Ask Away: Are we boarding planes all wrong?

Windows-first boarding could cause problems for families. Photo / Getty Images

Eli Orzessek finds the answers to your travel questions.

Is there any reason why planes could not be boarded by window seats first. It would save people having to get out of their seats to let others through and would lead to less blockage in the aisles.
Tony

That sounds sensible enough — and it's a theory that was explored in an episode of the television show Mythbusters, where six boarding methods were tested to find the ones with the best passenger satisfaction and the lowest time.

Your "window seats first" method is known as WilMA (window, middle, aisle) — and it was found to have the second-fastest boarding time, as well as having high passenger satisfaction scores. The method found to be the fastest was allowing all passengers to board at once and choose their own seats — this was once used by Irish airline Ryanair, until they discontinued it in an effort to be more family friendly. So why haven't airlines embraced the WilMA method?

For the same reason, basically. Groups and families would be split up during boarding, which could get complicated if children were involved.

However, at least one airline has used WilMA boarding, and that's US carrier United Airlines. Although this method sounds good in theory, it was described in the LA Times as "a system that only a mad scientist could love". So perhaps it only works in laboratory conditions.

And if, like me, you're left wondering what the "il" in the WilMA acronym stands for, don't ask — nobody seems to know.

As a type 1 diabetic I recently bought a glucose monitoring kit which involves having a sensor stuck on my upper arm. The product is FreeStyle Libre and means I do not have to finger-prick to test my levels. The product comes with a reader which you just wave over the attached sensor. My question is this: Would the sensor set off alarms going through security?
Chris

I've read up on this and the answer is ... inconclusive. I read a blog on travelling with type 1 diabetes, in which the author said her Freestyle Libre did set off airport alarms. However, plenty of people on the diabetes.co.uk forums reported that it didn't — so I'd say it depends on the airport and the scanner. At some airports I've had to take off my belt when going through scanners, while at others it doesn't seem to matter — so obviously some are more sensitive than others.

When travelling with medicine/medical supplies, I always recommend travellers bring along a doctor's letter explaining everything. Although most of the time you don't need it, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's also good to get a new one every year, just in case whoever's in charge decides your letter isn't recent enough.

Readers respond:

Following last week's question on medical insurance for a trip to North Korea, I've had two companies contact me to say they offer cover: Health Management Insurance Services Ltd and Cover-More Travel Insurance.

Apparently interest in North Korea is up following the Trump/Kim summit, so keep them in mind if you plan to visit. A reader also wrote in to say that his Westpac Airpoints Silver credit card travel insurance covered his trip to North Korea, but as he made no claims, "the assertion I was covered was not tested".

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