For QF and VA - a LATAM solution to boarding that WORKS!!

[higheden]

Who cares ? The biggest problem continues to be people travelling with too much stuff...they hold everyone up by spending ages loading their gear into the overhead storage (same goes with exiting) . Solve that issue, and you will get my vote.

So, so true! I really think they should minimise the size of bags taken on board. Would save so much hassle, particularly on domestic!

 

[Scott K]

So, so true! I really think they should minimise the size of bags taken on board. Would save so much hassle, particularly on domestic!

Did you see the discussion thread about QF weighing carry-on recently? There’s a lot of people on here that got all frothy about the idea of QF enforcing a metric, even if that metric is one that could be in place for the safety of others and crew.
I think there’s a real struggle to be had dealing with people in our market.

 

[flyer001]

re Qantas all very well to say business class is to board first, however often they are not ready immediately, are you going to make other passengers wait for them? the priority lane does help, further the business class is at the front so all other passengers have to pass them to board, not good if you have slow B/passengers, as far as we can see this is the fastest way to load an aircraft thus maximizing the use of this which should reduce overall costs.
and do not say everyone else is better, remember a while ago boarding an overbooked plane in Russia and the able bodied were made to run around the aircraft, first round got on.

 

[ferntree]

Qantas boarding sure is a shambles. The LATAM model would be a huge improvement. Another would be Cathay Pacific's. Perhaps they should hop over to Hong Kong Airport to see how it's done.

1. High Status Fliers
2. First Class
3. Business Class
4. Premium Economy
5. Economy (by groups, according to position in the plane).

It's enforced and in my experience works like clockwork.

 

[Berlin]

So many airlines all over the globe do this better than QF. In my mind it's simply the staff enforcing priority rules. Same with pax from coach sneaking up to the J class toilet- some staff send them back, some just don't give a toss.

 

[Grantxw8]

I read an interesting article some time ago about an astrophysicist who did some work on the best way to board a plane.

Revealed: the fastest way to board a plane - Travel Weekly

It seems everyone is doing it incorrectly. He suggests a free-for-all is better than most currently employed systems.

 

[bertair]

Funny thing is that some people have a higher opinion of themselves than others when it comes to flying TBH, especially as to their entitlement to Priority Boarding.
What is irksome to me is not whether I board ahead of anyone else, after all the plane will leave with all pax on board, whether they are first or last on board.
But it is those who arrive on board, knowing the limits of carry on, but attempt to bluff and harass some attendants to allow them to put their large carry ons into the overheads regardless, and bugger anyone else who may have something smaller or fragile already there.
Their ploy to not check in their bags should be deterred by way of refusal to board, and by sending them all the way back to the check in desks may teach them a lesson.
If they miss their flight, well too bad, they only have themselves to blame.
Then there are the one or two passengers who arrive at the gate late; having squeezed the last moments out of their lounge access, just as the gate is closing, or because they may be a VIP or First/Business holding up the push back, they are still allowed to board with their carry on over weight or over size.
I am not fussed about priority boarding that much, but if it helps the airline keep to schedule and passengers in line, I am all for it.
Flying seems to be more of a hassle as each year goes by for me, or I am just getting old and cranky. ?

 

[Sevennought]

YES!!! especially making people with too much roll-on luggage come last. I am so tired of not having any room left for my very small back pack because the space has all been used by customers with a roll-on suitcase plus a lap top. Once we were told to be very careful about a passenger's laptop and not to damage it any way. This was from a woman whose laptop was three seats away from where it should be.
Stupidly we didn't react in any way and just grizzled to each other all the way home. I think the man who takes out luggage which is in the wrong compartment and places it on the floor is fantastic

 

[Pushka]

Swiss Air has a similar policy. Works a treat. I think in J we were boarded with their Politicians and just after families with an age stipulation on ‘children’.

 

[Buzzard]

I did a fair bit of domestic flying on Delta in the US last year and boarding was carried out very efficiently. It can be done.
Like some other posters, my biggest gripe is with those pax who think they can bring on as much luggage as they like, be they in J or Y.
When +1 and I were flying a fair amount of domestic J, many a time we wouldn't board only to find the overhead above our seats to be full. On disembarking we would see that the passengers often in the same row had filled "their" overhead as well as "ours". To me this just shows how selfish, lazy and impatient some people are.

 

[attimo69]

QF doesn't get it. The perfect example was given here some time ago by someone observing the flightee manning the EMPTY non-priorty queue, who refused to scan the BP of a priority customer (whose line was boarding) because "this is the non-priority queue".......WTF? So, yes, QF doesn't get it. And yes, getting on first does make a difference to some loyal priority customers. The ones who stay in the lounge as long as possible can be served when they get to the gate, but the ones already waiting at the gate, should be given priority. "Priority Boarding" is a published perk of status. If they're not gonna provide, they shouldn't promise it.

 

[Grantxw8]

I did a fair bit of domestic flying on Delta in the US last year and boarding was carried out very efficiently. It can be done.
Like some other posters, my biggest gripe is with those pax who think they can bring on as much luggage as they like, be they in J or Y.
When +1 and I were flying a fair amount of domestic J, many a time we wouldn't board only to find the overhead above our seats to be full. On disembarking we would see that the passengers often in the same row had filled "their" overhead as well as "ours". To me this just shows how selfish, lazy and impatient some people are.

Just to be clear, when people are referring to "roll-on" luggage, are they meaning the carry-on sized cases with wheels? According to what I read on the various airline web-sites we are allowed to bring on board up-to 7kg of carry-on luggage. This can comprise a small case and a laptop bag for men and a handbag for ladies. I haven't checked this in some time. Has it changed?

 

[Forg]

QF should start using the rear doors domestically ... non-status escape from VA just seems to take a heap less time when they use the rear doors (which in my admittedly-limited experience is so long as rain’s not bucketing down).

 

[Pushka]

QF should start using the rear doors domestically ... non-status escape from VA just seems to take a heap less time when they use the rear doors (which in my admittedly-limited experience is so long as rain’s not bucketing down).

They always do in Adelaide.

 

[lowan74]

My AA experiences have been really good. Their app counts down the minutes to when board commences. So you can arrive at the gate 1 min in advance.

I get there a bit earlier if my exec platinum upgrade needs to clear at gate.

Group boarding works fine. And being the USA everyone goes along with it happily.

Contrast that with QF. Flew SYD BNE ret Friday Saturday. Why can’t they just say we are boarding priority now through priority lane and rope off the other lane until they have processed all of the priority pax at gate. JAL do this on intl flights from Narita - even separating emerald from sapphire !

Obviously qantas just don’t care about service consistency across the marketing alliance

I also agree that my AA experiences have always been great, as (all of) ruby, sapphire and emerald at various times. Whime may critcise AA for various things, they are very good at boarding...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Group 2.- Status holders. One World Emerald or Sapphire, etc. Average about a dozen pax, maybe two dozen.

Can the group 2 have rollaboards not just personal items that would fit under the seat?

Japan and Scandinavia are two places in my experience that board flights the most quickly and efficiently. Both have automatic scanners/turnstiles at the gate. That way one turnstile can be programmed to only allow priority pax through and the other for general boarding.

So seeing as humans seem to be more inclined to obey a machine when the ‘computer says no’ QF just needs to put turnstiles at the gate with clear signage above the priority one that won’t let non status pax through.

So does that mean a non-elite spouse or travelling companion would not be able to board with their elite travelling companion or if they're in the same pnr their boarding pass would receive the green light? Too bad if they were in separate pnrs.

 

[dajop]

I note many commenting on the “efficiency” and how wonderful American carriers are at PB. IME, I always felt that whilst priority boarding did work well, the whole process was very time consuming. In my time flying QF domestically - I didn’t really experience QF take much more than 15 mins to board a 737, I’ve experienced it take 30mins on AA even though, or perhaps because, priority boarding was enforced and worked well.

On a related matter I had a wonderful priority boarding experience on SQ last night. About 17 mins before departure I went through security, then immediately onto the plane. I walked straight to my seat, put my backpack in the overhead locker above my seat, and the doors closed. That to me is priority boarding.

 

[attimo69]

[QUOTE="So does that mean a non-elite spouse or travelling companion would not be able to board with their elite travelling companion or if they're in the same pnr their boarding pass would receive the green light? Too bad if they were in separate pnrs.[/QUOTE]

travel companions should always get the perks of the traveller with the highest status. for example, the spouse/companion of a platinum FF can check in with their companion at the First class counter.. etc.

 

[Buzzard]

Just to be clear, when people are referring to "roll-on" luggage, are they meaning the carry-on sized cases with wheels? According to what I read on the various airline web-sites we are allowed to bring on board up-to 7kg of carry-on luggage. This can comprise a small case and a laptop bag for men and a handbag for ladies. I haven't checked this in some time. Has it changed?

My carry on is roll on. As long as it complies wheels are OK.

 

[juddles]

Can the group 2 have rollaboards not just personal items that would fit under the seat?

....

Yes, status pax are not affected by the carry-on filter