Major airlines adopted back-to-front boarding to minimize exposure between seated passengers and those entering the plane But a new study finds that boarding an airplane in this method doubles the risk of exposure to COVID-19 compared to random boarding This is because there is very close contact between passengers in the same rows crowding in the aisle as they store their suitcase in the overhead bins Researchers recommend airlines ban the use of overhead bins to stow luggage and that window-seat passengers are boarded first