Whilst Ryanair should lift its game on its on certain elements of its on board meal service, the time saving boarding procedure needs no further changes.
This process seems honed to perfection and it is something of a modern miracle to witness. It is also consistently applied across all airports from what I’ve witnessed. So, how does it work?
Arriving At The Gate
Boarding passes list a Gate Closes time 30 minutes before the flight departure time. This helps speed things up however most Ryanair passengers are aware of the need to get to the gate early. Why? The queues.
There are two lanes, one for passengers who purchased priority boarding and the other one. If you get into the other queue quickly, you will be guaranteed a spot for your carry on bag. It is literally called “Other Q” on the signage by the way!
Volunteers are taken at this point, which is prior to boarding beginning. While someone takes any bags, another gate staff member checks the priority queue to ensure everyone has priority boarding. Very nice indeed!
Saving Time All The Time
At this point it is usually close enough to departure time and either there is no aircraft on stand or the inbound is currently disgorging passengers. Once the arriving passengers begin to deplane, the next phase begins – boarding is announced.
But wait, how can you possibly start boarding when people are still leaving the aircraft? By taking advantage of the layout of the airport infrastructure, that’s how.
At London Luton, you pass the boarding pass scanners into a large square holding pen, waiting for the doors to open. Even here the priority passengers are segregated into a lane by the wall while everyone else mills around or sits in the room.
Final Steps
Soon enough the door opens and you’re permitted to go outside. You approach your Boeing 737 and have a choice to make. Front stairs or rear stairs?
Helpfully, boarding passes tell you which door to use so there is no confusion. Everyone is on board very quickly and then it is time to go – another successfully fast boarding experience complete.
Overall Thoughts
It is amazing how fast Ryanair can board a flight using this time saving method. It does mean some waiting around for the passengers but it also means on time performance is very good. When it comes to flight delays, it can also quickly clear some of the delay.
I imagine other low cost carriers also operate a process somewhat similar, but since I never fly on any of them, I can’t really compare. The closest I came was easyJet on two flights many moons ago and I don’t really remember much except speedy boarding was separated from the others.
If you have any information on other airlines around the world, I’d love to hear it in the comments below. Thank you for reading!
To never miss a post, you can follow me on Facebook, and I am on Twitter and Instagram too!
All my flight and lounge reviews are indexed here if you want to see more.
Images via Ryanair.
I have been on a close to 100 Ryanair flights over the last decade and I don’t think I have ever waited less than 10 minutes in the stairwell before boarding – unless the flight was already delayed. Keep in mind that none of those bridges or stairwells have any air conditioning so good luck if you are travelling during summer. Last time at Manchester airport, they had us standing there for 40 minutes. All this could be resolved with minimum communication between the desk and cabin crews.
That’s fair, it does seem to be 10 minutes or less, but it’s a long 10 mins.
Easyjet do similar with Speedy Boarding and those travelling with Under 5s in one queue then everyone else. Hand luggage can be a bit pot luck on Easyjet – no set numbers – they just go til they’ve had enough. The problem I have with this is they discourage people to check bags in by charging for them, but then some people have to put them in the hold anyway… however they don’t have to pay for theirs to go in! And that is before you get to the issue of people who put jackets and soft bags in the… Read more »
It is interesting they include the under 5s as well at easyJet. Ryanair certainly don’t make any provision for families travelling with small children. I can understand both philosophies though. Totally hear you on the baggage issue – if you’re far down the queue, you get to put it in the hold for free. I get the trade off for the freebie is that you’re going to have to wait extra at the baggage carousel on arrival rather than going straight to your ground transport. Fair enough in my mind. Cabin crew are sometimes quite proactive in removing the jackets… Read more »