Qantas to Introduce Group Boarding and Bag Tracking

[dylarr]

I also think it’s great and look forward to it being rolled out on more aircraft types… I thought I read QFLink was next up thread….

All the new signage for group boarding and the new process was in effect at Bendigo a couple of weeks ago… so definitely rolling out across all the QFLink ports.

 

[gaz0303]

All the new signage for group boarding and the new process was in effect at Bendigo a couple of weeks ago… so definitely rolling out across all the QFLink ports.

Signage up at all QFlink ports I have been too lately. It’s was used once a couple of weeks ago but abandoned on my subsequent flights. All the WP and SG regulars hold back to board last, knowing that the last premium economy bags to load are the first out. When group 1 boarding was called in ARM, nobody moved.

 

[BD1959]

Classic failure at ADL on the 696 Apr-13.

Group 1 boarding halted as a result of the late boarding of a wheelchair passenger through L1. They then call forward all passengers seated rows 13 to 20 to come forward and board via the rear stairs. Expected rush of everyone, no-one being turned away and G1 still held. Question this with the person on the desk who instructed the holding, to be told "you don't understand why we are holding G1 - its so we can keep the aribridge clear". Of course I fully understand - and can see its not working. She goes to check only rear plane passengers are being boarded and returns with a confused look on her face .... 10 minutes later, when the group of obvious J passengers are being waved through, I query why there's only a group of 12 being held when there should be half a plane, she huffily says she'll announce general boarding.

Predictably, when we get there, everyone is held in and blocking the airbridge. I can hear someone at the top of the airbridge asking a QF person there why G1 was held back whilst everyone else was allowed forward to block the airbridge ....

Regards,

BD

 

[anat0l]

Classic failure at ADL on the 696 Apr-13.

Group 1 boarding halted as a result of the late boarding of a wheelchair passenger through L1. They then call forward all passengers seated rows 13 to 20 to come forward and board via the rear stairs. Expected rush of everyone, no-one being turned away and G1 still held. Question this with the person on the desk who instructed the holding, to be told "you don't understand why we are holding G1 - its so we can keep the aribridge clear". Of course I fully understand - and can see its not working. She goes to check only rear plane passengers are being boarded and returns with a confused look on her face .... 10 minutes later, when the group of obvious J passengers are being waved through, I query why there's only a group of 12 being held when there should be half a plane, she huffily says she'll announce general boarding.

Predictably, when we get there, everyone is held in and blocking the airbridge. I can hear someone at the top of the airbridge asking a QF person there why G1 was held back whilst everyone else was allowed forward to block the airbridge ....

Regards,

BD

So to clarify:

• G1 boarding started.
• Before any new groups were called, boarding of G1 was stopped and a wheelchair passenger was expressly boarded.
• Whatever group number is Y pax in rows 13-20 was then called and told to board via rear stairs. I'm going to guess that a sizeable number of them did not board via the rear stairs and backed up the forward door. In addition, people who were not in said group just boarded anyway, and they were not stopped.
  
  Going to guess that the logic of the gate agent was that while the forward door was not moving, might as well board pax via the rear stairs and thus try and save the on time departure as much as possible. But that idea failed. Of course, one has to ask why the wheelchair pax wasn't already preboarded in the first place.
  
  I can probably surmise why "everyone" boarded when the call was made. I haven't boarded with groups yet, but let's say the group in rows 13-20 is 3. If you were in group 2, you might be confused as to why a later group than you was called and not you before them. In addition, people tend to understand boarding groups as "coughulative", i.e. when you hear group 3 being called, you assume groups 1 and 2 have already been called.

Can someone also confirm how the groups are verified at boarding, i.e. how does someone who is in group 3 get stopped when only group 1 is being boarded? Is it manually done by the agents, because probably a more robust way (aside from someone needing to write the software update) is that the gate system is set up so that the agents can control which groups can be successfully boarded. For example, when boarding starts, the system is set up so that only group 1 can be boarded - scan another group, you get an error message and the passenger is not boarded. This feature has futureproofing for a system where you have self-scan boarding like in a number of European and in HKG airports.

 

[RealtimeY]

more robust way (aside from someone needing to write the software update) is that the gate system is set up so that the agents can control which groups can be successfully boarded

That's exactly what the new system is.

The problem here is that they overrode it to allow the rear passengers to board first, which makes sense, but then the staff didn't actually enforce it - which is exactly why this system was needed in the first place.

 

[BD1959]

So to clarify:

• G1 boarding started.
• Before any new groups were called, boarding of G1 was stopped and a wheelchair passenger was expressly boarded.
• Whatever group number is Y pax in rows 13-20 was then called and told to board via rear stairs. I'm going to guess that a sizeable number of them did not board via the rear stairs and backed up the forward door. In addition, people who were not in said group just boarded anyway, and they were not stopped.
  
  Going to guess that the logic of the gate agent was that while the forward door was not moving, might as well board pax via the rear stairs and thus try and save the on time departure as much as possible. But that idea failed. Of course, one has to ask why the wheelchair pax wasn't already preboarded in the first place.
  
  I can probably surmise why "everyone" boarded when the call was made. I haven't boarded with groups yet, but let's say the group in rows 13-20 is 3. If you were in group 2, you might be confused as to why a later group than you was called and not you before them. In addition, people tend to understand boarding groups as "coughulative", i.e. when you hear group 3 being called, you assume groups 1 and 2 have already been called.

I arrived at the gate just as G1 had been halted.

At no time did I hear “groups” mentioned. Because I’d seen people walking down the ramp but the couple of G1 in front of me were held at the scanners I did ask if G1 was boarding which is where the initial conversation took place.

When rows 13-20 were called forward - it was exactly that, again no mention of Groups.

I do understand the logic in expediting departure by looking to load those through the rear door as could be, it was also very quickly obvious that there was no effort being made by the two manning the scanners to turn back anyone forward of row 13.

Ergo complete SNAFU and peeved G1s.

Regards,

BD