Ask the Captain: Why does it take so long to open the exit door?

Question: I was wondering what takes so long to get the exit door open after we land. Could you please go through the steps?

— Submitted via email

Answer: Once the airplane arrives at the gate and is properly chocked, the captain shuts down the engines and switches off the “Fasten Seat Belt” light. The anti-collision light (this is the red blinking light on the top and bottom of the airplane) is switched off, informing ground crew that it is safe to approach the airplane.

Ground crew members then begin to position the jet bridge, aligning it with the door.  Once the jet bridge is mated to the aircraft and the cover is in place, the ground agent either opens the door or taps on it for the flight attendant to open it. This varies depending on the type of airplane to minimize the chance for an inadvertent slide deployment.

Once the door is initially opened, the ground agent assists in fully opening it and ensuring that it is locked in the open position.

This is the generic procedure for most jet airliners. Regional or smaller airplanes have a slightly different procedure as their stairs are built into the door.

Q: What does "prepare the doors for arrival and cross-check" mean?  Were the doors ever unprepared for arrival?

— Fred Coale, Cincinnati

A: Doors have evacuation slides attached. During ground operations, takeoff and landing, the slides inflate automatically when the doors are opened. When approaching the gate, the door’s automatic inflation systems must be disabled. The lead flight attendant informs the other flight attendants when to disarm the doors ("prepare doors for arrival") and then check that the other doors nearby are also properly disarmed ("cross-check").

Yes, the doors were unprepared for arrival when the slides were armed. Once disarmed, they are then ready for arrival.

Q: The time-consuming process of slowly getting passengers on and off planes is so frustrating. Other than the expense of adding new jetways, what else might be preventing the use of multiple airliner doors?           

— Nick Piazza, Minneapolis

A: The cost of the additional staff is one consideration. A few airlines use multiple-door boarding, especially on larger airplanes like the A380, and it does speed up the enplaning and deplaning process, but not as much as you might think.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.