whY passengers held back longer than necessary on VA

[Up&away]

When disembarking DJ flights I've found that the flight attendants will move to stand between the J and why cabins to hold back why customers. This makes sense to me as the push forward would make it hard for the premium guests to get bags, jackets etc.

the part I don't understand, is that when the door is opened, the FA stays standing there, blocking why passengers from disembarking, even after the J passengers are long gone.

This has happened to me nearly every time and I can't work it out. The closest I've come to understanding is noticing that the FAs sometimes lean forward to look out the window to see if the passengers from the back stairs have started disembarking and once I heard the FA ask their colleague if this had happened. Many times from the front row of why I find the rear stairs passengers are already in the terminal when I get off.

could it be that they don't want people at the back to feel the passengers moving forward and forget to use the back stairs, slowing things down...but there's normally no movement at the middle or back of the plane until some time after the doors open.

it feels pretty rude to me, as though we're being held back because we didn't pay enough ... But I'm sure there's probably some rational explanation...

 

[koonyaflyer]

There is a previous thread on this, which as I recall mentioned the importance of balance during disembarkation when using front and rear stairs. A CS confirmed that theory on a flight into Hobart last year, it is purely around balance

 

[Fruitcake]

Here's the thread that koonyaflyer referenced:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....cussion/do-va-planes-sometimes-tip-37624.html

A search of pprune on the topic shows quite extensive discussion about the importance of managing weight and balance on the 737-800 when on the ground.

When I was a no-status occasional flying university student, I used to use the back rows on DJ as a poor man's "status perk" for this very reason.

 

[MH_fan]

Now I understand why that happens! I've always wondered why the wait to disembark always took so long after the J class passengers had left.

 

[eastwest101]

Just a question to anyone whom may know, is this a peculiarity of the VA B737-800's weight and balance when using front and rear doors for disembarking? I am assuming so as QF usually is front door only.

Surely there must be other B738 operators somewhere in the world that use front and rear doors for unloading? What are their policies?

 

[markis10]

Just a question to anyone whom may know, is this a peculiarity of the VA B737-800's weight and balance when using front and rear doors for disembarking? I am assuming so as QF usually is front door only.

Surely there must be other B738 operators somewhere in the world that use front and rear doors for unloading? What are their policies?

It would be the same for anyone who deplaned their 738s from the rear, being a tricycle undercarriage there is support for loads at the front and not at the back when the centre of gravity shifts. Certainly a case where you won't hear "everyone move to the back of the bus" like I hear on the commute most mornings on the Brisbane bananas.

 

[Happy Trails]

QF routinely board and disembark 738s front and rear at KTA, but I don't recall it ever being an issue.

 

[markis10]

QF routinely board and disembark 738s front and rear at KTA, but I don't recall it ever being an issue.

No aero bridge at KTA I suspect, they allow for far quicker disembarkation than stairs.

 

[eastwest101]

Aerobridge or traditional stairs - makes no difference at all - its still about transferring weight from the aircraft to somewhere else. As markis10 says - its a weight and balance issue - ie: the order that pax get off the aircraft. As people have mentioned QF and VA both have B738's and do disembark through front and rear doors in some cases, and front door only in other cases (depending on the airline and airport).

The ATSB has some interesting weight and balance stories here: http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/2226870/ar2010044.pdf

 

[markis10]

Aerobridge or traditional stairs - makes no difference at all

Aerobridges do make significant difference, in that they allow people to get off 2x the rate of stairs and can also be applied to the door quicker, so the chance of the centre of gravity being moved back are higher, but of course the same thing can happen with stairs if the rear is slow to attach.

Aerobridges have also been known to contribute to the problem when they think they are a jack:

[video=youtube;x0T6jwllAsM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0T6jwllAsM[/video]

 

[Hvr]

Must be the very first time I have ever heard of workers actively preventing customers from tipping them (over!).

 

[Timba-Jet]

Good to know. I was in row 3 a few weeks ago and was quite annoyed the FA would not get out of our way in Y.