Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[amaroo]

.....or to your row 9 seat if you're Bob Katter.

Well he is the exception to the rule! In so many ways. FWIW I've seen him a few times in the J lounge......when I'm sure he could enjoy CL.

However, I will say the pitching, creating & starting a new party so that a third generation Katter can enjoy the benefits of politics is not my idea of democracy.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

aside from AA, as already mentioned, CX also does premium boarding perfectly, so do most other asian airlines and airports. Generally in Asia* the premium line is processed first to the exclusion of general boarding. If there are two gate agents then both process premium until that line is empty, then general begins. It is easier to police in Asia because there is often a passport check and an agent will move down the line checking passports and directing ineligible passengers to the general queue. astute pax will line up in the general lane first if that's where they should be rather than try their luck in the premium lane because they know they are just going to be sent to the back of the general queue anyway.

it is a case of QF not wanting to police it, not instructing their gate agents to police it, and probably not really caring all that much. maybe they think if you are an elite then you aren't going to die in a ditch if you don't get what is advertised - it's not like you're going to give up all your benefits and switch to DJ?

*thailand excluded

 

[ozbeachbabe]

aside from AA, as already mentioned, CX also does premium boarding perfectly, so do most other asian airlines and airports.

*thailand excluded

I think it was AFFer jdlover23 who posted a pic on FB of a PB fail by CX in HKG.

I wouldn't say AA is perfect - yes at the start of boarding there are two gate agents however after the first flow of pax one goes back to the desk.

IME if you are an F pax or OWE on AA it's 50/50 whether the GA in the general boarding queue will acknowedge you or ignore you so you're better off being at the gate at minus 45 at the latest.

 

[Mal]

And of course virgin Australia can fail.

This photo was from bne international airport when they really failed.

 

[Fruitcake]

And of course virgin Australia can fail..

I believe the correct AFF terminology is "shedding their LCC attitude."

 

[dfcatch]

Both VA and AA can and do fail from time to time.

But IME - and with AA that's 14 years now (not all with status), I've seen it work well (if not perfect) the clear majority of the time - even with a single gate agent.

I just don't see it as difficult.

Like most things - you just have to WANT to do it.

 

[Deleted member]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, BUT. For some time now, I notice planes have at least two doors and I also notice that "some" airports have taken advantage of that and had more than one air bridge access . So I wonder for example when the relatively new domestic and international airport in Brisbane was built why they didn't think to include this option .
PB boarding aside, surely this wood help to speed the process?
It seems ok to use two sets of stairs at those Airports without air bridges .

 

[dfcatch]

It seems ok to use two sets of stairs at those Airports without air bridges .

You mean like VA's 3rd-world terminal at BNE where so many gates require you to walk onto the apron??

I would have thought an air bridge is a good start (even a single one), and QF at least has a few

 

[medhead]

So I wonder for example when the relatively new domestic and international airport in Brisbane was built why they didn't think to include this option .

Relatively new? They are getting on for 20 years old.

 

[oz_mark]

That is PB for you, not for me. Priority Boarding for me means boarding the plane ahead of the general masses. i.e. priority is given to me because I have "status". I think what you consider priority boarding is actually boarding at your convenience.

I am perhaps being unfair on QF because they do not call it "Priority" Boarding, they call it "Premium" Boarding. Perhaps they are in fact delivering what they say they are....it just isn't the same as VA or AA.

What Qantas deliver does seem to be in line with other 'priority' lines. Priority check-in, priority screening etc, seem to be about being in a separate queue that hopefully moves faster than the normal queue.

 

[lovestotravel]

QF flight last week MEL-SYD on a pretty full 767

Two boarding lanes in use, people simply spread between both of them

It's my biggest dislike of Qantas - Priority boarding fail, either not there or not enforced when it is

Such a simple thing to fix and get right and I am sure it would make a few people happy

 

[simongr]

I am not sure comparing CX at HKG to QF DOM is fair - HKG is all int'l and generally have two aero bridges which makes a big difference.

Last week I again tweeted QF about the lack of policing the PB line - no response this time...

 

[redslert]

Doing 40+ flights a year with AA I love their PB system.

Even if I am late to the flight, almost always, and they are calling last groups I just stroll to the front of the queue showing my priority boarding and jump the queue
People in the line don't get angry or annoyed because they come to expect that's how the system works.

AA also offering Emeralds free snack and alco drink in Y is also awesome and actually makes me want to fly with them over other airlines.

 

[tuapekastar]

To me priority boarding should be just that. The priority lane is processed first and then the general lane. I think this should be reflected in the boarding call too. i.e. make the call for WP's/OWE's/J's first and get that process started. If there are 20 priority pax lined up in the premium lane and QF boards the general and premium lane simultaneously then I don't see much of an advantage being a premium pax, I might as well just get to the gate early and get to the front of the general queue..........which in reality is not far off what I do now. Premium Pax arriving later at the gate get more of an advantage but if I left the lounge when the call is made I'd be trying to find overhead space at the back end of the plane.
n't
It would not bother me one bit if QF decided to say "we will not offer priority boarding". I know exactly where I stand then, but to keep up this sham of claiming to deliver priority boarding is just wrong.

I agree they don't do it adequately, and should not offer it if they can't perform it, but I think this method may cause a problem if, every time they come close to completing priority lane boarding, someone new wanders down from the lounge and joins it. In a worst case scenario, you would take 5 or 10 minutes to board the priority lane whilst having an increasingly restless, frustrated and growing lane of general boarding pax going nowhere. Especially so if there are two agents (one, not so much a problem). One processing the priority queue, one standing idly by doing nothing (and being paid for it), and departure delayed as a result.

Edit: 5 to 10 minutes is probably an overestimation, but the principle remains.

 

[TonyHancock]

I agree they don't do it adequately, and should not offer it if they can't perform it, but I think this method may cause a problem if, every time they come close to completing priority lane boarding, someone new wanders down from the lounge and joins it. In a worst case scenario, you would take 5 or 10 minutes to board the priority lane whilst having an increasingly restless, frustrated and growing lane of general boarding pax going nowhere. Especially so if there are two agents (one, not so much a problem). One processing the priority queue, one standing idly by doing nothing (and being paid for it), and departure delayed as a result.

Edit: 5 to 10 minutes is probably an overestimation, but the principle remains.

I think you are absolutely right. Give a few mins to priority pax and then start general boarding. At least that way the early pax get some benefit.

 

[simongr]

I think you are absolutely right. Give a few mins to priority pax and then start general boarding. At least that way the early pax get some benefit.

I agree with this - it would get the process ingrained with pax as well - but they need to knock people back for being in the wrong queue as well.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I agree they don't do it adequately, and should not offer it if they can't perform it, but I think this method may cause a problem if, every time they come close to completing priority lane boarding, someone new wanders down from the lounge and joins it. In a worst case scenario, you would take 5 or 10 minutes to board the priority lane whilst having an increasingly restless, frustrated and growing lane of general boarding pax going nowhere.

Especially so if there are two agents (one, not so much a problem). One processing the priority queue, one standing idly by doing nothing (and being paid for it), and departure delayed as a result.

Edit: 5 to 10 minutes is probably an overestimation, but the principle remains.

I don't think you'd have one F/A standing idly by as they would simply call across the next pax in the PB queue to the general lane so that way you have 2 F/A's processing the PB pax first (a la AA method). This currently happens but in reverse when there are no PB pax to process - the PB F/A will call the next pax over from the general lane & keep processing them until the next PB pax arrives.

I think you are absolutely right. Give a few mins to priority pax and then start general boarding. At least that way the early pax get some benefit.

That sounds like the plan - get all the PB pax on first who are at the gate waiting then after the first wave on PB's general boarding can commence then PB's can join their queue sporadically when the arrive at the gate from the lounge.

 

[tuapekastar]

I don't think you'd have one F/A standing idly by as they would simply call across the next pax in the PB queue to the general lane so that way you have 2 F/A's processing the PB pax first (a la AA method). This currently happens but in reverse when there are no PB pax to process - the PB F/A will call the next pax over from the general lane & keep processing them until the next PB pax arrives.



That sounds like the plan - get all the PB pax on first who are at the gate waiting then after the first wave on PB's general boarding can commence then PB's can join their queue sporadically when the arrive at the gate from the lounge.

Sounds spot on!

 

[Deleted member]

Relatively new? They are getting on for 20 years old.

Yep " Relatively "

How old are the other main airports in Australia?
Perth Sydney, Melbourne Adelaide ?

 

[medhead]

Yep " Relatively "

How old are the other main airports in Australia?
Perth Sydney, Melbourne Adelaide ?

Adelaide's the youngest at less than 10 years, less that 9 in fact and I'm guess around 6 years. ISTR someone saying one of the ADL gates could use 2 bridges. But I can't see how that would work myself and therefore I think my recollection is rubbish.

Not sure of the age of the others. Sydney has one or 2 two bridge gates in T3. And of course modified a couple of gates in T1. So maybe the oldest terminal in the country, that also has the demand has been modified.

Seems to suggest BNE doesn't have the demand.