Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[ozbeachbabe]

Has anyone seen the latest "priority tag"? A black dot, resembling the OW logo, about the size of a 10c piece printed on your luggage label with the word "priority" written through the middle?? Yeah right!!

As mentioned its' the barcode on the thermal tag not the 'priority dot' that tells the baggage handlers to put the bag in the priority container.

Whilst i did not mention it, that trip was MEL-SYD-DFW-MIA. If it is driven by the bar code, would you care to explain why qantas persist with the yellow First and pink Business tags and why all the bags come out at the other end in no priority order??

So non-QF airlines eg AA know that it's a priority bag. Whether AA choose to acknowledge that is a matter for them to decide however priority baggage isn't a OneWorld benefit so it's not something they have to do.

And why bother to print it on the tag at all if it serves no purpose?

I'm guessing that it serves as a visual acknowledgement that it's a priority bag even though the barcode will indicate that. It may be handy for people in baggage services to be able to see those visual cues as they wouldn't have a scanner like the baggage handlers.

Do you honestly expect me to believe that a baggage handler scans every piece of luggage, until he finds all the priority ones and only then loads the non priority bags onto the belt? Unlikely. It seems to me, they get dumped onto the belt in roughly the order from which they are unloaded from the aircraft and they are loaded onto the aircraft roughly in the order in which they were checked in!

All bags are scanned prior to being loaded on to the aircraft. They obviously do not need to do this process at the destination as they already know that the bags in the priority container are priority bags so all they need to do is deliver the container to the baggage belt so bags can be offloaded onto the carousel.

Virgin board via the front and rear doors, I rarely have to queue on the aero bridge/stairs. Obviously this will be different for Qantas.

Unless you board from a stand-off bay ie non-aerobridge eg Gate 16 in BNE in which case they use both forward and rear stairs to board.

Playing the devil's advocate, surely priority boarding for WP in particular will slow aircraft departures? Given that we're typically at the front and are more likely to be hand-carry baggage only, we effectively completely block the aisle towards the front of a 737. The real goal is to get people "down the back" as quickly as possible for an on-time departure. This never seems to work as I've never seen any enforcement of the "by row number" boarding announcements (when they're made).

I also hate sitting on the plane when I could still be in the lounge; the only thing that gets me on early is to get overhead bin access. What I'd like is some platinum only overhead bins, and a lounge announcement timed to let me waltz onto the plane from the lounge once the queue to board has died down...

I don't think the Platinum only overhead bins would work because if you had a SG pax in row 4 they can't be expected to walk back several rows eg to row 10 to put their carryon in the overhead bin there. Imagine the catfight when disembarking & having to walk back from row 4 to retrieve your carryon from row 10. Besides then there would be less room for pax who were actually sitting in row 10 to put their carryon up top.

Re the announcements in the lounge for boarding I know in BNE that once the gate agent has made the initial boarding call they call the QP & CL to advise them the flight has started boarding.

 

[greenfish]

I don't think the Platinum only overhead bins would work because if you had a SG pax in row 4 they can't be expected to walk back several rows eg to row 10 to put their carryon in the overhead bin there. Imagine the catfight when disembarking & having to walk back from row 4 to retrieve your carryon from row 10. Besides then there would be less room for pax who were actually sitting in row 10 to put their carryon up top.

Re the announcements in the lounge for boarding I know in BNE that once the gate agent has made the initial boarding call they call the QP & CL to advise them the flight has started boarding.

I was being very tongue in cheek with Platinum reserver bins, but storage is the only reason I find for getting on to a flight early. Much rather finish my wine in peace and stagger on last, but find it embarrassing playing "hunt the empty bin" when the last one on.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

....but storage is the only reason I find for getting on to a flight early. Much rather finish my wine in peace and stagger on last, but find it embarrassing playing "hunt the empty bin" when the last one on.

+1 Only reason to board early is to get space in the overhead bins. I hope to God we don't head down the American path where they try to bring the kitchen sink as carry-on.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I was being very tongue in cheek with Platinum reserver bins, but storage is the only reason I find for getting on to a flight early. Much rather finish my wine in peace and stagger on last, but find it embarrassing playing "hunt the empty bin" when the last one on.

OIC .

Stowing everyone's hand luggage is taking even longer now that PS/QP/SG pax only get one free checked bag & are forced to take more on board with them. You can have all pax on board but still get a delayed departure because everyone is still deciding where to put their carry one & the crew can't close the door until everyone is seated.

+1 Only reason to board early is to get space in the overhead bins. I hope to God we don't head down the American path where they try to bring the kitchen sink as carry-on.

Too late - it's already happening! It's very much going the way of flights in the USA. I few on Alaskan SFO/SEA & they started boarding the 737-800 at minus 45 & the flight was still late departing! This was due to the last lot of pax having nowhere to stow their bags & the crew having to take the cabin baggage & give it to ground staff so they could valet/a la carte the carry on, ie put it underneath in the cargo hold.

I've seen both DJ & JQ have a ground staff member comb the boarding queue confiscating bags if necessary early in the peace so it's not left to the last minute.

I was told by a short haul FA that one QF CSM ordered 44 pieces of carry on that he deemed being too big for the cabin to be put underneath.

 

[goldy]

OIC .

I was told by a short haul FA that one QF CSM ordered 44 pieces of carry on that he deemed being too big for the cabin to be put underneath.

Good. Its ridiculous what people try to get away with nowadays. There is no respect for your fellow traveller, its just me me me.

Having said that, I insist on having my belongings in a bin no more than 1 or 2 rows away from me more from a security point of view than anything else.

From SXM to MIA on AA in Y, one couple had 6 carry ons between them taking up 1.5 bins just for themselves and their fake LV luggage. 1 bin covers 2 rows (on the 757) meaning 7 people were without bin space cos of this selfish couple. Then another couple and their 3 kids board with 3 dogs, one of which was out of its cage and walked down the aisle on a leash. My looks of amazement were answered by the FA that this dog was a "comfort" dog meaning that the pax needed it for comfort during the flight. Apparently the same applies to monkeys, cats, miniature pot belly pigs and wait for it..... miniature horses. I would have thought if a person was crazy enough to require a comfort animal during flight, they probably shouldnt be flying!!

From MCO to DFW in F I was told (not asked) by the FA to put my 1 and only carry on under my seat to free up bin space for some greedy passenger who needed more space. I refused and told the passenger directly that if he wanted to be inconsiderate of his fellow passengers and carry on so much luggage, he could wedge it under his seat and be uncomfortable because I sure as hell was not going to!

the $hit that goes on in the US is simply unbelievable!!

 

[Danger]

I've certainly had priority boarding on QF Dom, but it's certainly no benefit, I much prefer getting on last and not having people push past me.

What's the benefit of getting on first, so you can sit there the longest. :shock:

This has been covered up-thread. Ultimately, however, QF is using priority benefit as one of the 'highlights' of Platinum, yet they're not offering it.

IMO priority boarding only works well when there are two aerobridges and/or twin aisle aircraft.

I also think priority boarding can work well on single aereobridge boardings. First, QF could do a priority boarding call for eligible passengers a couple of minutes before the general boarding call. Second, as one or two members have suggested previously, you could still have two lines leading to one reader. One of the lines would be for priority passengers and if it was empty, the FA would simply call passengers from the other line.

+1 Only reason to board early is to get space in the overhead bins. I hope to God we don't head down the American path where they try to bring the kitchen sink as carry-on.

I disagree. For me, one of the big reasons to board early has come about with the advent of gate-to-gate IFE. Based in Perth I'm fortunate to be on A333s a lot of the time so if I get on early I can settle in to the IFE. If it's a midnight departure, I might be able to get a TV episode or two away before I doze off to sleep. Similarly, if I want to settle straight into sleep, I can do so, hopefully nodding off before take-off.

Again, though, the overarching issue is QF is touting a benefit that they're not delivering on.

I was told by a short haul FA that one QF CSM ordered 44 pieces of carry on that he deemed being too big for the cabin to be put underneath.

There should be more of it. I'm sometimes guilty of sneaking in an extra kilo or two on the carry-on but I'm never over size (dimensions). Nonetheless, I'd have no issue with an FA pulling me up and saying 'sir, you're bag is over the limit', provided it was consistently done. And I agree it should be done.

From MCO to DFW in F I was told (not asked) by the FA to put my 1 and only carry on under my seat to free up bin space for some greedy passenger who needed more space. I refused and told the passenger directly that if he wanted to be inconsiderate of his fellow passengers and carry on so much luggage, he could wedge it under his seat and be uncomfortable because I sure as hell was not going to!

Well done.

 

[Groundfeeder]

in the priority container

There's a Priority Container??

Only once since using NGCI has my bag been in the first twenty on the carousel - and I stop counting at 50:evil:

I noticed the bagtag from non-NGCI CNS had the miniscule "Priority" tag, but it was pretty much shredded when I met up with it in BNE.

 

[drewbles]

I know we are talking about priority boarding but you know IMHO priority getting off the plane would be better....

I'd love to see this.

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to PER where the local time is xx:xx. Please remained seated with your seatbelts securely fastened until we have arrived at the gate and the captain has brought the aircraft to a complete stop. Once we have stopped, we'd like to offer our Platinum Frequent Flyers priority dis-embarkation from this flight so please continue to remain seated whilst several DYKWIA's climb over you from their window seats, knock you on the head with their carryon luggage, and generally make you feel more plebeian than ever"

</tongue_in_cheek>



On a side note, it's a little like QR's de-planing process. As soon as the wheels are on the ground pretty much, the FA's draw the curtain to the J cabin, allowing the J pax to de-plan (via stairs in DOH) onto their 'special luxury bus' to the 'premium terminal' (anyone that's been to DOH will realise what a hole of an airport they currently have). Only once the J pax have de-planed, do they allow the rest of us mere mortals to de-plane, via both front and rear doors of a 777.

 

[drewbles]

There's a Priority Container??

Only once since using NGCI has my bag been in the first twenty on the carousel - and I stop counting at 50:evil:

I noticed the bagtag from non-NGCI CNS had the miniscule "Priority" tag, but it was pretty much shredded when I met up with it in BNE.

Certainly is. I used to take QF188 SYD-MEL on a Sunday night back when it was still running. One trip I had checked luggage and I was standing around the carousel at MEL waiting for my bag. And waited. And waited. And then bags came out (nothing unusual so far). Then bags started coming out, with a lack of J/Priority tags (A330; no F). After all the bags had come and gone, and the J/Priority Pax were standing around scratching their head (after 45 minutes of waiting) we heard an announcement 'For the information of passengers recently arrived on QF188 from Sydney, your bags will be arriving shortly we apologise for the delay'. 15 minutes later, no bags, the carousel stops. A further announcement informed us that our bags had been left in the priority container headed for HKG and that our bags had been located and were being offloaded.

90 minutes after the carousel started, our bags came out. It did confirm the existence of a priority bag container, alas, it also shows how useless they are at getting priority bags out to us!

 

[Moopere]

What I'd like is some platinum only overhead bins, and a lounge announcement timed to let me waltz onto the plane from the lounge once the queue to board has died down...

Its a great idea, leave the elites til last, guarantee (somehow) overhead locker space and let them enjoy the lounge longer without worrying about having the gate closed in their face. My worry is that even relatively simple to organise twin lane boarding seems too difficult at the moment, something as complex as timed elite boarding calls has got to be nigh on impossible right?

 

[goldy]

Only once since using NGCI has my bag been in the first twenty on the carousel - and I stop counting at 50:evil:

I noticed the bagtag from non-NGCI CNS had the miniscule "Priority" tag, but it was pretty much shredded when I met up with it in BNE.

thats the point i was trying to make. Whatever systems they have in place are NOT working as IME, the bags just show up on the belt in no specific order. And as for that stupid little black dot, its barely visible when the tag is new let alone when it is crumpled and "shredded".

QF should withhold every bag until the priority ones have been loaded onto the belt. I understand this would be a logistical nightmare, but its kinda not my problem. They advertise the service, they'd better be sure they provide it.

I have pretty much lost patience with Qantas and its non provision of benefits that I now email executive relations every time they don't do what they say they will. Im sure they are sick of me, but its the only way to try and get them to pull their socks up, as they cant keep comping me a $100 voucher because i've had to wait 40 minutes for my "priority" luggage.

 

[connieguy]

...They advertise the service, they'd better be sure they provide it...

Oh you mean like Domestic Priority Boarding for WPs?

 

[connieguy]

...Only once since using NGCI has my bag been in the first twenty on the carousel - and I stop counting at 50:evil:...

So easy to post benefits on the QF web site. But not so easy for QF to deliver them it would seem. I really try to NOT fly with checked bags for all the reasons you have given and a few more.

 

[serfty]

The barcodes only work for 737/717 when the ground staff can be bothered. Once the luggage is on the trolley it's all equal. That's the biggest problem.

As for US carry-on, all airlines have specific limits. Interestingly they are generally less than that of Qantas¹ for dometic Jet services. However, they rarely get enforced! I have been told this is due to competition and many PAX will switch to another carrier if they don't get their way.

The "service animal" aspect is a real touchy one - there have been reports that some PAX have pretended to have one to avoid pet shipping costs. (Fake Service Dogs - FlyerTalk Forums)

¹ The carry-on allowance for Qantas Domestic Jet services is up to 2 x 7kg 105cm bags.

 

[QFMEL]

I was being very tongue in cheek with Platinum reserver bins, but storage is the only reason I find for getting on to a flight early. Much rather finish my wine in peace and stagger on last, but find it embarrassing playing "hunt the empty bin" when the last one on.

Bane of my flying experience, having to do this- regardless of class. Usually have to (and prefer to in most instances) travel with carry-on only. When in Y, this ordinarily means doing my utmost to board first, or close to it. I usually aim for an exit window on 734s/Hs, forcing me to put one or two bags up top.

To then be told by QF that I have to separate with one because it might be too big (yes, that's right, might, not is), despite WP status and boarding early- to accommodate later boarding pax who routinely flout the rules or don't even try and just hand their bags to the FAs to sort out- is uniquely frustrating.

Had a great example of this last Friday where a silver FF kept about two dozen pax behind him for a whole five minutes while he tried to squeeze his laptop bag into one of the lockers, despite the fact that it was clear his efforts would be futile. Put it under your seat, twit. Rewarded for his disruptive efforts with FAs putting it in with J pax' jackets.

A consistent approach to customer service and/or enforcing rules wrt this issue would be a big help.

Two bags should mean two bags, and it shouldn't be my problem at all if other people choose to board late on a full flight.

 

[notzac]

The "service animal" aspect is a real touchy one - there have been reports that some PAX have pretended to have one to avoid pet shipping costs. (Fake Service Dogs - FlyerTalk Forums)

I think it's more than just reports - I've spoken to people who've done exactly this .. I personally think it's appalling.

 

[tuapekastar]

There's a Priority Container??

Only once since using NGCI has my bag been in the first twenty on the carousel - and I stop counting at 50:evil:

I noticed the bagtag from non-NGCI CNS had the miniscule "Priority" tag, but it was pretty much shredded when I met up with it in BNE.

I long ago gave up on counting on the priority baggage benefit, though I have not flown domestic with checked luggage since NGCI became operational (hence have not even used NGCI). I just treat it as a bonus if my bags come out early on in the piece, but expect it to be fairly random.

For that, and priority boarding (real priority boarding with a separate lane that WPs and whomever else is defined as eligible to use can stroll through at anytime in the boarding process), if they're incapable of (be it through lack of interest or incompetence, or even giving the benefit of the doubt and allowing logistical issues as a reason) delivering them consistently and across the board then they should scrap them as benefits and not advertise them as such.

 

[goldy]

The "service animal" aspect is a real touchy one - there have been reports that some PAX have pretended to have one to avoid pet shipping costs.

Is ghere a difference between "service" and "comfort" animal?
According to the AA FA i spoke with, a "comfort" animal must be documented in some way( not sure exactly how, but im assuming medically or psychiatrically) in order to qualify. But like most things, AA dont give a cough about enforcing anything.

CORRECTION:

it wasnt a comfort animal i was talking about, it was an "emotional" animal. sorry for the confusion, even tho I still am!!

 

[serfty]

...

it wasnt a comfort animal i was talking about, it was an "emotional" animal. sorry for the confusion, even tho I still am!!

Spend a few minutes reading the the posts from the FT thread I linked to. You may end up even more confused but you'll be aware of a lot more about the topic.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Thanks Serfty+Goldy in regards to the 'service animal' update.

I never thought about this side of flying and it has certainly opened my eyes. There seem to be a fair few cases people using 'service animals' as covers to avoid paying $$$ for pets. All l can say is, what-a-joke! One thread, a dog took a dump mid flight, staff using coffee granules to try and 'mask the smell'...OMG!