Why planes board from the left: Roots in maritime tradition
Many travellers have probably wondered why we board aircraft from the left side. Dougie Sharpe, popular on TikTok as the "fact guy," shared the historical reason for this practice, which has its roots in naval history.
Sharpe explains that ancient people loaded and unloaded cargo and passengers from the left side of ships. This was logistically convenient, and ships worldwide used the same side in trading ports, simplifying port infrastructure construction.
As a result, the left side of the ship was called the "port side," while the right side was called the "starboard."
Aviation adopted the boarding tradition from shipping
Engineers decided to maintain this tradition when humanity transitioned from boats to aeroplanes. Every airport and aeroplane was designed so that passengers always board from the aircraft's left side.
Michael Oakley, editor-in-chief of "The Aviation Historian," also explained this matter in an interview with AFAR Media. He noted that much aviation terminology originated from maritime traditions (e.g., rudder, cockpit, cabin, knots). Aviation also adopted the boarding method from the port side of ships.
A discussion ignited under the video
Comments under Sharpe's video on TikTok add additional information, such as the origin of the term "starboard" from steering, which refers to the right side of ships.
"The right side (starboard) comes from the Viking steering wheel – the rudder was always on the right side, so unloading was done on the left – to ensure the rudder was not damaged," the internet users explained.
Can you explain why we decided to load aeroplanes from front to back instead of back to front, causing the travel time to increase by an hour? - asked one of the commenters.
