Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[dfcatch]

9 flights this week and PB worked BRILLIANTLY on each and everyone of them.

- Each flight had 1 agent only.

- Some of the flights had the agent standing at the side furthest away from the PB lane

- Each flight called pre-boarding first for those at the gate who want their overhead space.

- Both pre-boarding and (later) the PB lane were enforced with people being asked to stand aside and wait if they got to the scanner when not entitled.

- Some flights I was at the gate for pre-boarding, others I showed up later in the boarding process.

- I was able to simply walk to the front of the empty PB line each time, the agent excused herself/himself, stopped processing the general line and reached across to grab my BP the moment I reached the front of the line.

- It was quick, painless, efficient, successful, as it should be.

- It wasn't Qantas!

- 8 AA flights and 1 UA flight - all perfect

 

[medhead]

I was going to say you were either a qantas shill, dreaming or flying another airline.

 

[userlame]

Had me going for a second there too. Well done.

 

[Ausbt]

239 pages on this question and we still don't have an answer? Have Q thought about just asking VA why they can get to it work? (because it does over there, wonderfully). I have two theories:

1 Coloured signage. VA use a deep Purple sign for priority, as per the reverse of the Platinum card, and well Red for the Red. Genius!
2 The other one is harder to fix: more self-entitled plankers fly with Q.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

239 pages on this question and we still don't have an answer? Have Q thought about just asking VA why they can get to it work? (because it does over there, wonderfully). I have two theories:

1 Coloured signage. VA use a deep Purple sign for priority, as per the reverse of the Platinum card, and well Red for the Red. Genius!
2 The other one is harder to fix: more self-entitled plankers fly with Q.

The answer is QF don't care. They did it as a "me too" activity but have no interest in it, nor responding to the numerous complaints in regard to it. It's now what I call "gate lottery"...

 

[pshepvic]

9 flights this week and PB worked BRILLIANTLY on each and everyone of them.

- Each flight had 1 agent only.

- Some of the flights had the agent standing at the side furthest away from the PB lane

- Each flight called pre-boarding first for those at the gate who want their overhead space.

- Both pre-boarding and (later) the PB lane were enforced with people being asked to stand aside and wait if they got to the scanner when not entitled.

- Some flights I was at the gate for pre-boarding, others I showed up later in the boarding process.

- I was able to simply walk to the front of the empty PB line each time, the agent excused herself/himself, stopped processing the general line and reached across to grab my BP the moment I reached the front of the line.

- It was quick, painless, efficient, successful, as it should be.

- It wasn't Qantas!

- 8 AA flights and 1 UA flight - all perfect

I had a feeling this comment was going to end with you saying you were flying VA or AA or another American carrier!

 

[Deleted member]

Premium boarding worked like a dream at MEL on Saturday morning, and just as smoothly at SYD on Sunday evening - that is, until all aircraft were grounded to wait out a flurry of lightning. Resumed smoothly afterwards, though.
(Can't comment on pre-boarding announcements, as I can't recall when I was ever at the gate early enough to hear one for a domestic flight in Oz.)

Ah yes, but you have regal presence so these things seem to work well for you regardless.

 

[serfty]

...
(Can't comment on pre-boarding announcements, as I can't recall when I was ever at the gate early enough to hear one for a domestic flight in Oz.)

Hence your handle!

 

[TonyHancock]

Yesterday I flew up and back to BNE, from MEL, yesterday and had only my small backpack with me. On the way back I decided to sit at the gate and observe the boarding process. Boarding was a few minutes late and two lines formed of about equal length. There were 29 pax in the PB queue.

Boarding began without a call, and I can't remember the call when it was made.

79 pax used the PB lane. The aircraft was a 737-800 and it was absolutely full.

PB worked for me, in that I walked down the PB lane and had my BP scanned. I was the third from last to board and was paged twice.

So with 79 pax using the PB lane I think QF has a problem. Either almost half of pax were J, WP, or OWE or PB was not policed.

 

[eastwest101]

So with 79 pax using the PB lane I think QF has a problem. Either almost half of pax were J, WP, or OWE or PB was not policed.

This. Thanks for the observations TonyHancock. Pretty much matches the boarding proccess of a lot of QF B738 flights I have seen as well. As you say - QF are asking you to believe that 47-50% of that full B738 flight were J, WP or OWE.

I think it highly unlikely that this is the case - and the problem is that PB is not regularly policed and enforced. Therefore we can conclude that it is a charade.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

This. Thanks for the observations TonyHancock. Pretty much matches the boarding proccess of a lot of QF B738 flights I have seen as well. As you say - QF are asking you to believe that 47-50% of that full B738 flight were J, WP or OWE.

I think it highly unlikely that this is the case - and the problem is that PB is not regularly policed and enforced. Therefore we can conclude that it is a charade.

Although not a regular DJ traveller, on the few times I have, PB just works. Here is the formula:

- Clear signage with large text
- competently trained staff policing it
- pax who based on the above are compliant

How hard can it be RedRoo?

And there is no way 40% of that flight are WP or J.

 

[medhead]

Although not a regular DJ traveller, on the few times I have, PB just works. Here is the formula:

- Clear signage with large text
- competently trained staff policing it
- pax who based on the above are compliant

How hard can it be RedRoo?

And there is no way 40% of that flight are WP or J.

VA also do a clear sequence of announcements:

1. * Welcome to flight xx_ boarding will commence shortly (ie don't move yet)
   * We'd like to invite [priority pax] and children etc to board at anytime
   * the rest of you can board now

By contrast Qantas announcements, if made, going something like "welcome to flight XX" *stampede* and the rest of the announcement is lost.

 

[Fruitcake]

VA's "LCC mentality" probably helps. Staff have years of experience saying "no" (politely) to pax, holding a firm line on ancillary revenue items etc.

 

[medhead]

VA's "LCC mentality" probably helps. Staff have years of experience saying "no" (politely) to pax, holding a firm line on ancillary revenue items etc.

And the pax know not to overstep. QF PB is let down by them not training their pax properly.

 

[TonyHancock]

PB worked for me, in that I walked down the PB lane and had my BP scanned. I was the third from last to board and was paged twice.

So with 79 pax using the PB lane I think QF has a problem. Either almost half of pax were J, WP, or OWE or PB was not policed.

Apologies for quoting myself...but hey who doesn't want to hear more of me again!!

As I said I walked down the PB lane and was immediately processed so PB was a success.....wasn't it?

The problem in a thread like this is that it is easy to say PB did or didn't work for me without seeing the whole picture. Yesterday was the first time I saw the whole picture. (Including the 10 minute wait on the aerobridge as pax battle to get luggage into OH space. (Incidentally one chap with Gold QF Coasters just brazenly placed his luggage in the J overhead and eventually got to his seat half way down Y.

I do not believe for one minute PB was a success yesterday.....but I can see how it could be construed as successful by some.

On an off topic issue a few pax in Ciricket Australia kit were on the flight. I assumed the T20 team? They lined up in the non PB lane, made no effort to jump the queue and join the PB lane and behaved, onboard too, like, and I know this is an old fashioned term, Gentlemen. They were polite and courteous to fellow pax and crew alike. (A credit to CA.)

 

[pagingjoan]

Hence your handle!

Good line, serfty.
But I always slide in just before such an announcement would be needed. Can't recall ever being paged for a no-show - but have been waiting for my SO to turn up in response to a page on a couple of occasions, when he had "just one more email to send" or some such nonsense. Back in the Dark Ages, as you can tell.

 

[pshepvic]

Yesterday's effort:

QF410 MEL-SYD: B734, say no more

QF455 SYD-MEL: A332, left the J lounge as the flight was called, massive queue from gate 11 stretching down the concourse, walked around stepped through, over and around all the pax standing around to form a scrum at gate 10, to find only about 15 people in the premium queue. A couple self policed themselves out and across to the non-premium queue once they got to the stupid little sign, but didn't actually go to the end of the queue, just pushed in where they were and therefore probably still boarded around the same time as they would have in the premium queue!

So my experience is around 50% success rate. Getting better, but still not perfect. There have been a couple of flights where I've left the lounge 5-10min before boarding was due to start, only to get to the gate and nobody in either queue as they've boarded very early with no announcement in the lounge and I didn't hear one in the terminal. Almost seemed like they were trying to board everyone at the gate before the premium queue people arrive to complain about the lack of PB!!!

 

[Fantic125]

Seemed to be working yesterday on QF750 (SYD-BNE). Wife and I were able to walk straight out the lounge, past a long queue in the general boarding lane and there were two people in front of us in the priority queue.

Not sure if that was by management or just coincidence though.....

 

[tm.smile]

Melbourne-Sydney last night. There was a staff member policing the priority security screening lane, so we know Qantas knows how to police a lane for those eligible members. Guess their priorities are elsewhere.

However non existing priority boarding... but that may have something to do with me flying Jetstar...

 

[Berlin]

I really seem to be lucky with this: SYD-OOL last week, priority lane was working fine and staff sent a really nasty looking family without any right to be there back to the long queue. This morning on the way back OOL-SYD also no problems.