Boarding (transport)

Boarding is a term to describe the entry of passengers onto a vehicle, usually in public transportation. Boarding starts with entering the vehicle and ends with the seating of each passenger and closure of the doors. The term is used in road, water and air transport (for example, passengers board a coach).

Aviation

At airports, a "Boarding Call" on the public announcement system asks travelers to come to the exit gate and board the aircraft. For boarding an aircraft, Airstairs or Jetways are used. Small aircraft often carry their own stairs.

Airlines control the access to the aircraft by checking passengers' boarding passes and matching them with the list of passengers. This process is automated using Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP). A 2D bar code is scanned and the data are sent to the airline's system to look up the list of passengers. If the passenger is entitled to board, a positive message is sent back to the airline agent.

Boarding in Air travel is supervised by ground personnel. The pilot is responsible for the boarding as soon as the doors are closed because by law (Treaty of Tokyo 1964, Title III, Section 5 Chapter 2) the aircraft is then "in flight".

After boarding, the takeoff will follow in most cases.

Water transport

In water transport a boarding onto a watercraft can be done while it is located in harbour or at sea.

Buses

Passengers board buses in the United Kingdom by either indicating to the bus driver they want to board (traditionally this is by holding out an arm, but can also be done by walking towards the kerb) at a bus stop, or by boarding when a bus has stopped at a bus station.

Once on board passengers are required to purchase a ticket for their journey or show a valid travel pass. In many areas, but not all, passengers are required to tell the driver their destination.

commonscat|Boarding (transport)