Qantas doesn't care about priority boarding

[trippin_the_rift]

I think there are bigger issues they should focus on, such as the state of meals in business class. Having been at the Platinum level for a number of years now I'm not especially fussed with the lack of PB and unsure why it irks people so much. More recently, my last flight with them a staff member actually did turn away a tour group who had lined up in the wrong lane, and as I was next in line it worked out great for me... but I was happy to wait, it's not like the plane was going to get away any quicker or they were going to look after me better before closing the door. Now... if there had been a glass of champagne waiting at my seat, different story.

QF is a big org...they can handle working on multiple problems at the same time... I think.

The problem is that PB is a OneWorld benefit for Sapphire and above.

I was thinking, why doesn't AFF do an official letter to QF on behalf of it's members and see if they get a response on why it doesn't seem to be a priority etc? There is a lot of justified moaning about this but very little proactive action...

If you want to write to anyone - send it to Oneworld, and copy in Qatar CEO - who is the only Oneworld CEO who has the balls to call it out.

Failing to provide priority boarding is in breach of the Oneworld DRD [requirements that all Oneworld airlines must adhere to as a minimum standard]. Two simultaneous boarding lines is NOT priority boarding.

 

[Danger]

Priority boarding worked for QF582 PER-SYD today. And they used two airbridges. Coincidence? I think not.

There may well have been two separate lanes but I'd bet 10K - no, 20K - QFF points that there was more than one or two using the priority lane who weren't entitled to it. A few years ago when I was building my AA status, I'd have that non-status FF number on my boarding pass, queuing in the priority boarding lane. I always had my QF Platinum card at the ready, waiting - hoping - I'd be stopped and sold 'Sorry, wrong line'. In more than 40 flights, it never happened.

If you want to write to anyone - send it to Oneworld, and copy in Qatar CEO - who is the only Oneworld CEO who has the balls to call it out.

Failing to provide priority boarding is in breach of the Oneworld DRD [requirements that all Oneworld airlines must adhere to as a minimum standard]. Two simultaneous boarding lines is NOT priority boarding.

I'm guessing you can't provide documentation of the latter (so that we can throw it in their faces at airports) but do yo have a publicly available way of contacting oneworld that you can share?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

There may well have been two separate lanes but I'd bet 10K - no, 20K - QFF points that there was more than one or two using the priority lane who weren't entitled to it. A few years ago when I was building my AA status, I'd have that non-status FF number on my boarding pass, queuing in the priority boarding lane. I always had my QF Platinum card at the ready, waiting - hoping - I'd be stopped and sold 'Sorry, wrong line'. In more than 40 flights, it never happened.

Yikes! I've never sighted the Qantas standard operating procedure for pax boarding but I will take an educated guess that staff need to ensure passengers are in the correct boarding lines. Does that mean staff are not doing their job? Jaded? Underperforming?

I'm guessing you can't provide documentation of the latter (so that we can throw it in their faces at airports) but do yo have a publicly available way of contacting oneworld that you can share?

Well, I don't have a copy anymore but the Oneworld website shows priority boarding is a benefit (thus a requirement for OW member airlines).
A quick google search shows [email protected] is the format for folks working there. But then again - sometimes, these things are best played out on social media for everyone to see...

 

[Matt_01]

@esseeeayeenn and @Aeolus you must not publish fake news such as this My years of going to the front and starting the general boarding line may be put at risk and if realised I could find myself having to line up with the other status PAX. Hopefully this is just another short lived trial and things will go back to normal shortly.

 

[blackcat20]

I created my own PB last week by asking to preboard with the baby it's the only way I've ever found it to work.

 

[amaroo]

As a P1 I don't see PB as a priority, if I want to be one of the first to get on board or one of the last - it's pretty easy to arrange.

 

[mstgrv]

100% agree that priority boarding is a key benefit, and 100% agree that the current system Qantas implements sucks.

 

[banana boy]

I flew VA the other day and was surprised how different PB is on VA compared to QF. When I wandered down to the gate there were about 30 people milling around who I assumed had status - but no most of them were turned away or embarrassed into getting out of the PB line when the FA was taking no prisoners and making sure only those entitled to PB got through - I waltzed through like the Queen (King) of Sheba.

Next day I flew QF - back to no PB.

 

[Danger]

Yikes! I've never sighted the Qantas standard operating procedure for pax boarding but I will take an educated guess that staff need to ensure passengers are in the correct boarding lines. Does that mean staff are not doing their job? Jaded? Underperforming?

There's a reason you've never sighted it - it doesn't exist!

Absolutely, staff were not doing their job. When it comes to boarding, it's robotic. Passenger hands over boarding pass of some description, FA scans, green light, proceed. The only thing the FAs care about at this point is that the light turns green (and, on the rare occasion, that your cabin baggage isn't the size of Ayers Rock). That couldn't care less about whether or not you're in the right lane.

 

[Aeolus]

O

@esseeeayeenn and @Aeolus you must not publish fake news such as this My years of going to the front and starting the general boarding line may be put at risk and if realised I could find myself having to line up with the other status PAX. Hopefully this is just another short lived trial and things will go back to normal shortly.

I’m usually like you, queuing at the normal line as it’s shorter. As I arrived later than normal this week, I noticed the normal queue was not moving, much to my surprise. Maybe it was due to QF only operating 1 counter but for a refreshing change, they held back the normal queue to clear PB.

 

[Danger]

Well, well, well. Isn't this timely. A few hours ago I received an email from Qantas with the subject line "Danger, your tier benefits are global."

Guess what's listed as one of the "global" benefits? Priority boarding. But, wait. We all know how much Qantas loves its footnotes and yep, you guessed it, there's one alongside priority boarding. Qantas apparently only offers priority boarding at just seven domestic ports and "Selected Qantas operated flights" [my emphasis]. What? If it's not bad enough that the subject line spruiks "global" benefits, Qantas openly states it's ignoring oneworld policy. Over on the oneworld website, priority boarding is listed as a benefit of the Sapphire and Emerald tiers - and there's not a footnote to be seen.

This is absurd.

 

[oz_mark]

I flew VA the other day and was surprised how different PB is on VA compared to QF. When I wandered down to the gate there were about 30 people milling around who I assumed had status - but no most of them were turned away or embarrassed into getting out of the PB line when the FA was taking no prisoners and making sure only those entitled to PB got through - I waltzed through like the Queen (King) of Sheba.

Job design may come into it. Remember on VA it is not the FAs that are doing the boarding.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Perhaps QF could introduce an automatic gate system as they do at HEL for priority security.

You approach the gate, scan your BP and if you're entitled to priority security you want through to be screened.

If not, take the walk of shame to either argue the toss with security staff, or join the masses.

 

[RooFlyer]

Perhaps QF could introduce an automatic gate system as they do at HEL for priority security.

Lufthansa does the same (in Germany)

Edit: For boarding.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

There's a reason you've never sighted it - it doesn't exist!

Absolutely, staff were not doing their job. When it comes to boarding, it's robotic. Passenger hands over boarding pass of some description, FA scans, green light, proceed. The only thing the FAs care about at this point is that the light turns green (and, on the rare occasion, that your cabin baggage isn't the size of Ayers Rock). That couldn't care less about whether or not you're in the right lane.

I would have no hesitation in firing staff on the spot who were consistently letting through non-priority boarding pax. Staff and management may view priority boarding as a small detail - BUT THAT IS PRECISELY WHY IT'S IMPORTANT. Those 5 seconds of joy as you waltz past non-priority boarding passengers, knowing that for the first time in your life that Platinum status has some value -- THAT MOMENT -- is what creates loyalty. THAT SMALL MOMENT means everything. THAT SMALL MOMENT is so powerful that it can mean the difference between being in a POSITIVE state of mind or a NEGATIVE state of mind for the duration of the flight experience. Pax in negative states (ie: lack of sleep, sad, irritated) tend to complain more (ie: compensation=cost) for the airline, these people bring others down into a negative experience, these negative state people ooze bad vibes and undesirable things just happen.

Priority boarding is a big deal - not just for status & biz/first passengers - but for the airline! Airlines [some] *DO* track [some] passengers emotional states through data and technology. There *IS* a direct link between HOW elite passengers FEEL, and how much THESE PASSENGERS SPEND ON TICKETS.

Everyone can try this on your next flight.... at every 'benefit' touchpoint (priority check-in, security, immigration, customers, lounge entry, lounge seating, lounge ambience, priority boarding, priority seating, inflight priority experience).... rate yourself on how you FEEL [not if it was delivered - but how you FEEL) about having just experienced that event. You will notice a common theme - that check-in/lounge/boarding are the key moments that if you rate them poorly - you walk off the flight feeling like it was average. But if those 3 key moments are positive experiences - the rest of the flight experience doesn't matter a whole lot.

This type of stuff is what the customer experience is REALLY all about. It's how the experience [feeling] dovetails back into airline economics as passengers FEEL GOOD about experiencing what the airline brand means to them as an individual.

 

[Aeolus]

Flight out of Adelaide this morning, announcement made on boarding by rows and premium pax boarding at their leisure. Only one scanning counter (PB side) working so I thought oh goody, maybe this is the new norm, that they’ll hold back the normal queue but NO. Should’ve known.

Anyway the ADL based CSM and FA made up for the service gap.

 

[samh004]

QF is a big org...they can handle working on multiple problems at the same time... I think.

We're thinking of the same company... right?

If you want to write to anyone - send it to Oneworld, and copy in Qatar CEO - who is the only Oneworld CEO who has the balls to call it out.

Might be a rich copying in the Qatar CEO when he doesn't even provide a OWE lounge in their home port. He might have the balls to call some stuff out, but doubt he'll listen to his failings.

 

[Quickstatus]

I don’t care for PB but do care for through check on different PNR on OW airlines
Pb should be at the start of boarding or not at all.

 

[Fruitloop]

Over the past few years we've split our dozen or so domestic flights a year pretty evenly between VA and QF, and a mix of Y and J. For much of the time have been entitled to priority boarding. VA have consistently done it better. Have noticed a bit better performance by Qantas of late (stopping to clear the priority lane first) which has been good. But VA still consistently better.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I would have no hesitation in firing staff on the spot who were consistently letting through non-priority boarding pax.

While I agree with most of your post if you’re going to start summarily dismissing staff over performance issues you’re going to need to throw a fortune at employment lawyers. Oh. Oh wait. Go right ahead. Please.