Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[collcars]

Going to Adelaide the other day, they weight the luggage of the Premium line but ignored the normal line,
Getting on the plane the priority people where last to board, my undersized luggage weighed 8kg, got told off,
Told her I would solve the problem by taking my laptop out, she wasn’t impressed.

 

[Pushka]

Going to Adelaide the other day, they weight the luggage of the Premium line but ignored the normal line,
Getting on the plane the priority people where last to board, my undersized luggage weighed 8kg, got told off,
Told her I would solve the problem by taking my laptop out, she wasn’t impressed.

Which you are perfectly entitled to do if you weren’t carrying anything else.

 

[kermatu]

Qantas flipped the entry. The queue for priority boarding is back to the next gate lounge. There is one person in the usual queue.
View attachment 145906

Crew just getting onboard, yet people are already lined up. Never quite understood this. Guess all it takes is one person to start then everyone else feels compelled to get their spot.

 

[collcars]

No I wasn’t carrying anything else, its just convenient to have everything in one bag, but not in this FA eyes!

 

[vandy]

Going to Adelaide the other day, they weight the luggage of the Premium line but ignored the normal line,
Getting on the plane the priority people where last to board, my undersized luggage weighed 8kg, got told off,
Told her I would solve the problem by taking my laptop out, she wasn’t impressed.

On all my recent flights the so-called Priority Boarding has been an absolute joke. The "priority" queue is consistently not given any actual priority, so I'm fairly convinced it's not just a few accidental oversights.

I don't know why Qantas continue to advertise this as a benefit, or even continue to pretend they're offering it.

I've also seen them crackdown on luggage size/weight in the Priority line only, holding up the priority queue while passengers in the regular boarding line stream past.

 

[monoccular]

QF 485 MEL PER today — no attempt whatsoever to enforce or even announce that there was a priority lane.
Until they actually send ‘violators’to the back of the standard lane nobody will give a stuff.

 

[JohnK]

View attachment 145917 What is wrong in this picture... I ended up just walking up the non-status side.

Too many people with status. They've overdone making status easier to achieve for everyone. Platinum One is the new Platinum and Platinum is the new Gold.

 

[Pushka]

Too many people with status. They've overdone making status easier to achieve for everyone. Platinum One is the new Platinum and Platinum is the new Gold.

But you just know that many in the queue, especially during the day, just aren’t. The ones that seem totally confused by everything and make a big deal about flying and are way too chatty to everyone.

 

[juddles]

I am close to demanding a P1 access - as the priority queue is just ridiculous. A couple of days ago I flew QF BNE to SYD. Morning. This is a 737 flight - so technically 168 passengers - 12 in business and 156 in economy. I actually sat aside and watched and counted. I was waiting till the "priority queue" finished so I could just stand up and board. I hate queues. But before the priority queue dried up, no fewer than 83 pax had boarded through it! So half the plane is "priority"?? And as always, the non-priority queue was boarded at the same time. So the last priority person boarded almost the same time some in the non-priority did.

Breathtakingly wrong

 

[JohnK]

Too many people with status. They've overdone making status easier to achieve for everyone. Platinum One is the new Platinum and Platinum is the new Gold.

Platinum, Gold, Silver and Qantas Club as well as hangers on could easily fill up more than half an aircraft. And then you could also have the ones in the wrong queue.

 

[monoccular]

Nothing will happen: I am certain that the leprechaun gets whisked through in double quick time.

 

[jase05]

Slightly OT but had an interesting experience at BKK whilst awaiting a flight to HKG with CX. They had the normal waiting area and then a roped off area with seats for priority customers. We simply showed our BP’s and were admitted to the “priority pen”. It was strictly enforced and probably about 30 of us in there. Then about 5 minutes before boarding they had a couple of lines setup and passengers were boarded in a few stages. It appeared that CX’s highest tier and Emerald OW were first, then J and OW sapphires followed. We had to board so didn’t see what happened after that but I presume the remainder were allowed to board after all priorities had boarded. Seemed a pretty good system and staff were enforcing it strictly from what I saw with several being stopped at the rope.

 

[Pushka]

Slightly OT but had an interesting experience at BKK whilst awaiting a flight to HKG with CX. They had the normal waiting area and then a roped off area with seats for priority customers. We simply showed our BP’s and were admitted to the “priority pen”. It was strictly enforced and probably about 30 of us in there. Then about 5 minutes before boarding they had a couple of lines setup and passengers were boarded in a few stages. It appeared that CX’s highest tier and Emerald OW were first, then J and OW sapphires followed. We had to board so didn’t see what happened after that but I presume the remainder were allowed to board after all priorities had boarded. Seemed a pretty good system and staff were enforcing it strictly from what I saw with several being stopped at the rope.

I’ve had a similar experience last year but cannot remember where it was. Somewhere in Europe though.

 

[vandy]

Priority boarding was also enforced on both AA and Delta when I used them for US domestic flights.

 

[calmelb]

Slightly OT but had an interesting experience at BKK whilst awaiting a flight to HKG with CX. They had the normal waiting area and then a roped off area with seats for priority customers. We simply showed our BP’s and were admitted to the “priority pen”. It was strictly enforced and probably about 30 of us in there. Then about 5 minutes before boarding they had a couple of lines setup and passengers were boarded in a few stages. It appeared that CX’s highest tier and Emerald OW were first, then J and OW sapphires followed. We had to board so didn’t see what happened after that but I presume the remainder were allowed to board after all priorities had boarded. Seemed a pretty good system and staff were enforcing it strictly from what I saw with several being stopped at the rope.

CX are always good at policing the boarding from my experiences, though I've had a few comments when I'm waiting to board that the economy queue is over there (before they see my boarding pass)!

 

[tdimdad]

Finnair can also do the boarding right. They have groups 1-4, call them in order and they have gate agents checking the BP's in the queues, diverting those mistaken of their turn to their own queues.

What's peculiar is that JQ has the equipment and ability to roam reading BP's. Copying that to the QF operations for use at the gate would easily allow them to manage the queues well and whisk the priority ones through swiftly. What would it take for QF to adopt what the company already does in their JQ operations?

 

[kermatu]

What's peculiar is that JQ has the equipment and ability to roam reading BP's. Copying that to the QF operations for use at the gate would easily allow them to manage the queues well and whisk the priority ones through swiftly. What would it take for QF to adopt what the company already does in their JQ operations?

I have very occasionally seen QF agents do this. In the SYD domestic terminal for the A330 flights when around gate 10 or 11.

 

[justinbrett]

Despite all the jokes, the US boarding group system works far better than the priority lane system. Well actually they use both combined.

 

[tm.smile]

Despite all the jokes, the US boarding group system works far better than the priority lane system. Well actually they use both combined.

Qantas can fully board an A330 in about 20odd mins. Good luck boarding an A330 in that time on a US airline...

 

[stm1sydney]

What would it take for QF to adopt what the company already does in their JQ operations?

It should be obvious by now that QF management does not give a stuff about its customers. It knows the vast majority are either on corporate accounts, chasing LTG or just rusted-on loyal customers who have never experienced anything else, and will continue to fly QF, be treated like dirt and pay top dollar.