Most passengers don’t give much thought to which side of the plane they board from, but there’s a specific reason why you always board from the left-hand side. It’s a tradition that dates back to the days when humanity travelled by boat.
Dougie Sharpe, a TikTok creator known for sharing interesting facts, recently revealed the historical roots of this practice. “The reason we always load and unload planes from the left-hand side is a holdover from when humanity moved on boats,” he explained. In a video that has since gone viral, Sharpe detailed that in ancient times, the left-hand side of ships was used for loading and unloading cargo and passengers.
“This made things simple logistically and would allow ships to travel all over the world from port to port, always having the correct equipment on the correct side,” The New York Post quoted Mr Sharpe as saying. This standardisation led to the left-hand side being known as the “port side” of a ship, while the right side became the “starboard,” a tradition that carried over to modern aviation.
As technology advanced and air travel became common, engineers adopted this concept for airports and aeroplanes. “When humanity transitioned from boats to aeroplanes, engineers just held the concept over,” Sharpe added. “Every airport and aeroplane was designed so passengers always board from the left-hand side.”
Aviation experts have confirmed this longstanding practice. Michael Oakley, managing editor of The Aviation Historian, told AFAR Media, “It is one of the many aviation practices that goes back beyond aviation itself to the traditions of ships.” Mr Oakley explained that much of aviation terminology has roots in maritime language, and the boarding process is no exception. “Just as boats and ships have a port side, aircraft follow the same principle. People sensibly decided to continue boarding on the port (or left) side.”
The historical explanation resonates with many, with one online commenter agreeing, “These are my favourite types of practices that have lasted thousands of years.” Another added, “The term ‘starboard’ comes from the fact that ships used to have a steering board on the right side.”
