Airtran - Boarding at MCO Gate

[DemoBri1]

I just returned from WDW last Sunday and had a weird experience. We were sitting in the gate area when the gate desk clerk announced that the front of the plane would be boarding through the jetway, while the rear (which of course we were in) would be boarding via an Emergency Exit door that required you to walk down stairs to the tarmac, and then walk across the tarmac to the rear doors on the plane. You then had to climb back up another flight of stairs to board.

Good thing it wasn't raining. Anyone else experience something similar?

 

[DebbieB]

I just returned from WDW last Sunday and had a weird experience. We were sitting in the gate area when the gate desk clerk announced that the front of the plane would be boarding through the jetway, while the rear (which of course we were in) would be boarding via an Emergency Exit door that required you to walk down stairs to the tarmac, and then walk across the tarmac to the rear doors on the plane. You then had to climb back up another flight of stairs to board.

Good thing it wasn't raining. Anyone else experience something similar?

That's strange. The only place I've seen it is Southwest in Burbank, they don't have jetways so they put up steps on both ends.

 

[Daddio]

We've had AirTran load the back of the plane before using the tarmac and portable steps. I assumed it was to quicken the loading time. I've also seen a few carriers unload in that manner too, specifically in the 90-97 gate area.

The first time we saw it, we were a bit suprised to see a bunch of people trying to get into the terminal from the glass doors from the tarmac. Security forgot to come and unlock the doors.

David

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I think this is hit or miss. They did this type of de-planing (don't know about the boarding as I was getting off) in MCO recently.

 

[dudspizza]

It does feel a bit odd to walk outside to board the plane. I have had to do so in Atlanta when flying on a Delta ERJ. I felt really weird to walk out into the sun and up the stair to board.....

It used to be that way at many airports. I have heard stories about the old terminal in Vegas where planes would sit on the tarmac for hours in that heat and then people would have to walk out to them to board......

 

[jsilvers]

Haven't experienced this in Orlando, but it's quite common on flights operating the shuttle routes from LaGuardia to Boston and D.C.

 

[Tara]

I fly out of one of the few airports where Southwest uses dual bridge jetways to load planes from the front and rear doors, so that in and of itself isn't that unusual, but doing it via stairs is unusual. It's supposed to be a timesaver...I wonder if the tarmac stair process negates the time savings of dual boarding?

 

[DebbieB]

I could see doing this for a large plane that carries 300 people. But AirTran's planes aren't that big.

When I was coming back from India last year, I went through Frankfurt. They did not have enough gates so they bussed us out to the plane parked on the tarmac. We then had to go up the steps. This was a 767 so the steps were huge. Felt like when the President boards Air Force One!

I have had to go outside for RJ's. I recently experience that at JFK, they had a bunch of RJ's in a row, I asked 3 times to make sure I was getting on the right one!

 

[aubriee]

We've had AirTran load the back of the plane before using the tarmac and portable steps. I assumed it was to quicken the loading time. I've also seen a few carriers unload in that manner too, specifically in the 90-97 gate area.
David

While we were waiting for our Air Tran flight from MCO to DFW Oct 17th, we saw another Air Tran flight load this way. Half the passengers loaded the regular way and half had to walk outside and down some steep steps, then walked out to the plane and climbed more steps into the plane.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

We deplaned this way at MCO with Airtran last month. I also think it depends on type of aircraft and whether it's allowed per airport. The 737 was easy to do this with in Orlando, while it seemed to be non existent with the 717. I believe it has something to do with aircraft configuration.

 

[jsilvers]

The 737 was easy to do this with in Orlando, while it seemed to be non existent with the 717. I believe it has something to do with aircraft configuration.

Because of the placement of the engines, the 717 does not have rear side doors, and unlike some earlier McDonnell-Douglas aircraft (Boeing built the 717, but it's ancestor is the DC-9), it also does not have a set of stairs built into the tail. So it's the front door or nothin'.

 

[OhMari]

I thought it was strange that AirTran started boarding the front of the plane. Usually the start with window seats and then they call people in that sits towards the middle.

I noticed this last Spring. And I though, how dumb, everyone is getting hit by people walking by with their luggage.

I had to board outside in Atlanta with DELTA.
-13 in Wisconsin, in Atlanta it was 50.

 

[Dax]

Its mostly a time thing...I work near the Airtran boarding area, and we see this ALL the time actually..

The turn around for the gates is short, so they are looking to fill the planes as QUICKLY as possible to get it out so they next plane can get in. Thats the main reason as to why..

 

[disfan07]

I did this on jetblue....at Dulles...in the middle of December!!! First time I had ever done that and of course it was an early monring flight so it was like below freezing outside

 

[goofy4tink]

I've deplaned that way with Jetblue in Orlando. It was actually kinda cool. And we beat the vast majority of jetway users.

 

[maxiesmom]

I just returned from WDW last Sunday and had a weird experience. We were sitting in the gate area when the gate desk clerk announced that the front of the plane would be boarding through the jetway, while the rear (which of course we were in) would be boarding via an Emergency Exit door that required you to walk down stairs to the tarmac, and then walk across the tarmac to the rear doors on the plane. You then had to climb back up another flight of stairs to board.

Good thing it wasn't raining. Anyone else experience something similar?

I have, except it has been in Atlanta and Chicago. It was night time and raining in Chicago, plus we had my mom on that trip, who doesn't do good with stairs. Those stairs out of the aircraft are not exactly huge, and it was hard for her.

I remember one airport (Atlanta maybe) where we almost went the wrong way leaving the airplane and going into the airport, because they didn't have the pathway very clearly marked.

I think it is kind of fun.