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The MD80 series and Boeing 717s all still have airstairs and are primarily used for cleaning the aircraft and/or catering.
Wow, I was not aware that either of those models had air stairs. I have been on DL MD88s many times, and never once noticed the presence of the aft hatch that would indicate stairs. And I'm surprised to hear that airstairs are still a consideration in new aircraft design and construction; IIRC, B717s have only been around for 10 years or so.
Wow, I was not aware that either of those models had air stairs. I have been on DL MD88s many times, and never once noticed the presence of the aft hatch that would indicate stairs. And I'm surprised to hear that airstairs are still a consideration in new aircraft design and construction; IIRC, B717s have only been around for 10 years or so.
I lied. I don't believe the 717 has ventral stairs, but some sort of tail evacuation system. Similar, but different. Late night brain fart on my part.
The DC-9 and MD-80/90 definitely have air stairs which are operated by a rickety handle next to where the stairs deploy. It is a fairly roomy staircase (for an airplane, that is). I'm not sure about other airlines, but Delta uses them primarily for cabin service; easy entrance and exit without having to go through the jetway, which is helpful with quick turnarounds - a Delta specialty. You should be able to spot the door in the aft galley. I've never really been on the lookout for the door when on the aircraft, but it is there somewhere.
Last edited by emcee squared; 10-08-2013 at 08:11 PM..
Back in 2005, I got a Lloyd Boliviano Air Pass in Bolivia, a week-long pass, where you could fly to your choice of cities in Bolivia, and down there, when you boarded, or de-boarded, there were stairs leading out the back and front of the planes, which made for much quicker exits and boarding. How sweet it was!
Anytime I fly today, frustrated how long it takes to get to your seat, and de-board, I think of those times I flew around Bolivia!
Design the seating area at the gate to resemble the layout of the largest plane that can use that gate. No need for people to form a line when boarding. Board row-by-row, back to front. (This will also ensure that everyone has a seat in the gate waiting area and will not have to sit on the floor. It will also help to resolve any duplicate seating issues prior to boarding.)
Have overhead bin spaces marked and allow passengers to purchase those designated spaces. This would ensure that passengers don't have to search for available space or risk having to check-in their bag.
Excellent idea. When I traveled more frequently I never understood why the idea of efficiently 'pre staging' as much of the aircraft boarding sequence as a design element of the boarding gate, has never been (seemingly) pursued.
Best I've experienced was the 'region schematic' for flow in filling seats (furthest in - first in: window seats, rows etc...) or as others mentioned, the 'discard all priority protocol except disabled' and load in to meet a departure time window.
The other load process technique I recall mentioned is when studies of efficiency were done in the industry, the single biggest benefit would be a second boarding door on the aircraft. Somehow this fairly simple design has never been more fully pursued to match with a congruent flexible boarding 'arm' aperture at each gate. granted it would only be used for larger class aircraft but a 45-50% decrease in wasted time and to keep most priority elites happy in their self importance would be a Disneyesque - queue like treat (crowd control flow).
There isn't enough room in the overhead area for every seat to have a space big enough for a carryon bag, so you can't really assign spaces. It's amazing how something as spectacular as flying cross country at 30,000 feet in only a few hours has become such a miserable experience.
Back in 2005, I got a Lloyd Boliviano Air Pass in Bolivia, a week-long pass, where you could fly to your choice of cities in Bolivia, and down there, when you boarded, or de-boarded, there were stairs leading out the back and front of the planes, which made for much quicker exits and boarding. How sweet it was!
Anytime I fly today, frustrated how long it takes to get to your seat, and de-board, I think of those times I flew around Bolivia!
It used to be that way at Montego Bay in Jamaica. Now that they have modernized it does take longer to load and unload the plane.
I lied. I don't believe the 717 has ventral stairs, but some sort of tail evacuation system. Similar, but different.
No harm, no foul.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emcee squared
The DC-9 and MD-80/90 definitely have air stairs which are operated by a rickety handle next to where the stairs deploy. It is a fairly roomy staircase (for an airplane, that is). I'm not sure about other airlines, but Delta uses them primarily for cabin service; easy entrance and exit without having to go through the jetway, which is helpful with quick turnarounds - a Delta specialty. You should be able to spot the door in the aft galley. I've never really been on the lookout for the door when on the aircraft, but it is there somewhere.
I knew that D9s had them; I jumped ship from Delta to Northwest as my preferred airline some years ago when I was still traveling a lot, and I did notice the door assembly back there. At that time, I think NW may have been the only US airline that still flew D9s.
Next time I'm on an DL MD-series, I'll have to head back there and take another look.
That said, I miss the old DL 727s. The seats were so much more spacious and comfortable, even in Coach. If you could snag an exit row seat, it was almost as roomy as a First Class seat. I think DL sold all their 20s to be converted to freighters; FedEx or UPS may have bought them.
I knew that D9s had them; I jumped ship from Delta to Northwest as my preferred airline some years ago when I was still traveling a lot, and I did notice the door assembly back there. At that time, I think NW may have been the only US airline that still flew D9s.
Next time I'm on an DL MD-series, I'll have to head back there and take another look.
That said, I miss the old DL 727s. The seats were so much more spacious and comfortable, even in Coach. If you could snag an exit row seat, it was almost as roomy as a First Class seat. I think DL sold all their 20s to be converted to freighters; FedEx or UPS may have bought them.
DL still flies the DC-9s they received from the NW merger, but they're due to be completely phased out within the next few months. Delta is going through a major narrowbody fleet overhaul in the coming years with the introduction of ~80 Airtran 717s, 100 new 739s, and 30 new A321s, so older aircraft, DC-9 included, will be scrapped. I never had an opportunity to fly on and DL 727s or their L1011s, and yeah, many did become converter freighters.
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Until they built a modern terminal in Los Cabos, they used to pull up 2 portable air stairs for the airbus/737 aircraft. I loved being the first ones off the plane by exiting at the rear.
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I don't believe the 717 has ventral stairs, but some sort of tail evacuation system. Similar, but different. Late night brain fart on my part. 
