It wasn't the airlines or the government that come up with a scientific, algorithmically-based method for speeding up the boarding of a plane. It was an astrophysicist named Jason Steffen who came up with the "Steffen Method" with uses the Monte Carlo optimization method of calculating to bring us the technique.
A few years ago, Steffen was boarding a plane and witnessed the slow methods airlines were using to get people on board. He came up with the Steffen Method which alternates rows, starts with window seats first, and keeps progress moving in the right direction when everyone boards in the right order.
No airlines have adopted it yet, but based upon how it turned out, we may end up seeing it soon depending on how we fly.
This or That TV put it to the test. Here are the results.
