Deep breaths. That's usually what it takes to stay sane while watching somebody search for their neck pillow while standing in the aisle with 100 other passenger waiting to get to their seats.

Loading an airplane quickly and efficiently isn’t an easy task. It should be, and could be, but the humans involved can’t seem to get with the program. It’s a perennial problem for passengers and airlines alike, because every minute we save loading is a minute spent getting where we’re going. We love this because it means less time dealing with airlines, and airlines love it because it means more time in the air – which is where they make their money.

With this in mind, airlines are spending a lot of time trying to determine the best way to get us into our seats. If you’ve flown with more than one airline, you’ve no doubt noticed the process is far from standard – there are almost as many boarding procedures as there are airlines. This problem has been pondered by mathematicians and scientists, and they’ve yet to come up with a definitive answer. But there have been a few promising experiments this summer, so we may finally be nearing the day when we’re not all waiting for the person in 17D struggling to get his overstuffed suitcase into the overhead bin.

The most unusual — and deceptively simple — idea is simply opening the door at the rear of the plane in addition to the door at the front. Alaska Airlines is trying this at a few airports, including its home base in Seattle and Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California. The idea isn’t entirely new – many airlines, including Alaska, open the front and rear doors at those airports where there is no jetway, only a staircase leading to the tarmac.

“We’ve been doing the dual-door boarding at some of our Mexico destinations for a while,” says Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan. But now the airline has a new tool to help facilitate using both doors at other airports. “Because of the solar-powered ramp, we’re testing the idea of dual-door boarding at airports where we didn’t have it before.”

Yes, a solar-powered ramp. Mounted on wheels, the ramp can be driven to the backdoor of the airplane, and passengers make two switch-back turns down the ramp to the ground, providing an alternative to stairs for easy suitcase rolling and wheelchair access.

Using the aft door to unload passengers can reduce the turnaround time by up to 10 minutes, according to Alaska. Egan says the airline will continue to evaluate the data and feedback collected, but for now it’s a pilot project there’s no word yet on whether the process will be expanded to other airports.

One of the big reasons boarding has slowed to a crawl is more people are carrying more stuff aboard in an effort to avoid the ubiquitous baggage fees. Trying to drag a bag or two down a narrow aisle and hoist it overhead adds time to the process, especially when the plane is packed.

With that in mind, American Airlines is experimenting with letting those who checked their bag or, in some cases, those with just one bag they'll put under the seat, board first. Ideally, these passengers will simply walk to their row and sit down. The airlines says the technique is occasionally abused by somebody who hoists a carry-on in the overhead bin, but overall it’s shaved a few minutes off the boarding process.

Although airlines commonly board by sections – Rows 35 through 25, for example – it’s generally a free-for-all with regard to where in that section you are. United continues to use the “outside-in” method of seating window passengers first, then middle, then aisle seats. But this summer the airline has been organizing passengers in better defined lines at the gate for each group. The hope is there will be less of a bottleneck as everyone thinks it’s their turn to get on the airplane.

Now if they could do something about the people who yank on the headrest in front of them every time they get up…