Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[Flying mermaid]

PB worked ok on my 2 flights this week. It was the other "PB" that was an epic fail both times - "priority baggage" :evil:

yes our luggage was a total fail SYD-JHB. Travelling in J with a pink business tag - luggage nearly last to arrive and I saw a few other pink tags before ours. Luggage came out randomly - saw pink tags scattered throughout non priority luggage. So it was either badly loaded in Sydney or baggage handlers in JHB had fun mixing it up....There was a break between batches of luggage so it looked like they were unloading a container at a time, so it looked more like priority luggage was spread across different containers. I was grateful it came out at all.....

 

[pjm99au]

12/9/13 QF 583 Syd - Per. PB fail with at least 30 pax in the priority boarding lane 5 mins prior to the scheduled boarding time. Negative management with a bit of "tude" thrown in when I (quite politely) pointed out to the lady at the manifest computer that it only works if you send everyone who shouldn't be in the queue to the back of the regular queue. As boarding was then delayed for a further 10 minutes for cleaning she had more than enough time to check each of the BP's prior to boarding commencing but didn't seem to think it was a priority for her or her staff.

 

[BD1959]

It does seem to be improving though doesn't it?

I'm finding the whole experience is improving.

As far as PB goes, I'm 6/6 on my last 3 weeks (although only 4/6 with the actual boarding process since, on two occasions the FA or Gate Agent simply didn't activate the scanner controlling the PB line).

In the evenings, I'm finding crew are actually getting a 2nd drinks run in on the afternoon/evening ADL/SYD-MEL returns ... usually off the top of the trolley as it comes out to pack up trays etc, difficult generally but lately aided and abetted by ATC consistently slowing the flights down. Cabin Crew seem to be far more engaging, though some could try harder ... surely it's as easy to smile and just say "Hello" etc as it is to stand in the galley staring at the wall (as one did on my SYD-MEL last night).

Regards,

BD

 

[opusman]

They still aren't policing it though, even if the process is getting more consistent. I don't know why the FA can't politely tell someone who's in the wrong queue they need to go to the other one. They presumably do this in the J/F check-in queues, so why not do it in the boarding queue as well?

 

[Mr_Orange]

QF 505 from gate 24 in BNE this morning was an organisational fail. The huge red sign with PB on it was on the left of two operational boarding desks and the queue on the left was the shortest, so I joined it. Upon reaching the end of the red rope separating the two queues, the tiny, wee sign revealed that the PB queue was in fact on the right and general boarding was on the left! Talk about confusing. Come on QF, it's not hard!!

QF 544 from SYD this evening was a success, although PB on a 738 is rather pointless as you just end up queuing on the sky bridge unless you first to the gate, which I wasn't.

 

[UP4014]

They still aren't policing it though, even if the process is getting more consistent. I don't know why the FA can't politely tell someone who's in the wrong queue they need to go to the other one. They presumably do this in the J/F check-in queues, so why not do it in the boarding queue as well?

In some cases it could simply be logistics, the clock is ticking and the need to get these people on the aircraft.

Matt

 

[marki]

Broome Airport 1900 hours no priority boarding. There is a sign but is not policed correctly.

 

[Danger]

Broome Airport 1900 hours no priority boarding. There is a sign but is not policed correctly.

Priority boarding is not offered in Broome, nor any other regional port. I'm not sure why a sign would have been there.

 

[RickyT84]

QF 583 from SYD to PER on 27/9 was a success. As I was flying J, I managed to walk past the longish normal boarding queue and went straight to the BP scanners using the priority queue. I was surprised that two aerobridges were in use for boarding at gate 10.

QF 566 from PER to SYD on 29/9 was also a success with self-regulation amongst the passengers.

 

[QF WP]

Success on QF656 tonight (ADL) at Gate 24.

Whilst one can't see the sign until one gets past the general line, it was there. Was the only one in line (wasn't there at beginning of boarding) and whilst there were 2 FA's using the 2 scanners when I started to approach the premium line, the one doing the premium line (having no pax in line) went to do the announcement. I arrived and the general boarding FA stopped and moved across to scan me. Kudos all round.

Before anyone asks, I was in J (ODU came through in the Lounge):

 

[BD1959]

Either that wheelchair had moved to the same position at Gate 22 for tonight's 694 or this is a generic set-up I hadn't noticed before at ADL!!

The position of the Premium sign is IME consistent and, I find, works since the great unwashed stream through the nearest channel allowing us DYKWIAs to hide our celebrity behind the wooden monoliths.

Regards,

BD

PS PB worked - as usual - for 694 too.

 

[mrpooky]

Two more QF flights with PB lanes for me yesterday:

- QF670 (ADL -> MEL): PB success. Walked out of the lounge, up to the gate past the longish boarding lane, and straight to the front of the PB lane.

- QF485 (MEL -> PER): PB mega-fail. Flight was on time, PB lane was longer than the normal lane, and of all of the people I could see around me with visible boarding passes, not one of them should have been in the PB lane. I even heard the couple behind me talking about how they weren't supposed to be in the PB lane, but they stayed there anyway. PB FA said nothing to any of them and just kept letting them through. *sigh*

I've flown out of Adelaide a few times in the last couple of months and PB seems to work well there. I've flown out of Melbourne twice in the last four months and both times it's been a fail.

 

[QF WP]

QF767 (BNE/PER) tonight.

Even an unserviceable 767 couldn't dampen my mood after scoring an ODU in the QC. Departure time will be an hour after original though as we had to wait for a replacement 767-338 to be drafted into service.

We were called from the J Lounge at 8.35pm and I was the second to get to Gate 25 but boarding hasn't started.

Signage was correctly placed and after a 5 min wait, boarding commenced with call for Business and Platinum pax to left hand queue and the rest to the left.



Nice meal Selection ( J Business East West Sep 13) :



Only 15 in J, nobody in Row 5

 

[geordieladinoz]

6 flights in the last 10 days and I can report an 83% success rate although one could be debated in TSV as there was no PB signage. The 1 failure was a success the week before (same gate in SYD) so just shows that it *could* have been 100% if it was enforced.

Fri 27th Sep QF548 SYD-BNE
Gate 2 - PASS

Sun 29th Sep QF553 BNE-SYD
Gate 22 - PASS

Fri 4th Oct QF542 SYD-BNE
Gate 2 - FAIL: No policing and queue filtering into both aisles

Fri 4th Oct QF968 BNE-TSV
Gate 19 - PASS

Mon 7th Oct QF971 TSV-BNE
Gate 3 - PASS although no reference to Priority Boarding. We had not realised this until we got to the front only for the CA to see my WP passbook and wave us forward.

Mon 7th Oct QF541 BNE-SYD
Gate 19 - PASS

 

[Mr_Orange]

QF 507 from BNE this morning, gate 23, was a complete success. I even saw someone turned away from the PB line as I approached.

2 FAs scanning BPs from the normal queue and I was called forward as soon as I reached the desk.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Fail today on QF528 (SYD-BNE) at gate 1. The general queue was roped off, so everybody was using the PB queue, with two FAs scanning BPs...

 

[lovestotravel]

Fail today on QF528 (SYD-BNE) at gate 1. The general queue was hoped off, so everybody was using the PB queue, with two FAs scanning BPs...

View attachment 19702

EPIC FAIL

Paging RedRoo.....
Paging Red Roo

 

[ChrisFlyer]

EPIC FAIL

Paging RedRoo.....
Paging Red Roo

Tbh it didn't really bother me today as I was near the front of the queue anyway (I left the lounge a few minutes early as it was a full flight) – just sharing to provide constructive feedback.

If I were at the back of the queue though... well, I might not have been too happy!

 

[eastwest101]

Tbh it didn't really bother me today as I was near the front of the queue anyway (I left the lounge a few minutes early as it was a full flight) – just sharing to provide constructive feedback.

If I were at the back of the queue though... well, I might not have been too happy!

Not that you would have them airside anyway - but when I first saw your photo - I immediately thought "now there is a problem that could be solved by a good pair of scissors!"

Imagine the looks you would have got!

 

[QF WP]

QF594 PER/BNE (now)

Came down to Gate 15 on first announcement in the QC. Both lines 50+ and it was a free-for-all. Wasn't down in time to hear any initial Gate announcement but at least 2 pax directly in front of me were in the wrong queue (50A&B, no status).

As we got closer to the front, they saw the directions, the lady nudges her make travel companion but he did nothing. I looked back and the two lines were still equal.

One staff member must have noticed and came up the line advising this line was for Business and/or Platinum. Some people behind self assessed themselves and moved - not the old couple in front.

The staff member then came back to the front of the queue and started to check BP's - he found them and advised them that they needed to be in the other line - the male pax grumbled and moved under the tape to the other line.

Partial fail