Priority Boarding Fail at SYD

[jsm2090]

I would prefer that all lounge calls are effectively eliminated as it makes the lounge sound like a train station during busy periods.

The only possible exception to this would be for delayed flights and other things which are out of the ordinary.

It works overseas and it can work here as well. If flights are running generally to time and the departure screens are kept up to date there is no need for lounge calls for flights...

Indeed. I recently traveled Delta domestically, and their app is fantastic. Up to date gate information, lounge info and amenities by terminal, bag tracking (checked, on plane, off plane, which carousel etc) and live boarding info. Shame about the rest of the experience, but hey, can't have everything!

 

[kermatu]

I'm so used to the lounge calls now that the noise doesn't really disturb me. I prefer to hear the call anyway rather than have to keep checking the screens (unless easily visible from seat). Don't use a VA app but the QF one is pretty useless wen it comes to boarding status.. Usually just says "Check monitors". Then I'll get texts after I'm onboard telling me boarding has commence.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Hopefully they invest in next gen check in as well In Melbourne when they do this too! Would be great news, VA check in is like a third world zoo, Qantas has had it for years and works a treat - even Jetstar and Tiger (I think) have it in Melbourne now. Even international is moving to it.... cmon VA!

That is part of the re-design.

 

[flying_duck]

For the record, VA have said they're "investigating". Same flight this morning, same exhaustion, same treatment. Super long queue on the bridge as well.

 

[bean]

today on the 1pm from Melbourne to Sydney, they called the PB first, and because half the plane is PB there is a long line, they then proceed to call general boarding soon after and were boarding general boarding before 1/3 of the PB line was done. I didn't really care as I just wanted to go home, but you could hear the murmurs in the PB line.

Seen this happen way to many times....

 

[clipped_wings]

I need to ask a (stupid) question here:

Does it really matter if you're not first on the plane? (Unless you're flying Business Class - which should trump everyone except babies and disabled people).

I do understand the argument that- as WP, SG and so forth, there has to be some recognition of status. But when you have 10 minutes to load 200+ pax through a hole approx 1m x 2m, doesn't it make more sense to just let the back rows fill up all the way to the front? If you're a FF and you have Lounge access, surely that compensates and lessens the pain of waiting at a departure gate. I mean, the plane isn't taking off until everyone is on board anyway.

Or, is it all about the coveted overhead luggage spots?

Play nice with your answers people.............

 

[flying_duck]

I need to ask a (stupid) question here:

Does it really matter if you're not first on the plane? (Unless you're flying Business Class - which should trump everyone except babies and disabled people).

I do understand the argument that- as WP, SG and so forth, there has to be some recognition of status. But when you have 10 minutes to load 200+ pax through a hole approx 1m x 2m, doesn't it make more sense to just let the back rows fill up all the way to the front? If you're a FF and you have Lounge access, surely that compensates and lessens the pain of waiting at a departure gate. I mean, the plane isn't taking off until everyone is on board anyway.

Or, is it all about the coveted overhead luggage spots?

Play nice with your answers people.............

I'll bite. The reason why it's important to me specifically, your mileage might vary:
- I don't like queuing. One of the major reasons I only ever fly one airline (with the exception of Delta). Status should mean, wherever reasonable, I don't have to queue. I don't want to queue to check in, or board, or stand in the bridge like a dipsht waiting whilst non regular flyers sort their life out.
- I don't want to have to move people out of the way by boarding last (I'm always in a window)
- I am a bit of a fidgeter, so me getting on first or thereabouts usually buys me enough time to dig through my bags and get myself setup comfortably. Then I can stay the hell away from the armrests and even Mr MiddleSeat is happy.
- I spent a LONG time flying base Y fares for work (6am flights, getting home at midnight because it was cheap) and watching all those status pax boarding first. I now fund all my own travel and I have earnt the right to my published benefit. If they're not interested in providing it, then lets not pretend yeah?

I don't regularly take carry on luggage anymore - nothing that doesn't already fit under the seat anyway. So that is irrelevant to me. I get it's not important to some - it's a bit like economy X - but it is important to others, and they should be providing what they're advertising.

 

[Saab34]

I find it useful in places like the OOL where you have a large percentage of the flight who are leisure non status pax (especially weekends) and infrequent flyers, who tend to start forming a boarding line before the inbound aircraft has even landed!

I use the evening OOL-MEL on weekends a bit which tend to be families, and worked well the other week. On this particular flight a boarding line had starting forming as the inbound aircraft just landed. By the time PB was called there was 150 odd people lined up. Was good to walk past the lot of them! The best bit is all the looks of death as you walk past them.

Recently used MCY and CNS and was the only person using the PB lane.

 

[JohnK]

Couldn't agree more. It's so frustrating to be on last call and I think everyone deep down doesn't want to be "that guy" (or girl!) boarding last. By the same token, standing around the gate is a bit much when the point of being priority is to not have to do that.

I hate queuing. I hate waiting at the gate. I'd prefer to walk from lounge to plane and be last on but they get it wrong lots of times.

Personally I don't understand why it's so difficult to keep departure boards updated with the latest information.

 

[jsm2090]

I need to ask a (stupid) question here:

Does it really matter if you're not first on the plane? (Unless you're flying Business Class - which should trump everyone except babies and disabled people).

I do understand the argument that- as WP, SG and so forth, there has to be some recognition of status. But when you have 10 minutes to load 200+ pax through a hole approx 1m x 2m, doesn't it make more sense to just let the back rows fill up all the way to the front? If you're a FF and you have Lounge access, surely that compensates and lessens the pain of waiting at a departure gate. I mean, the plane isn't taking off until everyone is on board anyway.

Or, is it all about the coveted overhead luggage spots?

Play nice with your answers people.............

Of course it doesn't matter. In fact some studies have shown planes board much faster if there's no order at all and the plane fills organically. But like others, I don't want to have to wait, and I give my loyalty to one airline for that benefit.

 

[pauly7]

Personally I don't understand why it's so difficult to keep departure boards updated with the latest information.

But John, Virgin have explained it to us over and over that it’s not their problem it’s the airports......

 

[JohnK]

But John, Virgin have explained it to us over and over that it’s not their problem it’s the airports......

That could well be true as Qantas and JQ have the same issue.

 

[stm1sydney]

Or, is it all about the coveted overhead luggage spots?

Play nice with your answers people.............

It's all about the coveted overhead lockers.

 

[jasecao]

It's all about the coveted overhead lockers.

it really is a free for all, on my last flight last week I even saw people placing luggage towards the front of the plane and head towards the back with no regard. Also usually the luggage compartments are closed towards the end of PB line boarding.

 

[Must...Fly!]

But John, Virgin have explained it to us over and over that it’s not their problem it’s the airports......

Depending on the airport it can indeed be very very difficult to keep track of it all, the manual updating is a real pain in the bum and quite easily overlooked in the heat of the moment, even though it should not be.

 

[flying_duck]

Colour me surprised. I have never received a non generic email response to any complaint in the last 6 years... yet, here we are.

With regards to priority boarding, I can advise that we do start with priority boarding for a few minutes then commence general boarding when there a few priority guests left to board.

However, sometimes there are a lot of priority guests and in order to maintain on time performance and to avoid any disruption; we will start general boarding with more priority than usual.

So they don't honor priority boarding if they don't feel like it. The flight in question started boarding at 5:30am on the dot, and was due for departure at 6am. They had plenty of time.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

I've found SYD to be more problematic from boarding priority for two reasons - one, the distance from lounge to gates (compared with BNE especially) and then the actual updating of the screens. For whatever reason, BNE seems to be on top of it fairly well and the worst walk you have is to 45A/B or (rarely, if ever now) gate 28.
As for lounge opening times, plenty of pax caught out a few Saturday's ago (myself included) when the first departure was 0700 rather than the usual 0600 - lounge staff did open up at 0600 despite the sign on the door saying "opens 45 minutes prior to first flight". Barista line was very long, very quickly.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

MEL recently - PB called in one lane, general boarding commenced in the other lane about 10 seconds later and processed faster than the PB lane.

 

[flying_duck]

MEL recently - PB called in one lane, general boarding commenced in the other lane about 10 seconds later and processed faster than the PB lane.

Please lodge a complaint. They need to know this is not OK.

 

[rikkitikkitavi]

I hate queuing. I hate waiting at the gate. I'd prefer to walk from lounge to plane and be last on but they get it wrong lots of times.

Personally I don't understand why it's so difficult to keep departure boards updated with the latest information.

Yeah even qantas has started using some jetstar tactics, ieshow flight as boarding before plane offloads incoming passengers (not seen used with QF yet), as soon as ready to board start final call, even when there is an angry herd queued back two gates worth. They tricked me last in BKK, I ignored the boarding call (obvious feint) but I left when they announced final call, by the time I got to the gate from the lounge they weren't even boarding...