Qantas doesn't care about priority boarding

[RealtimeY]

This really sounds like an issue that could have been solved with some lane ropes and sorting of passengers before boarding begins, rather than a whole IT project.

 

[JW]

This really sounds like an issue that could have been solved with some lane ropes and sorting of passengers before boarding begins, rather than a whole IT project.

Why bother with a simple solution when a ridiculously convoluted one would do. Plus I assume it would look better on a cv (boarding efficiency improved 90% with latest rope technology just does not cut it, I suppose) for when they eventually gets turfed out to cause mayhem at some other airline or company ... cynical ? ... hmmmm

 

[Beano]

QF417 today CNS-MEL. Two queues but started boarding at the same time. Is that is what is meant by priority boarding, separate queues?

Post automatically merged: Apr 10, 2024

Yesterday free for all at TSV. No priority, but it was a Dash-8.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Is that is what is meant by priority boarding, separate queues?

Qantas' customer satisfaction means that EVERYONE gets Priority Boarding.

 

[equus]

But has anybody read the actual benefit?

Priority boarding is available for Gold, Platinum and Platinum One Frequent Flyer members and Emerald oneworld members for Qantas operated domestic flights in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and on selected Qantas operated international flights with a Qantas (QF) flight number on your ticket.

You will notice that it doesn't actually define what priority actually is. Is it an entitlement to low priority (behind everybody else?), or simply priority with respect to the cleaners at the other end? QF are delivering on the letter of the promised benefit - nowhere does it state whether the priority is lower or higher, and what / who the priority for any given passenger is being compared to.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I was watching the below video, about boarding aircraft, and it reckons that in fact the best approach is to have boarding done completely randomly. Perhaps QF is onto something by granting anyone and everyone priority boarding??

 

[RichardMEL]

Hands up who remembers the "Good old days" of QF domestic where it truly was a free for all. Call boarding and the hoarde descended...

Believe it or not, but the inconsistently managed current system works better than what it used to be imo.

 

[kookaburra75]

Hands up who remembers the "Good old days" of QF domestic where it truly was a free for all. Call boarding and the hoarde descended...

Believe it or not, but the inconsistently managed current system works better than what it used to be imo.

Well, that's what happened last night on the flight from Canberra to Adelaide. While everyone was lining up in status order, behind the black or red signs, the announcement was simply "All Boarding has commenced". Fun times

 

[jb747]

3 queues. Very important. Self important. Everyone else.

Then choose the queue loading order randomly.

 

[SeaWolf]

I actually quite like Southwest's boarding system, where you get a assigned a boarding queue number. The numbers are something like A34, B12, C45 etc. They ask all the A customers to line up in order and then have them board, then the B customers etc. If you have status or pay extra then you get an A number. Otherwise it starts from B and is by check in sequence.

Makes it easy for the gate staff to do priority boarding (the customers just line up in order when the letter is called) and also combats the "gate lice" problem, there's no point in hovering around the gate, the boarding order has already been determined. Helps the planes get away on time as well, if you miss your spot you're at the back of the queue, so people do get to the gate on time.

Here's a little vid that shows how it works in practice.

 

[JessicaTam]

I actually quite like Southwest's boarding system, where you get a assigned a boarding queue number. The numbers are something like A34, B12, C45 etc. They ask all the A customers to line up in order and then have them board, then the B customers etc. If you have status or pay extra then you get an A number. Otherwise it starts from B and is by check in sequence.

Makes it easy for the gate staff to do priority boarding (the customers just line up in order when the letter is called) and also combats the "gate lice" problem, there's no point in hovering around the gate, the boarding order has already been determined. Helps the planes get away on time as well, if you miss your spot you're at the back of the queue, so people do get to the gate on time.

Here's a little vid that shows how it works in practice.

But would that work as well with assigned seating? Might as well just have groups 1-8 IMO.

Footnote: BA have just introduced group 0, for those slightly more important than group 1.