Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[tm.smile]

Are you saying as a staff traveller, you were not entitled to DJ PB, however they overlooked the lack of any status on your boarding pass & you breezed through the queue every time? Technically that would mean that DJ priority boarding isn't working as they are not questioning the bonafides of pax using their PB queue.

You contradict yourself by saying QF PB is a shambles as they are not enforcing the priority queues as DJ are doing exactly the same thing ie not enforcing priority queues as you used DJ PB on 7 occasions when you weren't entitled to but you don't call it a shambles as long as you benefited from that situation..

As a standby passenger I am still entitled to all the benefits of DJ gold. My observations was that the priority lane clearly works because from what I saw, passengers not entitled to PB stayed out of the PB line. Perhaps staff members should have checked for status but the fact was, it clear and free for me to use.

Qantas on the other hand can't even sort out two (what should be clearly designated) lanes.

 

[pshepvic]

Hmm ... I'm currently sitting on board AA2525 DFW-MIA and just experienced my first AA priority.boarding fail! It was in true QF style - there were 4 lanes (2 general & 2 Priority) yet despite getting there at exactly 30min before they still had already finished boarding F & Priority and had started boarding group 2 - through a single priority lane! Apparently AA can even get it wrong occasionally!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Hmm ... I'm currently sitting on board AA2525 DFW-MIA and just experienced my first AA priority.boarding fail! It was in true QF style - there were 4 lanes (2 general & 2 Priority) yet despite getting there at exactly 30min before they still had already finished boarding F & Priority and had started boarding group 2 - through a single priority lane! Apparently AA can even get it wrong occasionally!

I had a similar experience in the US at a few AA ports. PB works fine if you are there at the get go which could be as early as T minus 45, however after the initial flow of PB pax ebbs away the gate agent vacates the position & returns to the counter. It's then up to the remaining person to halt the flow of general boarding queue pax to call across anyone new entering the PB queue.

If you arrive at the boarding gate at T minus 30 which would be respectable in most countries you're really at the mercy of the sole gate agent & whether they feel like calling you across.

The best AA PB experience we had was in SDQ where there were not only two gate agents but a third riding shotgun ensuring everyone in the PB queue was entitled to be there ie policing the 'Priority AAccess' stamped on pax boarding pass.

 

[The Rok]

Hmm ... I'm currently sitting on board AA2525 DFW-MIA and just experienced my first AA priority.boarding fail! It was in true QF style - there were 4 lanes (2 general & 2 Priority) yet despite getting there at exactly 30min before they still had already finished boarding F & Priority and had started boarding group 2 - through a single priority lane! Apparently AA can even get it wrong occasionally!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2

Question, OT question. I have been to Miami dozens of times but I have always gone from London or Gatwick due to my geographical location al=t the time. A am now planning on getting from Perth to Miami (Or anywhere in Florida) in July and looking at flight options. Would you recommend DFW-MIA on AA or LAX-MIA(or FLL) on either Delta or Virgin America. Either way it will be in First.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Question, OT question. I have been to Miami dozens of times but I have always gone from London or Gatwick due to my geographical location al=t the time. A am now planning on getting from Perth to Miami (Or anywhere in Florida) in July and looking at flight options. Would you recommend DFW-MIA on AA or LAX-MIA(or FLL) on either Delta or Virgin America. Either way it will be in First.

VX, particularly in F is something everyone should do at least once & if you're in DJ's Velocity program you should earn points for VX flights (unless I read somewhere on AFF that's not the case)?

I think DL only give you J SC's even if travelling in F but can't remember if that was on their KUPP fare equivalent or the full F sector fare.

VA & DL now arrive/depart from terminal 5 at LAX so that may suit you better. I guess it comes down to what airlines has the better schedule.

 

[simongr]

this really doesn't bode well for the new super supreme qantas Asia airline. if they don't see it as a priority in Australia, they certainly aren't going to see it as a priority elsewhere. passengers on asian sectors paying premium fares will not appreciate that (especially given the amount of carry on in those regions)

QF do PB very well outside of Australia - it is only in Aus that there is a problem.

 

[Stephen65]

Yes they seem to be able to do it on QF and Jetstar international flights no problem.

 

[nlagalle]

I still haven't seen it not work yet... 5 flights in the last couple of weeks from PB airports and everytime it worked exactly as it should...

So it can't be all bad...

 

[dfcatch]

I still haven't seen it not work yet... 5 flights in the last couple of weeks from PB airports and everytime it worked exactly as it should...

So it can't be all bad...

See I'm with you - I've seen it work - work well in fact, I've seen that they've made the effort to implement it..........

I just see that there is no excuse for it not to work.

And the best way for to it work consistently is for frontline staff to be told in no uncertain terms that it is TO BE DONE.

It's xmas, and I'm a forgiving person this time of year - so I'll give QF a week......

But Red Roo it would be nice to see QF fix this - don't really need a forum reply saying that "your feedback is important to us and we're looking into it"....... Just fix it


(And then we can close the thread and find something else to complain about )

 

[Heleigh]

Question, OT question. I have been to Miami dozens of times but I have always gone from London or Gatwick due to my geographical location al=t the time. A am now planning on getting from Perth to Miami (Or anywhere in Florida) in July and looking at flight options. Would you recommend DFW-MIA on AA or LAX-MIA(or FLL) on either Delta or Virgin America. Either way it will be in First.

My suggention is take AA1520 Boeing 777-200/300 12.10pm departure and F is the Suite so nice and relaxing. LAX-MIA

 

[Sprucegoose]

QF do PB very well outside of Australia - it is only in Aus that there is a problem.

Is it our egalatarian nature?

 

[pshepvic]

Question, OT question. I have been to Miami dozens of times but I have always gone from London or Gatwick due to my geographical location al=t the time. A am now planning on getting from Perth to Miami (Or anywhere in Florida) in July and looking at flight options. Would you recommend DFW-MIA on AA or LAX-MIA(or FLL) on either Delta or Virgin America. Either way it will be in First.

If you need SCs for QF status then AA. If not, I'd go VX to FLL.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2

 

[medhead]

Well the realisation has just hit me, I've booked all my flights until February with Qantas. So 2 months of scrums in ADL for the early morning flight with absolutely no priority boarding. That was very poor planning on my part. At least Virgin Australia do a pre-boarding priority call at ADL that actually works.

 

[JohnK]

I haven't been following this thread recently and I was surprised to see the priority boarding sign up at gate 22 in BNE on Friday 30 December.

I got to the gate when there were only ~10 passengers left to board and I managed to board last but apparently there were 2 priority boarding calls made at the gate early in the boarding process.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I haven't been following this thread recently and I was surprised to see the priority boarding sign up at gate 22 in BNE on Friday 30 December.

I got to the gate when there were only ~10 passengers left to board and I managed to board last but apparently there were 2 priority boarding calls made at the gate early in the boarding process.

IIRC the flight actually departed on time which saved you posting on the off-topic thread about your usual Friday night experiences.

 

[JohnK]

IIRC the flight actually departed on time which saved you posting on the off-topic thread about your usual Friday night experiences.

Yes. Last flight of the year on time, possibly even a touch early, which may have been due to the efficiency of the gate crew handling priority boarding.

Now the battle for 2012 begins today and I am on the last flight of the night. Good weather in Sydney so may not get a chance to post in the off-topic thread. :mrgreen:

 

[simongr]

Worked very well on QF401 SYD gate 6 today. Very long pleb queue but noone in priority queue.

 

[simongr]

Brief follow up OWS and SG were being invited too... Maybe as the PB lane was empty. I guess the SG and below get sent on the early flights by their WP bosses... Not sure how I ended up on OMG o'clock flight then...

 

[richie9x]

I had a 737-400 flight on Monday from BNE (and it was Gate 16 so no aerobridge either). They made the standard call about priority boarding on the right hand lane being available for business, platinum and OW emeralds. Of course there was only one FA scanning boarding passes so everyone was in the right lane. I thought now they weren't supposed to make the priority boarding call on 737-400 flights?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Observed the boarding of a 734 BNE/SYD from Gate 16 from the satellite. Only one F/A comes up to board & priority boarding announcement made directing Business, WP & OWE members to use the "dedicated premium boarding lane to the right hand side".

The only problem with this gate is the only computer is on the right hand side so of course the masses also line up in the PB queue in front of the F/A but you can't blame them in this instance as it doesn't make sense to line up in the left hand general boarding queue when there is no F/A there.

Depending on the airport & the gate number some airports have the PB queue to the left hand side so the same scenario above will happen there too if the sole computer & FA is on the left.

I know people have said "Virgin can do PB with one F/A so why can't QF"? If you look at how Virgin board they have one general boarding queue where the masses line up then a separate PB queue for eligible pax to go straight up to. Then as long as the F/A stops the flow of pax in the general queue to process PB pax as they arrive it will work.

IMHO the solution for QF's PB to work all the time not just some of the time they need to do the following things:

a) Standardise all gates at all airports to always have the general boarding queue to the left & ensure the computer is stationed there & keep the PB queue to the right. It has to be consistent.

b) Having implemented the above, all F/A's need to be briefed that when on a 734 with one F/A boarding they must halt boarding of the general queue to process Premium pax as they arrive & monitor this to see if it's consistently achieveable.

c) If there are just too many premium pax for the above to work efficiently then they need to roster an extra an extra ground staff member to be the number 2 boarder. There will probably be screams from management re the extra expense of one more staff member but if they really want PB to succeed they have to do it.

Utilising Duty Managers won't work all the time as Murphy's Law will dictate they be called away to another flight when to help sort out a fail to board or some other drama.

Edit: Richiei9x - we were obviously posting at the same time, I think we're talking about the same flight.