Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[Shan Man]

QF415 yesterday worked quite well! PB line was quite long (not as long as the general boarding line) but all who were eligible used it. One man about three in front of me got turned away at the gate by the FA for being a gold! Maybe she could teach the rest now...

 

[Lowjhg]

I dispute this claim entirely. Maybe for the early morning/after work flights... but that is just like any other capital city.

True, but normally the early morning/after work flights are operated by larger jets comprising of either a 738 or 712HGW. Under normal circumstances yes a DH8B/C/D wouldn't have that much of a WP/OWE/P1/CL but on the larger jets that ply during the peak hours yes it may be.

For a normal DH8B/C/D, by the time boarding is called in the lounge and after walking down towards the gate, i dare say most of the pax are already on the aircraft, which negates the purpose of a priority boarding lane.

 

[boomy]

First time ever in a major Dom airport wasn't offered PB at all at PER, strange.

 

[Danger]

QF415 yesterday worked quite well! PB line was quite long (not as long as the general boarding line) but all who were eligible used it. One man about three in front of me got turned away at the gate by the FA for being a gold! Maybe she could teach the rest now...

Yes, yes, yes. Finally, an FA who isn't a robot.

First time ever in a major Dom airport wasn't offered PB at all at PER, strange.

I don't think Qantas sees Perth as major anything.

 

[Buzzard]

Earlier today I went down the priority lane at OOL, turned to see where Mrs B was only to find a whole string of pax simply followed me

 

[defurax]

Yes, yes, yes. Finally, an FA who isn't a robot.

I had the weirdest PB experience yesterday. QF489 was delayed one hour, which usually is never a good sign when it comes to PB as most PAX are just tired to wait and want to board ASAP. So i was pleasantly surprised to see a single long queue for general boarding and no one in the PB lane. I walked straight to the FA scanning the BPs and gave her my QFF card....
FA: I'm sorry. You need a boarding pass. Where is your boarding pass?
Me: :shock:
FA: A boarding pass, printed on paper like this (FA proceeds to point the BP held by the PAX behind me)
Me: :shock:....I think you can scan the card
FA: Really? (FA scans the wrong side of the card)
Me: I think it is better to scan the barcode on the other side
FA: I've never done that! ... Beep! Green light!

Her excuse was that she usually stands at the door of the aircraft and had never scanned BPs (sounds lame...but whatever). I didn't really care what her excuse was, but she was very condescending when explaining to me what is a BP. She didn't apologise onboard either.

Anyway, am I the only one here boarding with his QFF card instead of a BP?

 

[SeatBackForward]

Her excuse was that she usually stands at the door of the aircraft and had never scanned BPs (sounds lame...but whatever). I didn't really care what her excuse was, but she was very condescending when explaining to me what is a BP. She didn't apologise onboard either.

Anyway, am I the only one here boarding with his QFF card instead of a BP?

She'd have seen the printed receipts that they issue you once they've scanned your card though.

 

[Danger]

I had the weirdest PB experience yesterday. QF489 was delayed one hour, which usually is never a good sign when it comes to PB as most PAX are just tired to wait and want to board ASAP. So i was pleasantly surprised to see a single long queue for general boarding and no one in the PB lane. I walked straight to the FA scanning the BPs and give her my QFF card....
FA: I'm sorry. You need a boarding pass. Where is your boarding pass?
Me: :shock:
FA: A boarding pass, printed on paper like this (FA proceeds to point the BP held by the PAX behind me)
Me: :shock:....I think you can scan the card
FA: Really? (FA scans the wrong side of the card)
Me: I think it is better to scan the barcode on the other side
FA: I've never done that! ... Beep! Green light!

Her excuse was that she usually stands at the door of the aircraft and had never scanned BPs (sounds lame...but whatever). I didn't really care what her excuse was, but she was very condescending when explaining to me what is a BP. She didn't apologise onboard either.

Anyway, am I the only one here boarding with his QFF card instead of a BP?

Wow. That's pretty bad.

 

[Buzzard]

I had the weirdest PB experience yesterday. QF489 was delayed one hour, which usually is never a good sign when it comes to PB as most PAX are just tired to wait and want to board ASAP. So i was pleasantly surprised to see a single long queue for general boarding and no one in the PB lane. I walked straight to the FA scanning the BPs and gave her my QFF card....
FA: I'm sorry. You need a boarding pass. Where is your boarding pass?
Me: :shock:
FA: A boarding pass, printed on paper like this (FA proceeds to point the BP held by the PAX behind me)
Me: :shock:....I think you can scan the card
FA: Really? (FA scans the wrong side of the card)
Me: I think it is better to scan the barcode on the other side
FA: I've never done that! ... Beep! Green light!

Her excuse was that she usually stands at the door of the aircraft and had never scanned BPs (sounds lame...but whatever). I didn't really care what her excuse was, but she was very condescending when explaining to me what is a BP. She didn't apologise onboard either.

Anyway, am I the only one here boarding with his QFF card instead of a BP?

I used mine today without problems except that I have now lost it between the gate at OOL and SYD. Must have fallen out my pocket somewhere. Oh well, back to paper.

 

[dmitri]

Good quality training scheme you got there Qantas

 

[astrosly]

I walked straight to the FA scanning the BPs and gave her my QFF card....
FA: I'm sorry. You need a boarding pass. Where is your boarding pass?
Me: :shock:
FA: A boarding pass, printed on paper like this (FA proceeds to point the BP held by the PAX behind me)
Me: :shock:....I think you can scan the card

Really? I didn't know you could that! (but then I don't work for QF ) What a fount of information you esteemed folks are here, I'm going to try that for my next flight! Though I don't know if the scanner at ARM for QLK flights would allow that ...

 

[boomy]

I had the weirdest PB experience yesterday. QF489 was delayed one hour, which usually is never a good sign when it comes to PB as most PAX are just tired to wait and want to board ASAP. So i was pleasantly surprised to see a single long queue for general boarding and no one in the PB lane. I walked straight to the FA scanning the BPs and gave her my QFF card....
FA: I'm sorry. You need a boarding pass. Where is your boarding pass?
Me: :shock:
FA: A boarding pass, printed on paper like this (FA proceeds to point the BP held by the PAX behind me)
Me: :shock:....I think you can scan the card
FA: Really? (FA scans the wrong side of the card)
Me: I think it is better to scan the barcode on the other side
FA: I've never done that! ... Beep! Green light!

Her excuse was that she usually stands at the door of the aircraft and had never scanned BPs (sounds lame...but whatever). I didn't really care what her excuse was, but she was very condescending when explaining to me what is a BP. She didn't apologise onboard either.

Anyway, am I the only one here boarding with his QFF card instead of a BP?

You are definitely not the only one using the card, there is absolutely no need to use printed BP for Dom flights anymore.
I see many pax using their card or mobile at the gate, it's more practical and saves paper.
How can QF to keep up with technology when some of it's employees still live in the 90's...

 

[Deleted User]

QF415 yesterday worked quite well! PB line was quite long (not as long as the general boarding line) but all who were eligible used it. One man about three in front of me got turned away at the gate by the FA for being a gold! Maybe she could teach the rest now...

I was once turned away PB with my Gold card, but as I was flying business I did suggest that they do ask some questions prior to a flat refusal to allow PB...

Yes they should enforce PB to allowed pax only, however they do need to be careful that some may be in the premium cabins...

 

[Mr_Orange]

Total fail in BNE on Friday for QF1076 to ISA. One FA scanning and when Mrs_O and I arrived from the lounge, there was a huge queue in the PB lane and nobody in the GB lane. We went down the GB lane, got ignored, returned to the back of the 'PB' lane queue whereupon I asked the FA what had happened to PB, only to be told, "we don't operate it with only one FA at the gate, but you could have come down the other lane (pointing to the empty GB lane) and I would have popped you through." I didn't bother pointing out the fact that all pax were using the PB lane. QF sometimes...... sigh!!!

On other hand, it worked well in ISA for the return via announcements.

 

[eastwest101]

Partial fail in BNE on 4th August QF667 BNE-ADL Gate 23, when I arrived boarding was already underway and the PB lane was empty and general boarding pretty long, saw a non-status passenger whom was not in J class use the PB lane in front of me, saw her boarding pass and no status at all, Y class passenger. (I was in J class on points upgrade).

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Total fail in BNE on Friday for QF1076 to ISA. One FA scanning and when Mrs_O and I arrived from the lounge, there was a huge queue in the PB lane and nobody in the GB lane. We went down the GB lane, got ignored, returned to the back of the 'PB' lane queue whereupon I asked the FA what had happened to PB, only to be told, "we don't operate it with only one FA at the gate, but you could have come down the other lane (pointing to the empty GB lane) and I would have popped you through." I didn't bother pointing out the fact that all pax were using the PB lane. QF sometimes...... sigh!!!

On other hand, it worked well in ISA for the return via announcements.

That scenario is par for the course with one F/A but particularly when the computer is on the left hand side and therefore the same side as Priority boarding. Last time I flew to the ISA there were two F/A's doing boarding, maybe that's now changed to only one.

Even though the PA boarding announcement says for Plat, OWE & J pax to use the PB lane on the left, of course everyone else lines up there too because seriously who in their right mind is going to line up in in the general boarding lane when there is no F/A there to scan their boarding pass?

People will go where the F/A is end of story so having the biggest PB sign in the world will do diddley squat.

SO (who's WP) had the same experience as you on a recent flight BNE/CNS (pic below) only he didn't even attempt going down the empty lane so just joined the masses. Like you he had better luck on the return sector & said "it was great being able to just go down the PB lane & not have to queue up".

 

[Mr_Orange]

That scenario is par for the course with one F/A but particularly when the computer is on the left hand side and therefore the same side as Priority boarding. Last time I flew to the ISA there were two F/A's doing boarding, maybe that's now changed to only one.

Even though the PA boarding announcement says for Plat, OWE & J pax to use the PB lane on the left, of course everyone else lines up there too because seriously who in their right mind is going to line up in in the general boarding lane when there is no F/A there to scan their boarding pass?

People will go where the F/A is end of story so having the biggest PB sign in the world will do diddley squat.

Yep, I can completely understand that and agree the masses will just go to the computer and then the lemmings all follow.

Maybe the PB lane should be on the right irrespective of whether there are one or two FAs. That way the masses will automatically end up in the correct lane and those entitled to PB can walk the extra 70cm to the PB lane.

 

[Cynicor]

Worked perfectly on QF574 PER-SYD on Friday.

Straight from lounge into an empty PB lane and into my seat. Sign of the times that this thread is slowing down, maybe?

 

[boomy]

Worked perfectly on QF574 PER-SYD on Friday.

Straight from lounge into an empty PB lane and into my seat. Sign of the times that this thread is slowing down, maybe?

Same positive experience for me yesterday on QF802. Gate 14 next to the lounge, queue at GB while PB was empty.
I think the black signs help distinguish PB from GB much better then the red ones which are harder to notice from distance.

 

[RooFlyer]

Total fail in BNE on Friday for QF1076 to ISA. One FA scanning and when Mrs_O and I arrived from the lounge, there was a huge queue in the PB lane and nobody in the GB lane. We went down the GB lane, got ignored, returned to the back of the 'PB' lane queue whereupon I asked the FA what had happened to PB, only to be told, "we don't operate it with only one FA at the gate, but you could have come down the other lane (pointing to the empty GB lane) and I would have popped you through."
<snip>

That scenario is par for the course with one F/A but particularly when the computer is on the left hand side and therefore the same side as Priority boarding. Last time I flew to the ISA there were two F/A's doing boarding, maybe that's now changed to only one.

<snip>

I guess some-one has pointed out in this long thread that VA seem to manage efficient PB even with only one person scanning, and even in Hobart, where QF won't even countenance PB under any circumstances.

The other day, in HBA there were 2 clearly marked lines at the VA gate; they called PB and the single scanner person did their thing, rejecting the second to last person in that queue (asked to move 2 steps across to the still empty general boarding queue area). At this point, the other person on the microphone called for general boarding where upon the GB queue formed, and the processing of them began. When some-one wandered down the PB queue, they got processed straight away. A few minutes later, the second person took up station at the second scanning machine.

Just why it is so difficult for QF to accomplish the above is beyond me.

Actually, the thing that stood out on all four VA 737 flights (ex HBA, MEL and SYD) I took in those 2 days was that no GB queue formed until the GB call was made (except for a couple of people each time). Most people stayed where they were until GB, or their row group was called. Quite amazing crowd discipline actually. This must make it easier for the scanners to reject non PB people (they aren't sending them to the back of the GB queue) and helps keep the scanning point clear.

Now if only I could make Velocity Gold again, so I could take advantage of said PB