Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[Danger]

Personally I don't have an issue with a person's otherwise not entitled travelling companion using the priority lane at the same time as the status holder.

That said, I would not take the absence of such a person being told 'sorry, wrong line' by the gate agent as implying that it's correct. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen a non-entitled passenger using the priority lane and not getting told to use the other lane. And on that hand I'd still have five fingers free.

Has anyone here ever seen a gate agent turn someone away?

 

[nonpop]

Has anyone here ever seen a gate agent turn someone away?

Yes. As per a recent flight SYD to BNE where I posted a few back, the agent was acting as a bouncer.
It blew my mind. She walked up and down the line and as new people joined she asked to see their BP or FF card where no BP.
She then ejected no authorised pax and where they challenged her she referred to the (small) PB sign.
I thought I was lining up for the The Ivy for a moment there.

 

[lovestotravel]

The limit on those that can "accompany" someone in the PB line should be in-line with the access rules to the lounges

 

[nlagalle]

Yes. As per a recent flight SYD to BNE where I posted a few back, the agent was acting as a bouncer.
It blew my mind. She walked up and down the line and as new people joined she asked to see their BP or FF card where no BP.
She then ejected no authorised pax and where they challenged her she referred to the (small) PB sign.
I thought I was lining up for the The Ivy for a moment there.

I wish this would happen more, or reject them at the gate and send them to the back of the queue. I've seen countless times the Silver and gold's in the queue who know they shouldn't be there but know that they will still get scanned in (and you hear them saying it too)

 

[Danger]

Yes. As per a recent flight SYD to BNE where I posted a few back, the agent was acting as a bouncer.
It blew my mind. She walked up and down the line and as new people joined she asked to see their BP or FF card where no BP.
She then ejected no authorised pax and where they challenged her she referred to the (small) PB sign.
I thought I was lining up for the The Ivy for a moment there.

This is very pleasing.

However, the presence of a bouncer is pretty unusual in my experience. What isn't unusual is a gate agent, scanning boarding passes. It literally requires no extra work than what the agent is already doing to determine whether or not a person is eligible to use the priority lane. The agent has that very information right in front of them when they scan the pass. As nlagalle points out, too many people are getting away with because of agent apathy.

 

[Danger]

Fail at PER international this morning prior to- well, prior to the sole Qantas flight that operates (for a few more days anyway).

I'd say I (and another AFF member) left the lounge within three minutes of the boarding call having been made. It was boarding at gate one, the only gate where you turn left after leaving the lounge. Two huge lines and, low-and-behold, not a sign in sight. Perhaps they've already started removing the paraphernalia (or is it propaganda).

We 'muscled' our way through the scrum to the right hand lane as it was shorter. We were probably 15 deep when suddenly the gate agent at the left lane made an announcement: priority boarding, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum and Gold to use the left lane. The odd person moved but for the most part people sort of looked at each other with that same 'whatever' approach Qantas executives show towards Perth FFs in general and everyone just soldiered on as they were.

When I got to the gate reader I asked the agent why there was no priority boarding and she said they have no signs here. She enquired to her colleague who said an announcement was made and I said, with respect, the announcement was made well after boarding was underway. The first agent apologised and then suggested to the second that she would walk the line or try to get some priority happening.

Pathetic.

 

[doubleplatinum]

And this particularly annoys me when I'm in the priority line.

Surely the priority line should be boarded before processing commences on the regular line?

Yep agree, even virgin get this one right

 

[Quickstatus]

I dont really care for priority boarding. What i really want is maximum time in Qantas pub before boarding. I try to resist going to gate until the last possible moment without gate staff personally paging me.

Qantas should board their aircraft starting at the rear.

Actually the easiest way to provide priority boarding is to issue priority boarding eligible pax with a bright coloured boarding pass instead of the usual one and say "preboarding now for passengers holding the bright sparkly multicoloured boarding pass"

 

[QF WP]

Worked on QF594 this afternoon (PER/BNE) but probably because majority of boarding was done by the time the QC pax came down.

 

[nlagalle]

Qantas should board their aircraft starting at the rear.

Actually the easiest way to provide priority boarding is to issue priority boarding eligible pax with a bright coloured boarding pass instead of the usual one and say "preboarding now for passengers holding the bright sparkly multicoloured boarding pass"

I've heard them numerous times announcing boarding by rows but no one ever pays attention to it.

 

[ashleyn]

Fail at PER international this morning prior to- well, prior to the sole Qantas flight that operates (for a few more days anyway).

I'd say I (and another AFF member) left the lounge within three minutes of the boarding call having been made. It was boarding at gate one, the only gate where you turn left after leaving the lounge. Two huge lines and, low-and-behold, not a sign in sight. Perhaps they've already started removing the paraphernalia (or is it propaganda).

We 'muscled' our way through the scrum to the right hand lane as it was shorter. We were probably 15 deep when suddenly the gate agent at the left lane made an announcement: priority boarding, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum and Gold to use the left lane. The odd person moved but for the most part people sort of looked at each other with that same 'whatever' approach Qantas executives show towards Perth FFs in general and everyone just soldiered on as they were.

When I got to the gate reader I asked the agent why there was no priority boarding and she said they have no signs here. She enquired to her colleague who said an announcement was made and I said, with respect, the announcement was made well after boarding was underway. The first agent apologised and then suggested to the second that she would walk the line or try to get some priority happening.

Pathetic.

I was there and just pushed to the front of the right hand lane. Pretty average.

 

[Danger]

I've heard them numerous times announcing boarding by rows but no one ever pays attention to it.

And more importantly, no one enforces it.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Ok I need to fix the pictures from the app thing.

Yep Qantas staff absolutely support priority boarding and it works every single time.

Adl qf736

Other than that I can only ask why?!!!

Why am I seeing screenshots of seat maps?? Confused!

 

[Shan Man]

Worked a dream tonight on QF444 Mel-Syd

 

[medhead]

App updated so 3rd attempt.

Qantas staff clearly show their opinion of priority boarding. Mostly blocking off the PB sides' access to the gate. Oh but PB never ever fails. QF736 Adl-SYD.

View attachment 27733

Once I got on and checked the seat map I could only wonder why?!!!View attachment 27734

 

[Pablo]

I must have the magic touch because 95% of the time I get priority boarding on QF. It's rare that I don't see it.

 

[Buzzard]

I even got priority boarding where it was not available

In TSV I walked passed the long line thinking it was available. I did apologise saying I thought there was PB and offered to wait till last but was let straight on. J privilege :mrgreen:

 

[Fifa]

In TSV I walked passed the long line thinking it was available.

I did the same thing recently at TSV but as I approached the front realised the error of my ways and scurried back to my +1 who was standing in the queue with everyone else .

 

[blackcat20]

I even got priority boarding where it was not available

In TSV I walked passed the long line thinking it was available. I did apologise saying I thought there was PB and offered to wait till last but was let straight on. J privilege :mrgreen:

Have also done that, in Hobart. No one battered and eyelid.

 

[Anna]

Double PB fail yesterday for me.

At ADL, QF723, no sign was out and no lanes, just single file. When I got to the scanner I asked Andrew the FA why no PB. He said "because there's only one person at the scanner. Okey dokey?". I said that it wasn't okey dokey. And it isn't.

Then at ASP the other PB failed with my bag off last. It came out with some strollers which I assume should also have been out first for the poor parents who needed them.