Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[medhead]

Glass airbridges, without a/c at that. Not fun on a hot day

I'm pretty sure they have A/C. I'll have a look on Thursday. Just it's underpowered for the volume of the bridge and the amount of glass. I also suspect it is evaporative A/C. :shock: Yes, not good on a hot day.


Sent from my iPhone using Aust Freq Fly app so please excuse the lack of links.

 

[dfcatch]

I was impressed when ADL finally got the new terminal

 

[simongr]

Interesting that because it is a shared terminal that they can't have PB. I guess for all of us naysayers it perhaps isn't quite as easy as we think to implement a standard customer experience that is available in all major ports...

 

[serfty]

I believe the ADL air-bridges do have A/C.

FWIW, domestic operations for the new terminal did not commence until February 2006 after significant delays that were mainly caused by contaminated fuel piping.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/open-discussion/new-adelaide-airport-5891.html

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....iscussion/anyone-know-when-adls-new-6305.html

 

[medhead]

Interesting that because it is a shared terminal that they can't have PB. I guess for all of us naysayers it perhaps isn't quite as easy as we think to implement a standard customer experience that is available in all major ports...

That's a reason that has been given. One DJ staff member said the lanes were coming but that was some time ago. Personally, I don't think they have the room.

Just on the ADL airbridge A/C. I think one of the units can be seen in the following picture on wikipedia. Just forward of the rear door on the 737 covering the last couple windows. 40+ degree with that much glass, it has no chance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:adelaideairportskyline.jpg


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Hawkeye]

Had a scrum already developed a the gate by the time the WP et al boarding call was made?

In your opinion, were the gate agents actively looking at boarding passes, FF cards etc. and rejected those who didn't fit the priority boarding call?

Certainly following the "infants and small children" announcement essentially every passenger was in line ready to march on. All in single-file, though, which was also a little unusual.

As to active check of credentials, not sure. There was a salutation of "Welcome back, Dr .....", so clearly some attention was paid.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

For my personal experience on how PB can go wrong (a pax threatened to 'deck' me several times), see here:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....rity-boarding-led-threats-violence-33856.html

While gate announcements might be fine, the whole process needs to take into account that many pax that qualify for PB will be in a lounge where the boarding announcement for them can be quite different - usually just "Flight xx_ is now boarding at gate yyy" (i.e. no instructions about rows or passengers with children/special needs or elites etc). And that it can take a few minutes for those in the lounge to get to the gate. They still should be entitled to the PB. Policing the line is essential.

They can't possibly do the full boarding spiel in the lounges like they do at the gate or as you can well imagine they would never be off the PA. I think it's okay to only say "Flight xx_ is now boarding at gate yyy" then at the gate it should be the usual procedure which is currently SNAFU.

Did MEL-SYD last week, gate 3 (767). No Priority Boarding call made. The que was well and truely formed by the time I arrived to board from the lounge. Kind of dissappinted/let down with QF as it has been a few months since the SYD trials were announced and also witnessing priority calls made up in BNE.

Had a scrum already developed a the gate by the time the WP et al boarding call was made?

In your opinion, were the gate agents actively looking at boarding passes, FF cards etc. and rejected those who didn't fit the priority boarding call?

The gate agents are not involved in the scanning/policing of the boarding passes that job rests wholly & solely with the F/A. It's hard to tell at DJ whether it's FA's or ground staff as they now both wear the same uniforms, although on DJ flight I saw boarding had a combination of both as the ground staffer had a walkie talkie which FA's don't have.

I think the easiest way would be if the boarding passes had a 'Zone number' printed on them so the boarding calls could say "we're now boarding zone A" etc so when a pax comes up with a boarding pass that says 'zone B' on it they nicely be read the riot act in true LOTFAP style and told to bugger off & wait their turn.

With the current situation FA's have to interpret the FF tier status eg One World Sapphire & work out whether that pax is in the current grouping 'allowed' to board. When it's busy you just want to get pax onboard asap & IMHO having of um & ah over whether a pax can board at that particular moment would chew up precious time.

 

[tuapekastar]

I think the easiest way would be if the boarding passes had a 'Zone number' printed on them so the boarding calls could say "we're now boarding zone A" etc so when a pax comes up with a boarding pass that says 'zone B' on it they nicely be read the riot act in true LOTFAP style and told to bugger off & wait their turn.

With the current situation FA's have to interpret the FF tier status eg One World Sapphire & work out whether that pax is in the current grouping 'allowed' to board. When it's busy you just want to get pax onboard asap & IMHO having of um & ah over whether a pax can board at that particular moment would chew up precious time.

I think this is a significant point. Given the choice QF would rather upset a few pax (those entitled to PB) and get the boarding done quickly and the plane away on time, rather than police the BPs/lanes and who is entitled to use them and who is not, possibly delaying the flight's departure.

I presume a system like that outlined in your previous paragraph would help.

As I understand it AA has two lanes. One for BPs with "Priority AAccess" printed on them, the other for all other BPs - and these other BPs have Group1, Group 2 etc. printed on them? And are those groups associated with seat rows, or check-in times, or both? I've used the priority lane, but not the other (at least not in recent times, so cannot remember what was on the BP).

 

[LiamR]

The gate agents are not involved in the scanning/policing of the boarding passes that job rests wholly & solely with the F/A. It's hard to tell at DJ whether it's FA's or ground staff as they now both wear the same uniforms, although on DJ flight I saw boarding had a combination of both as the ground staffer had a walkie talkie which FA's don't have.

There is never any FAs at the gate when boarding a VA aircraft, the job of scanning tickets rests soley with the ground crew.

 

[QF WP]

Another point of differentiation between QF and VA. Regardless, I don't think it makes much difference - other than being noticed by the FA (QF) and getting some better service

 

[MatF]

QF510 this morning, SYD-BNE, dep 8:35am, Gate 13.

Boarding was about 10-15mins late. The boarding call was "general boarding will commence shortly, but first we would like to ask our Business, WP and SG customers to board", or something to that effect. As usual, the scrum had already well and truly formed, probably not helped by being a bit late. The line was already back to the central area in front of gate 13.

So where does a Business, WP or SG customer push in? We can't all rush to the front of the line, as some of the people in front are probably entitled to be there. This morning I would have had to elbow people aside to get up there anyway.

In practice, the scrum just surged forward anyway and boarded, and I didn't see anyone get turned back at the gate.


It's a massive fail without a separate queue. The scrum mentality/culture is too entrenched.

 

[Ewing]

So where does a Business, WP or SG customer push in? We can't all rush to the front of the line, as some of the people in front are probably entitled to be there. This morning I would have had to elbow people aside to get up there anyway.

That's why it needs to be indicated by signage. I will not push in (except for the two times I've done it on international flights flying J when priority boarding wasn't in operation), and nor should I be expected to.

I flew SYD-WLG on a Qantas 738 last Friday. There was a general queue and a separate business queue with one person processing Passports/BPs.

I walked straight up, and without skipping a beat he took my BP stub and then went back to processing the general queue.

If they can do that for international, surely they can for domestic too even if it does involve lodging a plan with the airport.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

QF510 this morning, SYD-BNE, dep 8:35am, Gate 13.

Boarding was about 10-15mins late. The boarding call was "general boarding will commence shortly, but first we would like to ask our Business, WP and SG customers to board", or something to that effect. As usual, the scrum had already well and truly formed, probably not helped by being a bit late. The line was already back to the central area in front of gate 13.

So where does a Business, WP or SG customer push in? We can't all rush to the front of the line, as some of the people in front are probably entitled to be there. This morning I would have had to elbow people aside to get up there anyway.

In practice, the scrum just surged forward anyway and boarded, and I didn't see anyone get turned back at the gate.

It's a massive fail without a separate queue. The scrum mentality/culture is too entrenched.

Have to agree with you there. If you're not an eligible PB pax but have already been standing around in a queue waiting to board you're not going to suddenly just sit down & wait for your row to be called, you stay where you are as you feel you've earned your stripes by standing in line for the past 10-15 mins so aren't going anywhere.

It's not fair on FA's to have to act like a nightclub bouncer & turn pax away while there is no Priority Boarding signage to back them up as all pax are under the impression that it's first in best dressed. Once that is in place (assuming the gurus at Coward St are still going ahead with it) it is essentlial that a pre-boarding call is made saying something like "Business Class, Platinum & Gold Frequent Flyers may board anytime using the dedicated Priority Boarding lane" so people not in the correct queue can be directed to the general boarding queue once boarding has commenced.

That's why it needs to be indicated by signage. I will not push in (except for the two times I've done it on international flights flying J when priority boarding wasn't in operation), and nor should I be expected to.

I flew SYD-WLG on a Qantas 738 last Friday. There was a general queue and a separate business queue with one person processing Passports/BPs.

I walked straight up, and without skipping a beat he took my BP stub and then went back to processing the general queue.

If they can do that for international, surely they can for domestic too even if it does involve lodging a plan with the airport.

Signage needs to be clear & from what I've seen from somebody's photos posted already from the SYD trials is that the signs they have made up have the world "Boarding" in massive font with the important stuff like "General" & "Business Platinum & Gold" in writing so tiny that the punters won't be able to differentiate, so in effect it will just look like two regular boarding lanes for everyone.

 

[medhead]

I suppose I should report this. SYD T3 10/11/11. Gate 2, They had a proper preboarding call and I got a clear open walk past the scrum. First call to say welcome to QF743, it will board shortly. Scrum surged but held on the boarding shortly bit. Then a call for kiddies, assistance and business, plat and I didn't hear the rest. I held for a bit (1.5 seconds) no one moved and then I went, with a clear walk past people as mentioned. I think the scrum followed me.Now I know this is not a separate lane. But it is a proper per-boarding call, that involved a degree of control on the crowd. I firmly believe this is an important seat in qantas staff taking control in boarding, control which is needed to get effective priority boarding. A small step, but also an important first step. Well done qantas please keep it up.

 

[MatF]

Consistently inconsistent.

QF539, BNE-SYD, yesterday 11/11/11, dep 14:45. B763. Gate 23.

First call was for the back half of the plane in economy ..... then followed by "Business, Platinum One (!) and Platinum Gold (?) members may board at their leisure".
I'm surprised there's been no standardisation of the boarding call. Is it just at the discretion of the individual?

 

[Oneworldplus2]

It's not fair on FA's to have to act like a nightclub bouncer & turn pax away while there is no Priority Boarding signage to back them up as all pax are under the impression that it's first in best dressed. Once that is in place (assuming the gurus at Coward St are still going ahead with it) it is essentlial that a pre-boarding call is made saying something like "Business Class, Platinum & Gold Frequent Flyers may board anytime using the dedicated Priority Boarding lane" so people not in the correct queue can be directed to the general boarding queue once boarding has commenced.

I agree OZBB. Once the 'scrum' has formed, why should the FA's act as a 'bouncer'. It's already past the point of no return. Signage (like AA/BA) is the key.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Consistently inconsistent.

QF539, BNE-SYD, yesterday 11/11/11, dep 14:45. B763. Gate 23.

First call was for the back half of the plane in economy ..... then followed by "Business, Platinum One (!) and Platinum Gold (?) members may board at their leisure". I'm surprised there's been no standardisation of the boarding call. Is it just at the discretion of the individual?

No it's not meant to be as the discretion of the individual, however quite often it ends up being that way. There is a copy of the boarding announcement at each gate for everyone to follow.

The architects of the PB spiel who I'm sure cannot have actually worked at an airport, have designed the wording in such a way that currently it encourages every man & his dog to board at their leisure.

"Hello everyone it's our pleasure to welcome you to QFxx_ to xx_ which is now ready for boarding". Ok you might have to ad lib and actually add in "through gate number 23" as corporate in their widsom neglected to put that on, so I guess in this case you are using your discretion. (all remaining pax will stand up at this stage - the one who weren't already in a queue of about 50 or so).

"To make things easier please have your boarding pass, mobile phone or Qantas card ready for scanning by the crew". (usual boarding scrum well underway by now).

"Today we're boarding economy by row number & if you're seated in rows 34 to 57 etc you're now invited to board". (shut the gate the horse has bolted - anybody not in these rows will still stay in the queue waiting to board & nobody is seen to sit back down).

"Business customers, Platinum & Gold frequent flyers & OW Emerald & Sapphire Members are welcome to continue boarding".....(right behind the other 200 or so pax already ahead of you as there is no dedicated PB lane as for international flights).

 

[pshepvic]

No it's not meant to be as the discretion of the individual, however quite often it ends up being that way. There is a copy of the boarding announcement at each gate for everyone to follow.

The architects of the PB spiel who I'm sure cannot have actually worked at an airport, have designed the wording in such a way that currently it encourages every man & his dog to board at their leisure.

"Hello everyone it's our pleasure to welcome you to QFxx_ to xx_ which is now ready for boarding". Ok you might have to ad lib and actually add in "through gate number 23" as corporate in their widsom neglected to put that on, so I guess in this case you are using your discretion. (all remaining pax will stand up at this stage - the one who weren't already in a queue of about 50 or so).

"To make things easier please have your boarding pass, mobile phone or Qantas card ready for scanning by the crew". (usual boarding scrum well underway by now).

"Today we're boarding economy by row number & if you're seated in rows 34 to 57 etc you're now invited to board". (shut the gate the horse has bolted - anybody not in these rows will still stay in the queue waiting to board & nobody is seen to sit back down).

"Business customers, Platinum & Gold frequent flyers & OW Emerald & Sapphire Members are welcome to continue boarding".....(right behind the other 200 or so pax already ahead of you as there is no dedicated PB lane as for international flights).

As opposed to the new standard VA spiel, which goes something like this (note this is not official, but is what I have heard consistently for months now): "We will be boarding flight xx at gate xx in a few minutes [sometimes they say in about 5 minutes] so at this time please familiarise yourself with your seat number. At this time we'd like to invite guests with small children and anyone requiring assistance to board now. [short pause, although sometimes the next bit is included with that last bit] We'd also like to welcome our Business/Premium Economy, Platinum and Gold Velocity Frequent flyers and members of our partner airlines to board now or at anytime via the priority queue". By the time they call regular boarding, I'm already half way down the air bridge so I don't actually know what comes next...!

 

[Danger]

As opposed to the new standard VA spiel, which goes something like this (note this is not official, but is what I have heard consistently for months now): "We will be boarding flight xx at gate xx in a few minutes [sometimes they say in about 5 minutes] so at this time please familiarise yourself with your seat number. At this time we'd like to invite guests with small children and anyone requiring assistance to board now. [short pause, although sometimes the next bit is included with that last bit] We'd also like to welcome our Business/Premium Economy, Platinum and Gold Velocity Frequent flyers and members of our partner airlines to board now or at anytime via the priority queue". By the time they call regular boarding, I'm already half way down the air bridge so I don't actually know what comes next...!

Last night I flew my first DJ flight in several months (actually, since the anytime access wake and F Lounge run back in January) and this is exactly how it went. I was stunned how well it worked. There was absolutely no scrum at the gate, no flock of passengers clogging the gate area 30 minutes before the boarding call. When the priority boarding announcement was made there was all of about three people moving towards the gate. Wow. Clearly, DJ are well versed in the process.

 

[oz_mark]

Wow. Clearly, DJ are well versed in the process.

DJ and, importantly, their passengers.