Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian was asked about United Airlines’ new boarding process and after seemingly dismissing it, said he would actually adopt it if ends up working.
Delta Air Lines Open To WILMA Boarding
On October 26, 2023, United Airlines returned to a WILMA-style of boarding. WILMA means “window, middle, aisle” in which passengers seated in window seats board first, followed by middle seats, followed by aisle seats. United hopes to trim off boarding time through this method of boarding.
Appearing on NBC’s Today Show, Bastian was asked about United’s new boarding process and quickly dismissed it, saying:
“We have found that actually just boarding people and getting people moving through the plane is the fastest. Every time you add another feature, it gets more complicated.”
That’s as silly as saying we do not worry how to fly the plane, we just fly planes. Of course boarding people involves “getting people moving” but the object here is how to do it in the fastest and most effective way possible. Delta might not have “WILMA” boarding, but it does have boarding zones – there is no free-for-all.
However, Bastian added that although it has tried “every way possible” to board more efficiently, if United does “crack that nut better, we’ll certainly copy them.”
After the interview, weatherman Al Roker suggested he adapt FRED boarding, “You know FRED. Rear Exit Door” garnering a groan from Savannah Guthrie and a laugh from Bastian followed by a request from Roker for Biscoff cookies. (You kids might not remember The Flintstones, but I got the reference…).
CONCLUSION
I had to chuckle at a bunch of headlines this weekend stating Delta had “slammed” United’s “complicated” new boarding scheme. On the contrary, Bastian may be skeptical but he will be watching closely to see if United “cracks that nut” and is able to find a way to speed up boarding.
image: screen grab / NBC Today Show
I think Delta is right to dismiss United’s “new” boarding process because its isn’t “New” at all. People keep forgetting United trying this exact same boarding process way back in 2013 and abandoned it less than a year after launching it.
Here is a link to an article from May of 2013 when United truly did launch WILMA.https://www.cheapair.com/blog/united-introduces-new-boarding-process-to-reduce-time/#:~:text=May%2024%2C%202013&text=The%20new%20boarding%20process%20replaces,%2C%20respectively%2C%20when%20boarding%20aircraft.
It could work this time around and if it does I believe Delta will copy it but WILMA didn’t work in 2013 so yeah Delta is skeptical it will work in 2023.
I did mention in my original story on WILMA that United was going back to this…you’re right that it failed last time and we will see if that happens again.
No real boarding process will truly be efficient if a good chunk of the domestic population is a bunch of degenerates with no decorum.
That said, hard to see this working for DL in ATL because 85% of the pax would have already boarded after Main Cabin 1 “priority” boarding
The fastest boarding may be to assign boarding positions by number. The numbers would be assigned in a special order. The order might be:
Board rows 35, 34, 15, 33, 32, 14, etc. While 34 and 35 are slowing putting their luggage away, 15 slips in and sits down. Next 33 and 32 put away their stuff and 14 slips in and sits down.
This makes sense because most people listen and follow directions. They’re also willing to board at a different time than their companions, and half of the plane doesn’t have some sort of “priority” boarding. Smooth skies indeed.
Sure, Bastian is a weasel but that doesn’t make him an idiot. If an idea works for a competitor he’s going to use the idea as well.
UNITED rising putting Delta on the defensive
That said Al Roker is onto something – using the rear door like they did on the shuttles
I never understood why not board the back of the plane first. Let people from the last rows board first so they don’t get in the way of people sitting more in the front.
I’m clearly older than you being in my 50’s. That’s essentially what it used to be. Wheelchairs, First Class, then rear forward. Now it’s all about groups, which clusters everything in a mess of special interests. And it’s become even more aggressive given everyone brings carry ons far more than before and are having panic attacks over space. The airlines built this mess. They will never fix it because the house is constructed.
Even Saturday Night Live makes fun of it!
We were just in europe and noticed they can board the whole 737 plane in less than 1/2 hour!! Also they are allowing 2 carron items and a personal item??? And they can serve a real meal in a flight that is less than 45 minutes?? I guess they are just speedier in finding their seats and putting away their things over there//maybe Delta ad United should study them…AF especially
This has been the case for years. Nothing new. The boarding is expedited using machines mostly with multi checks of passes. While it may not expedite things all that much, given the boarding aspect of the plane, it at least makes the process more civil of boarding pass checks (not one person scanning every single person). It’s more a trick of the eye than anything, and the process I find is still about the same. But it feels more organized.
As far as the service, again, nothing new. U.S. FA’s are lazy and the airlines here are cheap. A bad combination that gives us the service we deal with now daily.
My last flight in KE (pre Covid), IIRC they had a big line for J/F and a bigger line for coach in A380, in ICN. Pretty sure everyone boarded in less than 30 minutes, but I think it’s the discipline of the largely East Asian pax rather than a revolutionary boarding process, or even the 2 jet bridges