There are quite a number of publications about airplane boarding which all usually begin with something like:
Boarding is an expensive process that costs so much, that by reducing the boarding time airlines could save a lot of money.
However, none of the publications I've read says explicitly why the costs are reduced. Of course there is at least one obvious reason:
- A shorter ground time reduces delays and thus the number of missed connecting flights, leading to fewer liabilities.
Further there is the possibility that a plane can do an additional flight during the day. But if a plane does 5 flights a day and saves 5 minutes per boarding, then the resulting 25 minutes would not suffice (at least in countries with start restrictions over the night).
So therefore the question: What factors play a role in saving money by reducing boarding time?