The coronavirus pandemic is going to change every aspect of our lives. It’ll be a long time before anyone feels comfortable crowding into a airliner for a long-haul flight, but sooner or later the package holiday companies will start up again.

You have to feel for the little fella. Pluto doesn’t have the bling of Saturn’s rings. It lacks the famed little green men of Mars. It certainly isn’t as much fun to say as Uranus.

Jason Steffen, professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas joins The Matt Bubala Show to discuss all things airplanes, updates on the Kepler Mission and future projects. Tune in to the full conversation here.

No one enjoys boarding an airplane. It’s slow, it’s inefficient, and often undignified. And that’s without even getting into the ethical quandary of so-called gate lice, the anxious passengers who cluster at the gate before their group is called. But at least one part of the process doesn’t need to be disrupted. When it comes to shunting slow-moving passengers to the front of the queue, such as those requiring assistance or with small children, the airlines have it exactly right.

A team of researchers led from Norway used space-time geometry techniques to explore the factors that lead to a speedy take-off or an agonising delay on the tarmac.

Commercial airlines often prioritize boarding for passengers traveling with small children, or for those who need extra assistance—in other words, those likely to be slower to stow their bags and take their seats—before starting to board the faster passengers. It's counter-intuitive, but it turns out that letting slower passengers board first actually results in a more efficient process and less time before takeoff, according to a new paper in Physical Review E.

Improving the airplane boarding experience has become something of a holy grail over the years, especially after a 1998 Boeing study suggested that airlines could increase profits by decreasing airplane turnaround time. Since then, airlines have invested significant time and money into seeing if they can speed up one of the most frustrating parts of air travel—and that’s saying a lot, considering the other frustrating elements of flying.

Boarding is one of the more stressful parts of a plane journey. The current ways most airlines board their planes leave a lot to be desired when it comes to efficiency. But there are some options which could make the whole process a lot easier.