No hand-luggage? Step right up: Virgin America tests a new boarding policy

October 21, 7:28 PMAlbuquerque Travel ExaminerNeala Schwartzberg

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Boarding a Virgin America flight - Photo courtesy of Virgin America

As a new airline Virgin America says they are always looking at new approaches that may improve the typical flying experience."The carry-on first test was actually the result of suggestions from our frontline teammates working at the airports."

Although this hasn't been officially adopted as a standard practice, the airline is beginning to explore it selectively. "We will wait to get feedback from our teams to determine how long testing will occur and next steps, if any," said a spokesperson for Virgin America.

They have advised the teams for some flights (limited to San Francisco-SFO at the moment) to selectively test a board without carry-on first approach to see if it
1) helps speed up the boarding process
2) makes the process more smooth and seamless for passengers.

Virgin America now boards all guests from the back of the cabin to the front (excluding First and Main Cabin Select guests, who board first).

It is hoped that the new policy will speed folks boarding the plane. Now, the process slows to a crawl when folks stop in the aisles to load their luggage in the overhead compartments. Even those with nothing more than a piece of personal (stow-under-the-seat-in-front-of-you) carry-on have to wait.

This does not apply to personal items/carry-ons. You can carry a purse, a small laptop, what the airlines call a personal item, and under the policy being testing, board in the first group. "More than half of our guests carry laptops on board, so this would be an issue."

"We’ve got one of the best on-time ranking in the domestic industry now, but we’re always looking for new ways to increase efficiency of our operation and improve the guest experience," concluded the spokesperson.

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