front half. The Boeing 737, especially the newer MAX model, is quite stable on the ground so it’s safe to board these aircraft types from back to front. Fokker 70/100 aircraft, however, are at danger of tail-tipping and can only be boarded back to front if there is some weight in the front of the plane first (such as a full forward cargo hold). You can Google “aircraft tail tipping” to see examples and more information about this.
Most people who are saying “it’s because they want the First Class people to board first!” don’t have much/any experience in the aviation industry. We have a mixed fleet of Economy-only, and Business/Economy planes, and they are boarded the exact same way. It’s a safety concern on some aircraft types, which is why it’s not very common. I’m sure revenue plays a part in why some airlines board Priority first, but that’s not the primary reason.
TL;DR: if you board the back of the plane first, it has the potential cause the plane to tip backwards. Some weight needs to be added to the front of the plane first (either cargo or front-passengers), before it’s safe to board the whole flight.
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