Why don’t airlines board last-row passengers first?

Answer by HECTOR NEWMAN B737-800 pilot


It’s to do with balance. The plane has its wheels in a triangular shape: the nose wheel in the front and the main landing gear in the middle, under the wings. The rear of the aircraft has no support underneath it. Filling the back first risks tipping the plane like a seesaw. It happens a lot more than you think — just google for photos of a plane that has tipped. It can also happen when passengers are disembarking through an aerobridge attached to the front door. If the back rows haven’t emptied, cabin crew might ask other passengers to wait at the front.