Boarding
The period from the first passenger stepping aboard until the door closes — the busiest and, historically, least paid part of the job.
Definition
Boarding is the phase in which passengers move from the gate onto the aircraft, from the first person at the door to the moment the doors close for departure. Cabin crew are positioned through the cabin to greet, check boarding passes where required, manage cabin bags and identify special passengers. It is preceded by the pre-boarding checks and followed by the safety demonstration and cabin-secure sequence.
What it means for you
Boarding is the phase where the on-time performance is won or lost, and it is where you are most likely to take on the bag problem, the seat dispute and the passenger who should not be flying. In the United States it was unpaid for most of the industry's history because pay ran from door close; boarding pay at half rate was introduced by Delta in 2022 and has since spread through union contracts.
In practice
An American Airlines crew member is paid at 50% of the hourly rate during boarding under the 2024 APFA contract, while an Air Canada colleague won ground pay for boarding only after the August 2025 strike.
Related terms
4 terms- DisembarkationFlight operationsPassengers leaving the aircraft after arrival — followed by the crew's cabin sweep, and, on a turnaround, the next boarding.
- On-time performanceFlight operationsThe share of an airline's flights that depart or arrive within 15 minutes of schedule — a headline metric that trickles down to crew.
- Cabin secureSafety & trainingThe crew's confirmation to the flight deck that the cabin is ready for take-off or landing: seatbelts, galleys, exits and crew seated.
- Flying payPay & benefitsThe variable part of crew pay, calculated per block or flight hour actually flown; the reason long-haul months pay more than short-haul.