Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[QF WP]

I just want QF to deliver the published benefit. If it can't be done then withdraw it as a benefit. I have already diverted 90% of my domestic business to DJ.

It's not as if I want QF to fail. I really want them to be successful. QF can deliver excellent service and I really enjoy it and benefit when they do.

+1. I tend to fly them only for JASA's or where their fares are significantly better (which isn't often). Their PB is just not consistent, unlike DJ/VA. Until they deliver, their red ink will continue and DJ/VA's will make greater profits

 

[simongr]

So I have had a call back from the Exec team who have passed on my comments to the airport manager. I will wait to see if I hear anything back from that.

I also will be receiving a $300 travel voucher for my wife :shock:

Note I didnt do this for compensation - I just wanted the system to work.

I think it was a combination of P1 and the fact that I stressed it was my wife's flight I was more concerned about that triggered the compo. I wont be expecting compo every time - I am considering emailing them every time it doesnt work or a summary each month of working vs. non working. Time for a new tab in my flights spreadsheet...

For the record last night it was perfect at SYD. I did see a couple of people in the standard queue looking like they were going to break into the premium line (there was no premium queue ) but as a few of us were flooding out of the J lounge they seemed to back off.

 

[Kangol]

Worked a treat today in MEL at gate 12 (the long walk is very much so a FWP). All the non-PB pax were lining up in the correct non-PB line and I waltzed in from the J lounge, DYKWIA-style, probably within a couple of minutes from the start of boarding and got on early with plenty of overhead locker space above my dismal 5C (It was that or 4A at T-80).
It was a very full flight - first time that I can remember that all middle seats in the first few rows and most of the plane (738) were occupied.

As an aside, I overheard a guy in row 6 during boarding (to the guy who was already sitting in 6B): "Are you in 6B? I'm in 6A, if you want to swap and sit on the window side that's fine with me".
The response: "Oh, I'm not too sure where I'm supposed to be *looks at BP* .. oh, 16B, let me move then"

Yes, sixteen bravo.

Makes you think what is going through the mind of these people!

Earlier this year I was on LAX-JFK and was in second row Y, aisle seat (B) and boarded on time with almost no queue (I'm guessing a connecting flight into LAX from SYD or BNE was late as I was on QF93) where it was absolutely empty for a good 10 minutes before everyone else started to board.
Guy in middle Y section in the front row of Y sits down, then shortly after, someone he knew boarded and they started to chat. Went along the lines of this: "Looks like this is going to be an empty flight.. I'm 20 rows behind you, but I'll just sit here since no one is sitting here right now".
Few mins later once the hoard of pax start boarding, the pax supposed to be seated there come up and ask him if he's in the right seat. The reply: "oh, no I'm all the way up the back, I thought no one was sitting here. Please allow me to move"

 

[eastwest101]

I suspect we will start to see more of this "self upgrading" attempts in the future...

 

[TonyHancock]

Predictable disaster on QF400 today. Change to a 734 meant priority/premium boarding was never going to be an option. That said there was absolutely no attempt to offer J or WP pax the chance to board first. In fact boarding commenced before any call was made. Quite pathetic really.

(To balance this post QF129 was excellent. With a good crew QFi really is excellent. Liking the Plat shadow in J very much)

 

[Blackadder]

On my recent SYD-MEL-BNE-SYD JASA run, signage at the gate was adhered to by most, only issue with boarding was MEL-BNE when the boarding was done at the same time, despite the announcement for priority boarding.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Just came back from OOL tonight on VA and can confirm that VA know how to do priority boarding very well. Huge que, they stop, scan whomever is in priority boarding lane, then continue. Shame that QF are still getting something so basic, so wrong.

==OT==
1) In the VA Lounge and 1 mature lady was half cut, talking loudly on her mobile (half the lounge could hear), and had her feet up on the chair. What a sight. Does the saying go along the lines off...you can take the bogan out of OOL, but......
2) Black Leggings are not pants.

 

[medhead]

Just came back from OOL tonight on VA and can confirm that VA know how to do priority boarding very well. Huge que, they stop, scan whomever is in priority boarding lane, then continue. Shame that QF are still getting something so basic, so wrong.

I agree with this, but I was pretty annoyed that the staff member apologised to the person in the other queue last week before turning and scanning my BP.

 

[Mal Ware]

I fly monthly to Perth from Brisbane and last time I left Perth they policed it very well with one lady stopping everyone and checking boarding passes.

Cannot say the same for the Bne Per leg though, it is set up wrong.

The priority boarding is on the same side as the main lounge area, so a couple of plats lined up there then a few elderly lined up behind them, them when it was boarding time everyone lined up behind them lol.
On the left side which was the standard boarding the line was only about 12 people deep. I laughed as I went through it looking at the ensuing mess.

Qantas staff did not care and just checked boarding passes.

I don't know if it has been suggested before, but surely a massive company like Qantas could employ 1, 2 or 3 people per airport in the busy hours just to police boarding?

They could go from fight to flight and just ensure people are shuffled into the correct areas.

That would cost them a lot less than the bad publicity, handling of complaints, sending of vouchers and loss of customers to Virgin.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I agree with this, but I was pretty annoyed that the staff member apologised to the person in the other queue last week before turning and scanning my BP.

Then the pax in the general queue may have been pretty annoyed had they not apologised.

Most of the regular punters would not even realise it's a priority queue & may think wrongly that you've pushed in or are a queue jumper.

IMO Priority Boarding works best when there is a dedicated F/A for that lane & when there's nobody in the PB queue they can just call across pax from the general queue.

 

[medhead]

Then the pax in the general queue may have been pretty annoyed had they not apologised.

True. I probably didn't consider my language very well, I wasn't that annoyed, Miffed maybe. The apology was as if I was an inconvenience.

Most of the regular punters would not even realise it's a priority queue & may think wrongly that you've pushed in or are a queue jumper.

IMO Priority Boarding works best when there is a dedicated F/A for that lane & when there's nobody in the PB queue they can just call across pax from the general queue.

The DJ lanes are pretty well advertised. Purple and all that....

 

[ajw373]

True. I probably didn't consider my language very well, I wasn't that annoyed, Miffed maybe. The apology was as if I was an inconvenience.

It would have been an inconvenience for the other passenger, remembering of course that they are also paying passengers and of course humans. So an acknowledgement of some sort was in order to the other passenger.

So you got your priority (without any delay it seems) which you are entitled to and the other passenger was treated respectfully, so it should have been win win all around I would say. Except of course it seems you let an over inflated sense of importance get in your way by becoming miffed that a non status passenger got treated respectfully, even though you too got what you have earned through loyalty which is priority. Anyway that's how I read it.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I wont be satisfied until Qantas rolls out red carpet and minstrels at the PB Line.

 

[medhead]

It would have been an inconvenience for the other passenger, remembering of course that they are also paying passengers and of course humans. So an acknowledgement of some sort was in order to the other passenger.

So you got your priority (without any delay it seems) which you are entitled to and the other passenger was treated respectfully, so it should have been win win all around I would say. Except of course it seems you let an over inflated sense of importance get in your way by becoming miffed that a non status passenger got treated respectfully, even though you too got what you have earned through loyalty which is priority. Anyway that's how I read it.

Over inflated sense of importance? Perhaps it would help you to remember you didn't hear the tone of the apology. I did.


Sent from the Throne

 

[serfty]

[MOD HAT]

Please avoid attacking other members of this forum with references such as that recently used.

[/MOD HAT]

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[ajw373]

I wont be satisfied until Qantas rolls out red carpet and minstrels at the PB Line.

Maybe those without PB can be sent down to the tarmac and loaded into the cargo hold. That way no issues with the PB line, other passengers won't get an apololy when a PB pax presents themselves and best of all the great unwashed will be in steerage out of sight and mind where they well and truly belong.

 

[simongr]

Worked fine and dandy today on QF409 from gate 5 at SYD.

 

[BVT]

I wont be satisfied until Qantas rolls out red carpet and minstrels at the PB Line.

Quite agree.

Gambolling nymphs strewing rose petals on the PB aisle would not go astray, either.

 

[cmon0005]

Saw some sad DYKWIA's on Sat morning.

Flying from Melb to Syd on 737-400, there was only 1 boarding lane open (general boarding) as there was only 1 staff member.
The priority boarding queue was roped off and closed, a DYKWIA thought it was his entitlement to only board via that lane so he 'undid' the rope strutted down priority lane and stood there like a stunned mullet meanwhile all the people boarding via the normal queue kept giving him dirty looks.
After standing there for 30 seconds realising no-one gives a cough who he is, he tries to push through the well flowing boarding pax and saying loudly excuse me, excuse me I'm Platinum, waving his boarding pass in the air, people still unfazed and continue boarding, eventually the poor Qantas guy scanned his BP so he would just shut up.

There was a well known Australian actor on the same flight flying in J, he boarded via General boarding with the rest of us at least he has some humanity!

 

[TonyHancock]

Saw some sad DYKWIA's on Sat morning.

Flying from Melb to Syd on 737-400, there was only 1 boarding lane open (general boarding) as there was only 1 staff member.
The priority boarding queue was roped off and closed, a DYKWIA thought it was his entitlement to only board via that lane so he 'undid' the rope strutted down priority lane and stood there like a stunned mullet meanwhile all the people boarding via the normal queue kept giving him dirty looks.
After standing there for 30 seconds realising no-one gives a cough who he is, he tries to push through the well flowing boarding pax and saying loudly excuse me, excuse me I'm Platinum, waving his boarding pass in the air, people still unfazed and continue boarding, eventually the poor Qantas guy scanned his BP so he would just shut up.

There was a well known Australian actor (from the House husbands show) on the same flight flying in J, he boarded via General boarding with the rest of us at least he has some humanity!

As a fellow DYKWIA I have a lot of sympathy with the poor chap. I wish I had the nerve to do what he did. QF advertises priority/premium boarding as a benefit for the platinum frequent fliers and you have quoted another example of QF failing to deliver. If it was anything like QF400 on Saturday boarding commenced prior to any announcement and the announcement made no attempt to offer J and WP pax the opportunity to board first.