At the Barclays 42nd Annual Industrial Select Conference, among other musings, CEO Barry Biffle suggested cutting jet bridges from airports. The thinking is to speed up aircraft turns and improve utilization of the Frontier Airways fleet.
Pushing ground loading “as possible” to 100%
As CEO Biffle shared with the Barclays Conference guests:
“Now, we just opened a ground loading facility in Denver, which is 14 positions. We’ve done this before in other cities, but now we’re starting to do it at scale. So one of the things that we’re going to do over the next few years is we’re gonna try to get as close to 100% ground loading as possible.”
CEO Biffle then cited European ultra-low-cost carriers like Hungary’s Wizz Air
and Ireland’s Ryanair
, which rarely use jet bridges. This begs two questions:
- Why do ultra-low-cost carriers want to ditch the jet bridge in favor of ground loading?
- Do other airlines operate normally without jet bridges?
Let’s start with the first question
Jet bridges are the “kiss of death” for fast airplane turns
To quote CEO Biffle again,
“A jet bridge… it’s just the kiss of death when you’re trying to turn an airplane really, really fast. If you have front and rear boarding, you literally double the speed that people get on and off the planes and so this is a huge cost savings opportunity. ”
Reviewing the Simple Flying guide into why do some airlines only board planes by stairs – it’s partially a matter of saving money from any jet bridge usage fee. Additionally, aircraft that can board quicker get into the air quicker, allowing for more flights daily, increasing gross revenue, and spreading costs – such as labor and maintenance – across more flights.
As the above video explains, there are also fees that come with using jet bridges. Plus it’s one narrow point to di
So the question arises: Why jet bridges?
Jet bridges provide the following benefits:
- Not being affected by the elements between the airport and the aircraft
- Protection from interference to and from airport ground ops turning aircraft around
- Not requiring a special truck with lift for passengers who cannot safely navigate stairs or a hot airport tarmac
- Easier climate control for the airport and the aircraft
- Single file boarding
But recently, Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport unveiled a new terminal with jet bridges. The new jet bridges were as Airport Director Tony Bean shared with the December 1, 2023 Lewiston Tribune, “It’s about other people’s quality of life.” The previous terminal used ground loading with no issue.
Readers can read more on the merits of jet bridges in
the Simple Flying history of jet bridges
:
Related
History: How Airport Jet Bridges Have Evolved Over The Years
A look into the history of a vital piece of airport infrastructure that passengers often overlook.
With that, the author would like to attempt to explain that not having a jet bridge is OK.
Bottom line: Many US airports do fine without jet bridges
The author would like to note that many US airports have done fine without jet bridges. As pictured below, Bellingham International Airport (BLI), Boise International Airport (BOI), Portland International Airport (PDX), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) all have some or all gates that operate without jet bridges. Granted, most of these photos are of Alaska Air Group’s regional airline Horizon Air
.
Some Alaska Airlines airports like Cordova, Alaska have and continue a similar experience with no issue as per
a 2024 trip review
. See supporting photos below:
Ultimately, Frontier is taking a calculated risk. But then again, other ultra-low-cost carriers do fly in the elements without dramatic issues – such as Ryanair boarding in the snow
of Brussels
South Charleroi Airport, as pictured below:
Photo: Alexandros Michailidis | Shutterstock
Let’s hope Frontier’s change translates into cheaper flights, faster boarding, and awesome aviation photography., eh?
