Photo: Google

By JUAN DE JESÚS BREENE

In an age when airports are touted to be smarter, intuitive and efficient, it is puzzling that the process of getting on a plane seems to be taking longer than ever before.

While some airports have implemented systems to track a traveler’s proximity to the terminal from curbside, and most of us have our boarding passes ready on our phones or printed out, it begs the question: Shouldn’t the boarding process be quicker, or at least the same as it was in the 1970s, given all the technological advancements?

In the 1970s, it took about 15 minutes to board a plane. Today, it typically takes 30 to 40 minutes.

Surprisingly, aviation insiders attribute the blame to the airlines themselves. It turns out airlines are capitalizing on the extended boarding time by incorporating loyalty programs that often include priority boarding as a perk.

Currently, airlines typically have four to five boarding groups, each identified with a letter or number on the boarding pass. While it might seem logical to board passengers in the same vicinity first, this approach actually leads to contention and congestion among passengers on board.

Airlines are well aware that status sells. Even if one cannot afford a first-class ticket, being in Group Two is undeniably better than being in Group Five at the rear of the plane. To capitalize on this, airlines have created a system in which passengers are willing to pay a small fee to board earlier, securing overhead space before it gets filled.

Those with the airline’s credit card get some priority as well for their loyalty.

Channel that to Mexico, where the boarding areas around the gates are akin to a medium-sized living room crammed with 300 people, boarding an airplane begins to look a lot like boarding the Metro.

In their pursuit of catering to status-conscious travelers, airlines have inadvertently, or some would say intentionally, prolonged the boarding process, causing unnecessary delays.