Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[kermatu]

Of course. But that's the deal with boarding early.

Agree. I should have been clearer in my earlier posts. If I have a window seat I will generally like to board early. So properly enforced priority boarding would help me to ensure I get onboard before I have to climb over or disturb another pax. Unless they also have priority of course!

 

[Aeolus]

First time ever, on QF743 tonight, a QF staff standing by the entrance to priority boarding queue and physically checking the BP before allowing pax through. Well done QF!

 

[PaulST]

QF 1580 SYD-MCY. They made a specific announcement about the two lines although I didn't wait around to see if the rules were enforced as I boarded.
QF1581 MCY-SYD. There was a single line but they announced priority boarding first (then I boarded so can't comment on what happened after that). I suppose it was nice to see PB enforced on my last WP flight before dropping to SG later this month.


BTW British Airways boarding is ridiculous. From my two experiences (NRT and LHR), there's two lines. The status line for everyone in F/Y/PE and with OWR status and above. Then the standard line for the other 20 people. I recall boarding BA6 at NRT where an F pax was chucking a spaz after realising he had to join the massive queue behind me ( I was an OWE travelling in J at the time). There was a similar story when I flew in F out of LHR late last year. The lines were certainly longer than you'd expect when travelling F. Ah well...

 

[Daver6]

First time ever, on QF743 tonight, a QF staff standing by the entrance to priority boarding queue and physically checking the BP before allowing pax through. Well done QF!

Sure you weren't high and hallucinating?

 

[TonyHancock]

QF 1580 SYD-MCY. They made a specific announcement about the two lines although I didn't wait around to see if the rules were enforced as I boarded.
QF1581 MCY-SYD. There was a single line but they announced priority boarding first (then I boarded so can't comment on what happened after that).

I guess the question I would ask is did QF only process the priority line or did they process both at the same time?

 

[Aeolus]

Sure you weren't high and hallucinating?

Haha, I wished. Just landed and it's not the flight crew either so there's hope after all for SYD Dom Priority boarding when I've given up all hope!
He even redirected some pax to the main queue, I felt like going up to him to shake his hand and thanked him but was concerned with the death stares from the phleb's line. :mrgreen:

 

[katiebell]

Flew QF transcon today: signs were up, no one at home. A gaggle of pax were queueing in front of PB but were not PB pax: none turned away. Others pushed into the queue. QF boarding staff were clearly not interested in PB nor expecting WP as no one got the usual 'welcome back/good morning [pax name]' and, as usual both lines were boarding at the same time with no priority. The announcement re boarding lanes was a waste of breath and the comment OWE/J/WP etc can board at your leisure farcical as the PB queue was not enforced

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Sure you weren't high and hallucinating?

Maybe they were ex-VA staff Although ...

I usually think VA can't get PB wrong. But on two recent ATR flights, the first had no PB and boarded by front half/rear half, the second they PBed about three pax (with plenty more in line) before they commenced simultaneous non-PB.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Priority boarding is not synonomous with boarding first.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

I know but it usually has been in my experience (typically completed within 1-2 minutes), and should be (where practicable) particularly for ATR/Dash flights with limited overhead.

 

[dfcatch]

Priority boarding is not synonomous with boarding first.

Yes it is.

In particular when it comes to processing the priority queue before opening up and processing the general queue.

Otherwise - the general queue is being given priority over the priority queue.

Simply having two lines being processed simultaneously is not priority boarding.

Most other airlines in the world get this right.

QF is basically the only one who can't - and it's because of a certain individual executive who doesn't believe in it.

 

[PaulST]

Flew QF transcon today: signs were up, no one at home. A gaggle of pax were queueing in front of PB but were not PB pax: none turned away. Others pushed into the queue. QF boarding staff were clearly not interested in PB nor expecting WP as no one got the usual 'welcome back/good morning [pax name]' and, as usual both lines were boarding at the same time with no priority. The announcement re boarding lanes was a waste of breath and the comment OWE/J/WP etc can board at your leisure farcical as the PB queue was not enforced

That's unfortunate. I got the "Welcome back Mr Stewart both at the gate and on boarding the aircraft on both of my recent flights with QFLink. i know they're just reading it off the BP, but it does make you feel a little special.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Yes it is.

In particular when it comes to processing the priority queue before opening up and processing the general queue.

Otherwise - the general queue is being given priority over the priority queue.

Simply having two lines being processed simultaneously is not priority boarding.

Most other airlines in the world get this right.

QF is basically the only one who can't - and it's because of a certain individual executive who doesn't believe in it.

No, it's not.
It much more.
It should mean being able to walk up and walk on at any time without a long queue.
Not all of us think the high point of status is to sit for even longer inside an aluminium tube on the tarmac.
That's probably a diagnosable mental illness.

 

[dfcatch]

No, it's not.
It much more.
It should mean being able to walk up and walk on at any time without a long queue.
Not all of us think the high point of status is to sit for even longer inside an aluminium tube on the tarmac.
That's probably a diagnosable mental illness.

You're right!

But "board at any time" IS included with Priority Boarding as I described (and as implemented successfully by VArious other AAirlines including QF International).

However - your original post suggested that "Priority Boarding" could be ONLY "board at any time" to the exclusion of "board first" - and that is not correct.

 

[bunkeight]

I have stated before in this thread that QF FA's doing the boarding basically don't want to enforce it.

FYI, cabin crew are under instruction NOT to redirect customers to the general boarding queue, but to ask them to use it next time - to which most people roll their eyes, snatch their boarding pass and walk off. It's easy to see why most cabin crew don't bother.

At the end of the day, in most ports the 6'4" tall bright red and black signage and announcements are very clear (though that isn't always the case). A heightened sense of entitlement across society in general seems to be the real issue at play.

 

[OzEire]

FYI, cabin crew are under instruction NOT to redirect customers to the general boarding queue, but to ask them to use it next time - to which most people roll their eyes, snatch their boarding pass and walk off. It's easy to see why most cabin crew don't bother.

At the end of the day, in most ports the 6'4" tall bright red and black signage and announcements are very clear (though that isn't always the case). A heightened sense of entitlement across society in general seems to be the real issue at play.

A subtle and less disruptive way of dealing with PB interlopers (a good number of whom will be confused) may be to have PB line GAs hand the BP over to the GA who is boarding the general line and/or say "wait here while we check you FF tier" then keep boarding priority pax. The GA at the general line should continue boarding pax in that line for 4-5 more pax while the interloper waits awkwardly with everyone in both lines looking at them.

 

[TonyHancock]

Yet another failure. QF610. Boarding process started with only one person scanning, taking pax alternately from the priority lane and the non priority lane.

 

[Buzzard]

No QF but on my recent LH flight LIS - FRA, the GA was sending interlopers to the very back of the general queue. Interesting as had you joined the correct line in the first place you probably would have been further up the line.

 

[flyingfan]

I schlepped across three airports - MEL, BNE and DRW on Friday - and priority boarding worked a bit better than some complete fails I've witnessed in the past. The priority lanes were shorter with ineligible pax seemingly self-policing. For the most part it looked like the eligibles could go down the priority lane and be boarded faster.

There were two problems though. Unlike the very unambiguous announcements with VA, when QF started boarding some of its flights, "Passengers in row 16 to 31" were called forward, with no mention of the elites, and it looked like everyone just swamped the regular queue.

At DRW priority boarding was also working for a while with regular pax using the regular lane. Then the FA at the priority scanner said to everyone, "Just come forward," and then the priority lane no longer was :evil:

 

[esseeeayeenn]

You're right!

But "board at any time" IS included with Priority Boarding as I described (and as implemented successfully by VArious other AAirlines including QF International).

However - your original post suggested that "Priority Boarding" could be ONLY "board at any time" to the exclusion of "board first" - and that is not correct.

No, it didn't.