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Ever notice that you only board commercial airplanes on the left side? It’s not just a wacky coincidence and the reasoning may have been decided hundreds of years even before airplanes were invented. Some people suggest that the reason planes embark and disembark on the left side is because boats boarded from the left years before airplanes ever existed.
Many claim that boarding to the left dates back to traditional nautical customs. “I believe the reasoning goes back to ships, which have a port (left) and starboard (right) side,” said Andrew Stagg, who describes himself as a commercial airline pilot. “The port side was the one you would embark and disembark from, so most airplane and jetway designers followed the same convention.” Oceanliners passengers boarded from the port side.
Another popular explanation as to why we board on the left side of planes is because the pilot sits on the left side of the airliner and when they are taxing at the airport. They need to be able to gauge how close they are to the passenger terminal and the jetbridge. “Early airports were set up so that aircraft could taxi in front of the terminal and stop to discharge passengers,” said a former U.S. Air Force pilot. “It was useful for the pilot to be able to judge wing clearance from the terminal building and to put the aircraft door in front of the terminal doors. Some early transports had right-side doors into the passenger cabin, but the logic of the pilot’s field of view prevailed.” Refuelling and unloading/loading baggage are done on the opposite side of the passenger boarding area. The engine on the right side can be kept running as a source of air and power without it being a hazard to the boarding flyers.
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