Southwest Remembers Jets Have Two Doors So People Exit Plane Faster

Have you ever been near the back of a plane, waiting for the line of exiting passengers to start moving when you remember, “Hey, there’s another door back here! Maybe we could use that and speed things up?” Looks like Southwest has had the same epiphany.

The Los Angeles Times reports that earlier this month Southwest began tests allowing passengers to exit the plane from both the front and rear doors.

Under the dual door de-planing system, which is being tested at Sacramento International Airport and San Jose International Airport, passengers in the back of the plane don’t have to wait for their fellow travelers to grab their bags and exit before they can leave their seats.

Instead, passengers toward the back of the aircraft exit through the back door, often onto stairs leading straight to the jetway.

A rep for Southwest tells the L.A. Times that the airline will use the tests to determine if the system should be expanded to other airlines.

This isn’t the first time the airline has dabbled in dual door de-planing, the rep notes, adding that in the past the system has been used periodically at other warm-weather airports, where it was received well by customers and improved on-time performance.

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist