As I waited at the end of a line last week to board the Mount Washington Cog Train with my assigned-seat ticket in hand, it occurred to me that only needing a small backpack made the process far simpler than for a flight burdened with carry-on baggage. A random free-for-all process, providing priority by willingness to wait in line, served well for the 45-minute ride up and down the mountain.

It’s not nearly as simple getting luggage-laden people on board a flight. But there is a solution. In 2008, astrophysicist Jason Steffen came up with “perfect airplane boarding method.” It starts by seating window-seat passengers every other row from back to front along one side and then the same on the other side. Then repeat the process with middle seats and, finally, the aisle.

For a fun ‘Pac Man’ illustration, see this interview of Steffen by News Nation:

An experimental test of airplane boarding methods using a mock Boeing 757 airplane showed that Steffen method cuts the time in half from traditional methods going by zones. But though it would certainly save airlines a great deal of time and thus money to switch their boarding to this innovative method, none are likely to make the change due to its precise control of passenger being impractical. Elite flyers accustomed to priority boarding would be very unhappy. Furthermore, families must be broken up in the Steffen-method lineup—not good.

However, there is hope for a better way on to an airplane. As noted in the News Nation video, United Airlines adopted a simplified Steffen method called “WILMA” that boards passengers first by window, then middle and, finally, aisle. However, as laid out in this June 24, 2025 post by CNBC the airline exempts many passengers from WILMA, including those with United credit cards. Perhaps that’s why they only save 2 minutes per flight with their new boarding process. But at an estimated cost of $100 per minute the savings of $200 per flight times nearly 5,000 flights per day by United adds up to $1 million in daily savings.

Based on my experience boarding the Mount Washington Cog Train and numerous studies, a random process serves well by it being fair and fast. When American Airlines tried it in 2011 on all but those passengers with elite status, the random process shaved 20 to 25 minutes off average times. However, according to their flight attendants, it created “complete chaos in the cabin.” As you can see in this April 26 press release, American now goes by a 9-group process. Evidently saving time via free-for-all boarding cannot provide payback for the pandemonium.