Qantas doesn't care about priority boarding

[kangarooflyer88]

Was on this evening's QF 483 down to MEL from SYD. Priority boarding was enforced with those in the priority queue being allowed to board ahead of the kettles in the red lane. The look of disgusts on their face as we "cut" the queue was priceless.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Hampton Mike]

My partner flew QF485 SYD-MEL on Wednesday and not only did PB precede the red queue but unqualified people in the PB queue were evicted and sent to the back of the red queue. A number of people (in the black queue) made positive comments about PB being enforced.

 

[Dr4manyspecies]

Will be interesting to see what happens out of ADL en route to DFW on Tuesday as ADL seems slack in every regard. The domestic flight is less of a worry tho' as they don't enforce the pissy carryon allowance for flts to the US.

 

[nerdag]

Dog's breakfast coming out of Syd to Mel on first flight out. PB called, both lines merged, with no enforcement, no care. We'll see what return is like this evening.

TBH, Virgin doesn't materially better QF in many areas, but PB is one where they consistently do.

 

[PineappleSkip]

QF513 BNE-SYD and QF544 SYD-BNE enforced both ways. One gate scanner open on the latter and FA was waving forward premium PAX past the heaving throng adjacent.

 

[nerdag]

We'll see what return is like this evening.

Much better on the return leg ex-MEL. Well done to the crew on QF486.

n

 

[summit_32]

Flew Syd-Cbr on Friday afternoon. Flight was 25mins late boarding but QF didn't bother updating passengers either in the terminal or via the app. 15-mins after the allocated boarding time flight attendants magically appeared.
Boarding was mad scramble by everyone with zero effort to enforce priority boarding. QF just go through the motions now.

 

[UP4014]

Has been enforced on the last 2 out of 3 flights I’ve been on sometimes better than others.

I can understand the weariness of crew after say 4 short flights in one shift again trying to enforce it. Maybe assistance of a QF airport employee to help might ease the pressure a bit.

 

[summit_32]

Yes. Without doubt, additional staff would assist. IMHO there's far fewer QF staff in the terminal these days, it really seems like they are running on the absolute minimum staffing levels.
I know wages and conditions vary widely, but the difference at LHR & SIN a few weeks ago was noticeable. Many more personnel directing passengers, checking boarding passes etc made a very full A380 flight actually get away on time.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I think QF have failed to think outside the box on this, more on that below, but I find most appalling about it is the complete and utter lack of enforcement. When they call up premium passengers to board, and someone who shouldn't be there gets to the crew member, they should say "sorry, we'll call general boarding soon", do this fairly obviously once or twice and it will make everyone else whos in line re-check. But I don't see this, they just let anyone who gets to them on board. Other airlines don't seem to have any issue doing this and their customers seem to comply to it well.

But on the outside the box solutions..signage is often poorly placed. On a recent QFi flight, they had the premium boarding signs on the approach side from the main terminal area, that is, as you travel from the shops, lounges etc, the premium signs were first, so naturally a few people line up there, then as more people arrive, they just join the first queue that they see. And then they don't enforce this line..

Put some rugs down at the gates, people see markings on the floors, this doesn't need any more staff. Change the display on the monitors at the gate to clearly show who's boarding, again doesn't need any more staff...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

But Seatbackforward, there are some DYKWIA sort of Karens/Keiths around too.
QF will have an excuse, oh, its a discriminatory issue to announce that in the current climate or words to that effect.
In the past, decorum would have dictated no one of low status would dare to stand in the premium boarding lane, but these days, I wouldn't put it past a Karen/Keith to give it a try, and probably as you stated, with QF not enforcing it, low status flyers get to board first, and then take up all the overhead luggage space for their "HLO", hard small size suitcases.
Not to mention the suitcase the toddlers can sit on, and can also be towed.
QF has no econX or premY on dom flights, so row 4 onwards, the overhead space is first come first take.
If one family of 3 has 4 items, thats one space they have taken that was supposed to go to someone else.
I have been on flights, where I have had to put my bag about 1 or 2 rows away from me, not good if we have to carry laptops, or things of value in our HLO.
Lucky as of now, flights are quite safe, ie, as of now, we don't have yet have people pilfering HLO of others.

 

[SeatBackForward]

But Seatbackforward, there are some DYKWIA sort of Karens/Keiths around too.
QF will have an excuse, oh, its a discriminatory issue to announce that in the current climate or words to that effect.
In the past, decorum would have dictated no one of low status would dare to stand in the premium boarding lane, but these days, I wouldn't put it past a Karen/Keith to give it a try, and probably as you stated, with QF not enforcing it, low status flyers get to board first, and then take up all the overhead luggage space for their "HLO", hard small size suitcases.
Not to mention the suitcase the toddlers can sit on, and can also be towed.
QF has no econX or premY on dom flights, so row 4 onwards, the overhead space is first come first take.
If one family of 3 has 4 items, thats one space they have taken that was supposed to go to someone else.
I have been on flights, where I have had to put my bag about 1 or 2 rows away from me, not good if we have to carry laptops, or things of value in our HLO.
Lucky as of now, flights are quite safe, ie, as of now, we don't have yet have people pilfering HLO of others.

My gut feel is that the QF issue is because the gate scanning is done by the FA's while the boarding announcements etc are made by the Ground crew. The FA's don't really care, they just want everyone on-board as quickly as possible, and not any disgruntled ones they then have to deal with. The round Crew can't do anything about it unless the themselves walk up and down the lines, which they do in fact *sometimes* do.

If the ground crew did the scanning, then its easy for them to turn someone away, they can piss of anyone, cause in a few minutes "they'll be on their way", or if they want to make an issue of it, security won't be far off..

 

[Daver6]

Abysmal fail for QF770 PER-MEL today. A330 aircraft.

Boarding called in the lounge. There's a massive queue obscuring visibility to the priority queue. A bunch of us from the lounge walk towards the front to see what's going on. Turns out the massive queue is the priority queue. The regular one is just as large.

I question the crew member scanning at the gate what's going on. She points me to a ground crew member and says ask him. I do. He just says no one listens to him. I'm pretty sure no announcement was made. What a disgraceful attitude from ground staff.

I had a chat to the CSM on the flight about this. Turns out they're an international crew doing a domestic sector. As we already know, international flights all boarding is done by ground crew. The CSM really had no idea how it's meant to work for domestic. She was very interested in hearing my feedback and said she would have a chat to her crew.

What really stunned me was the terrible attitude of the ground crew member.

 

[Danger]

I was stunned when priority boarding worked seemingly very well on a recent weekday SYD-MEL, with only the priority lane being processed for several minutes before opening the non-priority lane. I was almost as stunned when, after thanking the agent for providing priority boarding, she just chuckled to herself.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Another data point, flew QF 139 the other day down to CHC and it seems that they were processing both the red and priority lane at the same time. Frankly, I couldn't care less about priority boarding since I had a checked bag and was seated in 4A so life was good. In hindsight, given how delayed that flight was, I should've hung out in the Emirates lounge longer until the QF app notified me that boarding commenced, then I could hustle my way over to Gate 25.

-RooFlyer88

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Syd-Adl return yesterday.
Morning out - Wander out of the lounge 5 mins before boarding time as I normally do, 4th on the plane and priority boarding enforced but evident no prior announcement in the lounge.
Evening return - Again early out of the lounge to stretch the legs, delayed boarding but priority called and simultaneously a stream out of the lounge. Couple of non-status/biz passengers told to wait until general boarding started as well...

 

[Cognac]

CBR-PER on QF847 on Sunday, only one queue.

 

[whughes3]

Slightly odd experience boarding QF19 On Tuesday 6/12: PB itself worked fine, there was a separate well marked line for PB which was policed and got to board first. However, while we were waiting to board, a guy came down the priority line asking to see passports, and when the name matched with the BP, putting a yellow tick on the BP and assuring us we could put our passports away, which most of us did. He apparently had not been talking to the woman at the gate who still insisted on seeing our passports when we boarded, which caused some annoyance!

 

[UP4014]

No priority boarding on QF1521 just now Canberra to Melbourne.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Slightly odd experience boarding QF19 On Tuesday 6/12: PB itself worked fine, there was a separate well marked line for PB which was policed and got to board first. However, while we were waiting to board, a guy came down the priority line asking to see passports, and when the name matched with the BP, putting a yellow tick on the BP and assuring us we could put our passports away, which most of us did. He apparently had not been talking to the woman at the gate who still insisted on seeing our passports when we boarded, which caused some annoyance!

Ever travelled to India? You will take two paces then get asked to show all the same documents to another person, and repeat the process after another two paces.