Between the high numbers of people traveling and the rising cost of checked baggage, the boarding process is becoming increasingly inefficient.
While those with a higher ticket class get the additional perk of entering the plane early, the ensuing process often erupts into a chaos in which passengers from the same zone but sitting in different parts of the plane create a bottleneck while trying to squeeze carry-on luggage into limited overhead space or asking passengers who had access to early boarding to get up as more people come in. Some industry insiders have even reported on a rise of passengers faking a disability in order to bypass this and be offered early boarding.
Related: Domino effect: Another airline just made checking a bag more expensive
In October 2023, United Airlines (UAL) started experimenting with a boarding scheme in which those in first and business class or with frequent flyer status board first while everyone else enters depending on where one sits in the row of seats — those with window and middle seats board first in order to minimize passengers having to get up for incoming passengers later.
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Delta is changing up its boarding zones (here is how)
This week, Delta Air Lines (DAL) announced that it will be renaming its boarding zones back to a system it had before 2019 in order to be more in line with what is commonly used in the industry. Instead of telling guests they have access to “Pre-Boarding" or the "Main Cabin," Delta is bringing it back the system ranging from Zone One (First Class) to Zone Eight (a Basic Economy ticket).
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The zones will be printed on the ticket in the same way that "Main Cabin," "First Class" or "Pre-Boarding" is now.
"This transition to numbered zones will provide customers more clarity into the boarding sequence and make the boarding process more intuitive — especially for infrequent travelers and/or customers who might face a language barrier at the gate," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to the press. "Numbered zones will also align more closely with our joint venture and international partners, providing international customers a more simplified, consistent experience when traveling on mixed-metal itineraries."
While this change does not actually impact how people can board, it is meant to clear up confusion around which zone one is in. The airline had switched to the name system in 2019 to make the travel experience feel more "personal" and differentiate itself from other airlines.
'Adding clarity of sequence and improving the overall gate experience'
Back in 2018, Delta put out a press release saying that "zone boarding, an aviation standard for decades, will soon be a thing of the past."
While stopping short of admitting that it made the wrong call back in the day, the airline said that there has been confusion around which boarding group one is in that delays the boarding process at a time when airlines are already dealing with a record number of passengers.
"Delta believes the move to numbered zones will simplify the boarding process for both our customers and our employees, adding clarity of sequence and improving the overall gate experience," the airline said further.
