Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[Anna]

Don't hold your breath. I've been banging on about ADL for over 12 months. When I can be bothered to send feedback, the best I get is we've passed your feedback on to the airport manager.

Apparently airport approval has been given in the last couple of days for there to be priority boarding lanes at ADL like there currently are at SYD, BRI, MEL, PER.

Watch this space!

 

[nlagalle]

forgot to post yesterday leaving MEL, walked from the lounge to Gate 12, and lo and behold the general lane was full and no one in the PB lane! strolled up and boarded.

(I'll point out here Tony Hancock was not on my flight, and possibly not in the airport, which is probably why it worked so well! )

 

[Mal Ware]

Free for all no priority boarding PER-BNE yesterday, even with 3 of them there, no one policed it.

People edged closer and closer as the flight was delayed and when the took the first, it was a mad rush for everyone, both lanes full.

 

[medhead]

Apparently airport approval has been given in the last couple of days for there to be priority boarding lanes at ADL like there currently are at SYD, BRI, MEL, PER.

Watch this space!

Interesting news. Thanks. I do however maintain scepticism about this as they already have priority boarding in ADL for international flights. and of course DJ has priority boarding, so I'm not sure how qantas could only get airport approval now.

QF82 boarding earlier this year.
View attachment 11064


Sent from the Throne

 

[Anna]

they already have priority boarding in ADL for international flights.

I got the opportunity to ask the ADL airport manager about this. For QF international flights the priority signage is wheeled in on a trolley for the 3 or 4 times a week that it is needed, and then is wheeled away again. For domestic flights the sticking point with the airport was that they wanted the signage removed after each flight departed, and QF was not happy about that due to the staff time that would have been involved. Apparently that has now been resolved (not sure how but I think the signage will remain between flights).

I have been promised that the WP priority boarding lane will be in place for my domestic flight that departs ADL tonight. Will try and post a photo if I get the opportunity but am heading OS so may not be able to for a few days by which time someone else will surely have beaten me to it.

The reason why they have not been doing a priority call for J/WP/emerald at ADL at the commencement of boarding was because airport management believed that all J/WP/emeralds would be sitting in the lounge waiting to be called, and not lining up at the gate trying to snaffle overhead locker space.

 

[medhead]

Thanks for the update. Very tempted to visit the airport tonight. But sanity will prevail. Guess I get to see the story sometime in December.

As per my photo I've seen them deploy the lane for international.

 

[Comoman]

QF581 Syd-PER this morning was a free for all as well. 747 service. Didn't help that the previous Syd-Per A330 had been delayed due to tech and was boarding at the same time.

 

[nlagalle]

QF465 tonight SYD-MEL full flight and it was working as expected. Big general land and only a few in the PB lane.

 

[TonyHancock]

Duplicate post

Show off!!

 

[ashleyn]

Show off!!

Since reaching WP, have had flights Per-Syd and Per-Brn and PB lane has been working every time, both ends, no complaints at all.

 

[HKGNZL]

Last week PER-SYD both lanes full. I was with a 3 yr old and had to go to back of queue. The variability of standard procedures in QF is rather staggering. Most companies will have SOP for routines like boarding.

 

[wafliron]

QF465 tonight SYD-MEL full flight and it was working as expected. Big general land and only a few in the PB lane.

We probably passed each other in the lounge... PB also worked very well on QF467 SYD-MEL this evening, and on QF436 MEL-SYD this afternoon.

In both cases I wasn't there for the initial boarding call, but (again, in both cases) with most of the plane still to board there was a huge queue in the normal line and no-one in the PB line. The guy at the front of the normal line for QF467 wasn't happy with my colleague and I breezing to the front of the PB line either

I've personally been having much improved PB experiences recently - clearly this isn't consistent across the network yet though, based on recent posts in this thread.

 

[Mal Ware]

We probably passed each other in the lounge.

You would have spotted her/him if that were the case. Wearing a Qantas T-shirt.

 

[nlagalle]

You would have spotted her/him if that were the case. Wearing a Qantas T-shirt.

Comedy and sarcasm obviously aren't your strongpoint... Stick to your day job.

 

[opusman]

Any word yet on whether it's working in ADL now?

 

[Mal Ware]

Comedy and sarcasm obviously aren't your strongpoint... Stick to your day job.

I was serious.

 

[tm.smile]

QF444 Mel-Syd today worked like a charm. I wasn't there for the announcement but 767 flight and there was a huge line for general boarding on the right. Signs pointing the right way and a handful of people in priority boarding. There were two staff members scanning bps.

Even Michael Klim and Justin Schofield who were on the flight used general boarding...

 

[eastwest101]

I passed through ADL on Sat afternoon, and although there was an epic scrum surrounding a boarding of the QF flight, I did see glimpses of some signage and an fairly uncluttered PB lane - but difficult to say how succesful it was as it was not my flight.

 

[Anna]

Any word yet on whether it's working in ADL now?

Yes it was working in ADL on Friday night.

Shame QF lost my bag on that flight .... for the second time in one week .... this time for 48 hours .... but that's another story .... I blame the Q tag and I have now removed all Q tags from all my bags. Back to the paper system for me. (Off topic, I know. Sorry.)

 

[wingspan]

Was very happy with priority boarding at ADL today. Although if I were the agent on the gate, I'd be annoyed by it. They seem to have to pull out the signage and ribbon for the flight prior to calling for boarding. Or at least that was the case at gate 24. But it worked well!