Qantas to Introduce Group Boarding and Bag Tracking

[SeatBackForward]

If you guest someone into a lounge the bookings should be linked and the boarding group updated on the electronic boarding pass of the guestee.

If you're on the same flight

 

[dairyfloss]

I maintain we need a manual (or automatic at lounge entry WITH confirmation) way of linking bookings. It feels yucky to leave work colleagues for example and board before them, even after you've brought them into the lounge. But it's not quite the same as it being a spouse or family member in terms of asking staff to let them board with you.

If you guest someone into a lounge the bookings should be linked and the boarding group updated on the electronic boarding pass of the guestee.

Along with the lounge method - which appears to happen already in some situations when I've travelled wth friends - if there was a way within the Qantas app or 'Manage Booking' in the browser to link PNRs on the same flight, then in time it could be a solid way to deal with this.

It's not going to work every time, as newbies and the forgetful will still miss it... but given most groups are booked together anyway, and most of group 1 & 2 who are there because of status would likely or are becoming aware of the process, it should leave a much smaller contingent to deal with at the gate.

I understand from having asked the QFF agents over the phone to link bookings with friends or family in the past that they need to do it this way [currently], as they need to confirm whether the other party/s have given their consent to link the bookings... but, they could achieve this via an electronic request, which notifies the other party and either asks for consent, or simply does the new login type of notification with something like "If this wasn't at your request, or you do not consent to having your bookings linked, please contact QFF on xx_xx_ as soon as possible"

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Ansett]

Had a Similar situation coming out of Brisbane at the weekend, and they seemed to be able to override without issue.

 

[Mal P]

I love the hard enforcement of the boarding group! In the US it’s such a cluster as the gate agents rarely enforce group boarding (there’s even YouTube clips on how you should ignore the group and just go in with the first and 9/10 they’ll let you through) and I believe the term used over there is “gate lice” when you see complaints in other forums.

 

[justinbrett]

I maintain we need a manual (or automatic at lounge entry WITH confirmation) way of linking bookings. It feels yucky to leave work colleagues for example and board before them, even after you've brought them into the lounge. But it's not quite the same as it being a spouse or family member in terms of asking staff to let them board with you.

If you guest someone into a lounge the bookings should be linked and the boarding group updated on the electronic boarding pass of the guestee.

But you’re not necessarily sitting with your guest, especially in a work setting. And then they shouldn’t get PB without you.

I used to guest my old boss into the lounge but I don’t want to sit with him in the flight and have to talk work. On our work travel (which was WoAG) everyone got their own PNRs.

Frankly I rather liked leaving my boss so I could board early

 

[p--and--t]

Along with the lounge method - which appears to happen already in some situations when I've travelled wth friends - if there was a way within the Qantas app or 'Manage Booking' in the browser to link PNRs on the same flight, then in time it could be a solid way to deal with this.

It's not going to work every time, as newbies and the forgetful will still miss it... but given most groups are booked together anyway, and most of group 1 & 2 who are there because of status would likely or are becoming aware of the process, it should leave a much smaller contingent to deal with at the gate.

I understand from having asked the QFF agents over the phone to link bookings with friends or family in the past that they need to do it this way [currently], as they need to confirm whether the other party/s have given their consent to link the bookings... but, they could achieve this via an electronic request, which notifies the other party and either asks for consent, or simply does the new login type of notification with something like "If this wasn't at your request, or you do not consent to having your bookings linked, please contact QFF on xx_xx_ as soon as possible"

Cheers,
Matt.

Agree. Consider stalkers. Consider different status passengers with one looking forward to his/her shadow seat. Consider ok for an hour in the lounge but no way for 3+hr flight. Consider ok to listen to pushy salesman speil over a drink but not for a whole flight where you need to prepare for a meeting (either working or chilling out in flight)

Not everybody wants to live in someone else's pocket

Post automatically merged: Sep 6, 2024

But you’re not necessarily sitting with your guest, especially in a work setting. And then they shouldn’t get PB without you.

I used to guest my old boss into the lounge but I don’t want to sit with him in the flight and have to talk work. On our work travel (which was WoAG) everyone got their own PNRs.

Frankly I rather liked leaving my boss so I could board early

Absolutely!!!!

 

[ChrisFlyer]

They can definitely sort things out via the contact centre beforehand. I was travelling on 2x one-way bookings and had a companion booked on a separate single return ticket. The contact centre was able to TCP the bookings which meant that we could complete online check-in together (it showed both names), we could sit together in the premium zone (although the contact centre had to do this for the other pax, can't change that online before OLCI), and group 1 automatically appeared on my companion's boarding passes.

Worked out really well in the end as the flights weren't overly full, so the computer also seemed to relocate the 'third' passenger in our row on both flights so that we had a spare seat (Platinum shadow) in both directions, despite the third seat showing as occupied (not just blocked) in ExpertFlyer. Was so much more seamless than I thought it would be, especially given the one-way/return ticket difference. Also means we could each see each other's boarding pass in our mobile app - handy for entering the lounge, etc.

 

[kookaburra75]

Frankly I rather liked leaving my boss so I could board early

I'm more altruistic I suppose. I look at it as not wanting to cramp the style of the young-uns by sitting near the boss, and leave them to their own devices down the back of the plane

 

[Cognac]

Interestingly, heard some SG pax (I could see the bag tags) complaining loudly about the new boarding group process. Having used it a couple of times it seemed to work fine, it doesn't really bother me too much one way or another.

 

[justinbrett]

I'm more altruistic I suppose. I look at it as not wanting to cramp the style of the young-uns by sitting near the boss, and leave them to their own devices down the back of the plane

We just had separate PNRs and everybody selected their own seating.

If individuals wanted to be proactive and sit together they could, but mostly people preferred to sit solo (especially on 737s when that would have involved a middle seat).

 

[jakeseven7]

I agree with the sentiments on the thread that the computer rejecting people is A-Ok with me!

 

[Port Power]

I've taken to just walking past nearly everyone to wait near the entrance of the Premium queue. Soooo often there are people waiting at that entrance, so I stay behind them, only to find they don't move when Group 1 is called. "Gate lice" as mentioned earlier! Possibly I queue jump, but no one else was taking the initiative and I've never been called out. A few weeks ago when boarding in MEL, a fellow ahead of me was rejected by the machine. "Your boarding group has not been called yet." Boy, the check in staff must get sick of saying that!

 

[Daver6]

I've taken to just walking past nearly everyone to wait near the entrance of the Premium queue. Soooo often there are people waiting at that entrance, so I stay behind them, only to find they don't move when Group 1 is called. "Gate lice" as mentioned earlier! Possibly I queue jump, but no one else was taking the initiative and I've never been called out. A few weeks ago when boarding in MEL, a fellow ahead of me was rejected by the machine. "Your boarding group has not been called yet." Boy, the check in staff must get sick of saying that!

What I sometimes do for international flights is when I see a long J queue and something that vaguely looks like a line, I'll just ask someone in the line if this is the J line. You'd be surprised how many times people then start looking more closely at their ticket and slowly shuffle away.

 

[SeatBackForward]

interestingly, heard some SG pax (I could see the bag tags) complaining loudly

They need to fly more than to SG level to understand why it's a good system!

 

[drron]

What I sometimes do for international flights is when I see a long J queue and something that vaguely looks like a line, I'll just ask someone in the line if this is the J line. You'd be surprised how many times people then start looking more closely at their ticket and slowly shuffle away.

Which is one of the reasons JAL was my favourite airlines. before boarding opens they go down each line making sure people are in the right queue. Even for pre boarders they are asked how old their children are - over 2 and back to the gate lounge you go.

 

[elanshin]

Which is one of the reasons JAL was my favourite airlines. before boarding opens they go down each line making sure people are in the right queue. Even for pre boarders they are asked how old their children are - over 2 and back to the gate lounge you go.

Similarly with Cathay Pacific. Especially at HKG where the lines go in different directions for each group.

It's also amazingly crazy how efficient and quick these airlines can board a full widebody.

 

[tdimdad]

They need to fly more than to SG level to understand why it's a good system!

Or simply, fly enough. You can maintain WP on a single return flight a year, or wear your bum on the seat year round in the triangle and remain PS. The more boardings you have, the more you know to appreciate when it works well.

 

[sudoer]

Group boarding is sorely needed on international - especially A380s.

QF1 just boarded at SYD gate 8 with "Premium Boarding" instead of separate First & Business lanes. The following categories all converged simultaneously once they called this.

First
Business
Premium Economy
Qantas Platinum One
Qantas Platinum
Qantas Gold
Oneworld Emerald
Oneworld Sapphire
Emirates Platinum
Emirates Gold

It is a full flight. F+J+W combined is 144 people. With status pax, I would estimate somewhere between 250 and 300 people in total, filtered down a single boarding lane. Total coughshow as you'd imagine.

Imagine you'd paid QF1 First prices...

 

[Captain Halliday]

Imagine you'd paid QF1 First prices...

Nup. Can’t imagine ever doing that.

 

[Lynda2475]

Group boarding is sorely needed on international - especially A380s.

Absolutely agree, very overdue and no reason it can't be done now.