E190 Rear Boarding Sydney

[CPMaverick]

Hi All-

Flying with my dad tomorrow and he wants to board via rear stairs. We are flying a E190 out of SYD.

Do these planes board via the rear stairs at all? How about at SYD?

I only want to get a rear seat assignment if the stairs are used.

Cheers!

 

[MarkD]

Yes they do board via rear most of the time. Obviously coughpy weather or other operational things may happen. I can only recall a handful of times out of well in excess of 100 E170/190 flights that they have not used the rear stairs, therefor, pretty good odds I'd say.

 

[CPMaverick]

Cheers, thanks!

 

[straitman]

Slightly OT but I never use the rear stairs as I don't need exposure to the (potential) noise from other aircraft turbine engines. I already have enough hearing loss from 40 years in the aviation industry.

 

[williamsf1]

Depending how busy the flight is the back rows are blocked for weight and balance – Also they never use the back stairs for unloading – so you might be first on – but you will be last off

 

[CPMaverick]

They never use the back stairs for deplaning on the E190? I know they use them on the 737. We just did it!

In any case VA canceled our flight today and we were rebooked on a 737. Were able to get a rear seat (it is not easy when you are Gold!) and used the stairs on and off. So my dad was happy.

Cheers

 

[williamsf1]

They never use the back stairs for deplaning on the E190?

Cheers

Never – has to do with ballance of the aircraft

 

[andyhui01]

Never – has to do with ballance of the aircraft

Thats interesting. Never took note, don't think I've been in the back of a e jet before. I understand weight distribution has been mentioned but can someone explain in more detail?

 

[AviatorInsight]

Thats interesting. Never took note, don't think I've been in the back of a e jet before. I understand weight distribution has been mentioned but can someone explain in more detail?

As a few others have noted, it's got to do with weight and balance. The Ejet is naturally 'tail heavy'. This is why they always seat pax towards the front of the aircraft to counteract.

Disembarking from the front only, assists in avoiding any teetering. Should pax disembark from both ends at the same time, it could cause an upset and have the aircraft sitting on its tail.

 

[CPMaverick]

That's interesting. Couldn't the same problems occur on boarding?

 

[AviatorInsight]

You'd think so, but more is being loaded onto the aircraft at the front during boarding (i.e., people and baggage in the cargo compartment). This helps in the balancing act with people boarding from the rear.

They have the front and back conveyor belts attached when boarding and loading the aircraft so the weight is evenly distributed. When disembarking, there usually isn't as many bags loaded in the rear cargo hold and so this problem exists.

For comparison, on the B737, if they disembark front only (due to the outside weather for example), the ramp agents start unloading via the rear cargo hold first, then they move onto the front. Similar set up to the Ejet but reversed.