One flight, behind the scenes

At the gate, the 747 becomes a meeting point for teams working above, below and around the cabin. Many tasks happen at the same time; others have to wait.

04 / At the gate

Nine jobs. One departure.

Follow the teams preparing a jumbo for its next flight. Add delays and see which ones move the departure time.

Fictional teaching schedule in minutes from arrival. Real tasks overlap differently under airline, airport and safety procedures. This is not an operational checklist.

Ready at minute 98 · on the model’s baseline.

Passengers leave, baggage unloading and fuelling start together.

Turnaround board

Each bar starts when its prerequisites finish. Select a task for its story.

Passengers leave

The bridge connects the terminal to the aircraft. Arriving passengers and their bags take different paths.

No earlier model task required.

Discover the critical path

Start with a small fuelling delay. Then add the same delay to catering. They may affect departure differently because one task has more spare time before its successor needs it. The clock identifies teams currently at work, while each task card explains what must happen first.

The baseline takes 98 fictional minutes from arrival through pushback. Delays extend a task's duration. All times and dependencies are teaching assumptions, not a recommended turnaround plan. For example, this model makes boarding wait for catering and cleaning; actual arrangements vary.

One aircraft, many perspectives

Read the people behind the jumbo, or take on the freighter loading challenge.

Explore all 747 tools and experiences →

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the primary and institutional references below.

  1. 747-400 airplane characteristics for airport planning - Boeing