What else is burning members about recent "enhancements" to QFF?

[tuapekastar]

I have a related question, which I'll post here rather than at the blog - and would appreciate someone enlightening me as to the difference between a thread here and a blog elsewhere - I'm sure there is one, but I don't know what it is.

It is a 'benefit' of sorts that flight boarding is announced in the lounge, and IME is often (not always) timed so that you do not have to wait about at the gate, and boarding has usually commenced when I get there.

With priority boarding, is it simply announced, once only at the start of the boarding process at the gate, without any accompanying signage? Are there two lanes, one priority, and one not (as with say AA)?

With the seeming inconsistency of actually even having priority boarding, and if there is no signage and/or no separate priority boarding line, if I respond to the lounge announcement and head to the gate, arriving well after any PB announcements may have been made I just end up in a long line anyway, without knowing whther PB exists for this flight. If there are two lines, one much shorter than the other then it may be a reasonable assumption that it is a priority line, but without signage to indicate this I could make a real DYKWIA goose of myself.

And what is priority boarding? How does QF see it? Is it allowing statused flyers a once-only opportunity to board ahead of others (if you're not there when boarding commences and miss the announcement, then stiff cheddar, line up with the rest)? Or allowing them to have priority over other pax in the line no matter when in the process they lob (this would have to involve some sort of line separation and probably signage I guess - not a good look appearing to queue jump), or a combination of both?

Consistency of policy (i.e. knowing there is priority boarding for every flight - leaving aside possible exceptions like very small regional ports), even if there are no signs, or better still, along with two clearly signed lanes, one priority and one not, even if they led to the same gate agent, would mean pax entitled to PB could wander down from the lounge and basically straight through the gate and onto the plane.

It's not rocket science, and I suspect $$$ (extra staff at the gate perhaps) is at the heart of any problems implementing it (or maybe it is a cultural QF thing - thumbing noses at management).

But we all know the most consistent thing about QF is inconsistency.

 

[samh004]

I have a related question, which I'll post here rather than at the blog - and would appreciate someone enlightening me as to the difference between a thread here and a blog elsewhere - I'm sure there is one, but I don't know what it is.

While you can have debate at a blog, a blog is usually used for sharing an opinion without further discussion, while a thread is more suited to further discussion, and asking questions. You can do both on each, but a thread is generally looked at more often, or more visible, than a blog post or comment too

 

[medhead]

That is a long question and I suspect not even QF know the answer. But my limited experience of PB has been the ability to board first before the general call this is how DJ do it and this is how QF have been doing it for single gate boarding. If your not there when called stiff cheddar as you say.

Re a blog versus thread. I see a blog as a personal ramble about what I'm doing. So I have general written blog entries about my weekly flights with observations or whinges or whatever. Generally, each entry is a heap of connected stuff that doesn't really belong in one thread and would be disjointed if I put each little bit into a number of threads. Basically multiple topics of information all related to being my experiences. Also something that I'm not overly interested in discussing, more a case of saying look at this and do what you will with the information. Maybe even mini trip reports. A thread well really this is a discussion.

Why really gets me are these thread posts that keep popping up as blog entries. I find that to be a bit pointless.

 

[samh004]

Why really gets me are these thread posts that keep popping up as blog entries. I find that to be a bit pointless.

That’s a case of mistaken identity for those that aren’t familiar with the internet. They’ll often confuse "Reply With Quote" and "Blog this Post". To me I can’t see why, but it’s possible it’s confusing to many.

They also confuse "Post New Thread" with "Create New Post", the latter being for blogs, and I can see why!

 

[notzac]

That is a long question and I suspect not even QF know the answer. But my limited experience of PB has been the ability to board first before the general call this is how DJ do it and this is how QF have been doing it for single gate boarding. If your not there when called stiff cheddar as you say.

This is definitely one thing that AA and AS get right -- two queues, one for regular pax and one for status pax. Surely it wouldn't be difficult to implement..?

 

[thewinchester]

...Since when has Gold got the privilege? Now, please let me be clear, I'm not having a got at SGs or saying they're not worth their weight but what I am saying is domestic priority boarding is a prvilege for Platinum, not Gold. How on earth can Qantas continually get it so buggered up? Often we hear of them not enforcing/offering their stated benefits (like the recent thread of a user who had an overnight delay in LAX then had great issue with his 'extra' baggage allowance on the domestic sector) and now this. How is it they can't hit the nail on the head, rather than go one side or the other? It truly amazes me.

It's not just a QF issue on getting things consistent, and I proffer a recent trip on DJ in December as a case in point.

Was on a DJ PER-BNE-PER run, and the staff in PER got it near perfect save for priority baggage tags which he advised apologetically they'd run out of.

As soon as the staff member got over the shock of the VS Gold card which he'd never seen before, that information made it into system, and all priority boarding and on-board announcements made sure to reference Virgin Atlantic flyers. The look of absolute disgust on my fellow pax as I cut right to the front of the line when boarding at PER was priceless.

Flipside to BNE, where I was boarding for the return flight less than 24hrs later. Staff were indifferent to my VS Gold, didn't bother to welcome or provide priority baggage, no priority boarding or on-board announcement referencing VS Gold status.

At the time I let it slide simply because there were delays coming into BNE that night causing our flight to be almost 1hr late departing. However, it's about consistency and making sure loyal flyers are appropriately recognised and provided the documented levels of service. If you can't get these basics right across your network, how do you expect to make sure other things are running perfectly?

 

[tuapekastar]

Thanks samh004 and medhead for setting me strraight re blogs vs. thread posts. Until the urge to blog becomes irresistible I think I'll stick to posting in threads!

medhead, it certainly does seem like QF is, dare I say, enhancing it's reputation for inconsistency. I can recall one Trans Tasman flight (and this was probably three years ago) where priority boarding was announced (me not qualified at the time). I think it was J pax, WPs and OWEs only. Haven't heard one since, but then, I'm rarely at the gate when boarding commences.

 

[nlagalle]

medhead, it certainly does seem like QF is, dare I say, enhancing it's reputation for inconsistency. I can recall one Trans Tasman flight (and this was probably three years ago) where priority boarding was announced (me not qualified at the time). I think it was J pax, WPs and OWEs only. Haven't heard one since, but then, I'm rarely at the gate when boarding commences.

On all the QF INT flights I have done in the last 18 months there was priority boarding lanes for F J WP SG and the equiv OW status. I literally strolled up and boarded in seconds.

 

[tuapekastar]

Just on priority boarding...

Since I've been ranting a little on this I thought I'd better RTFM :shock:

At the QF website, under the heading Platinum Benefits, it has this to say re priority boarding:

Priority boarding
Board your flight at your convenience with priority boarding available on selected Qantas international flights§

The § translates to:
§ Available on selected Qantas operated flights with a QF flight number on your ticket

Under the heading Gold Benefits, it has this to say re priority boarding:

Priority boarding
Board your flight at your convenience with priority boarding available on selected Qantas international flights±.

The ± translates to:
± Available on selected Qantas operated international flights with a QF flight number on your ticket

I note:

It specifies international only. Is there something more recent regarding domestic PB that I have missed and is not on QF's website? It does sort of differentiate at the 'rider' stage where Platinum says "Qantas operated flights" and Gold says "Qantas operated International flights" but at the higher level it is all international.

In each case it says "selected" flights, and that you must have a QF flight number on your ticket (presumably codeshares are ineligible - reckon they'll state that in any PB announcement)?

It says "Board your flight at your convenience" which implies to me that you can roll up and 'queue jump' at any time (should you know, having arrived at the gate late, that it is a PB flight). Not sure if they'll always have a physical boarding setup that caters for that, other than pushing your way to the front.

So in this case, Qantas is in a way advertising its inconsistency. While it may be the same set of flights that get PB each day, how would you know which? It also gives QF the ability to add/remove PB to/from flights at will, and as long as there is say one flight a week that has it, they're fulfilling their promise to deliver advertised benefits.

Almost sounds like a token thing, just so they can say they offer priority boarding. Would really like to know how this is supposed to work. How is Joe Average WP supposed to know if he is getting his benefit, especially if none of the 10 flights he takes each week is a 'selected' PB flight?

Other than not particularly liking standing in queues, it doesn't bother me if I get PB or not (I'm not going to arrive at my destination any quicker). What does bother me is not knowing what I should expect, other than 'lucky dip'.

Edit: I note nlagalle's recent post - I've certainly not seen this other than what I've stated, but other than TT (plenty of those), I don't have too many QF ex-Oz departures to draw on.

 

[Danger]

Re: Just on priority boarding...

Since I've been ranting a little on this I thought I'd better RTFM :shock:

At the QF website, under the heading Platinum Benefits, it has this to say re priority boarding:

Priority boarding
Board your flight at your convenience with priority boarding available on selected Qantas international flights§

The § translates to:
§ Available on selected Qantas operated flights with a QF flight number on your ticket

Under the heading Gold Benefits, it has this to say re priority boarding:

Priority boarding
Board your flight at your convenience with priority boarding available on selected Qantas international flights±.

The ± translates to:
± Available on selected Qantas operated international flights with a QF flight number on your ticket

I note:

It specifies international only. Is there something more recent regarding domestic PB that I have missed and is not on QF's website? It does sort of differentiate at the 'rider' stage where Platinum says "Qantas operated flights" and Gold says "Qantas operated International flights" but at the higher level it is all international.

You've fallen over the huge QF Cliff of Inconsistency.

As I noted in my post 201, above, priority boarding for Platinum is mentioned as available on selected international flights on this page but on this different part of the QF website it has a big fat tick saying it's available for both domestic and international. And as I've noted this is one of the very few benefits/rules/requirements/regulations that does not come with a perennial footnote.

Clearly, Qantas has become so confused itself as to what priority boarding is. More than that, though, to me it's clearly a case of a fluff piece. Another 'benefit' that isn't. Honestly, if they said everyone with a surname beginning A-K boards first and L-Z second or all females first and males second or whatever . . . just damn well get it right. Do what you say you will. Fulfill the benefits. Meet your customers' expectations.

Absolutely pathetic.

 

[samh004]

I believe the domestic benefit was introduced as a part of the enhancements in October, so the benefit might not be fully up and running as yet, similar to them still rolling out other enhancements. I hear you saying it can’t be hard to implement, but clearly it’s harder than it seems.

And a little look on their website reveals nothing about it, so maybe the idea of priority boarding on domestic flights was simply dropped.

International priority boarding has always been for Sapphire and above.

 

[tuapekastar]

Re: Just on priority boarding...

Absolutely pathetic.

Having checked out the links you provided, totally agree. QF does not appear to know what it is doing.

 

[Hvr]

The QF video for NGCI specifically mentions PB for WPs.

 

[reductionist]

Or allowing them to have priority over other pax in the line no matter when in the process they lob (this would have to involve some sort of line separation and probably signage I guess - not a good look appearing to queue jump), or a combination of both?

Yes, this is what I understand priority boarding to be.

American Airlines does exactly this and they do it well (and consistently).

 

[dajop]

Yes, this is what I understand priority boarding to be.

American Airlines does exactly this and they do it well (and consistently).

Can I add the consideration that AA NEED to do it well. That's because the whole boarding process is woeful. I have never seen a QF dom 767 take 35-40 mins to board, nor in Australia have I experienced the plane the size of an MD80 take 30 minutes to board (routinely, putting aside the wait late connections). I've experienced priority boarding on AA take as long as QF boarding an entire aircraft - period.

I think priority boarding is Ok to start the boarding process, but frankly bad luck to those who miss the first call. QF is good at getting as many people onto the aircraft as quickly as possible and that's the way it should be - not holding up queues up for the DYKWIA set. Besides if you look at the steady stream out of the QP and onto some flights (most particularly the peak hour's on SYD/MEL), most of the passengers on the plane might expect priority boarding

 

[serfty]

Out of AKL last night, priority boarding was specifically announced and enacted at the gate.

• Families with young children
• Business class Passengers
• Gold and Platinum and sapphire and emerald
• Rows ... I guess*

*(by that time we were on board being a Y0 type of flight...)

 

[medhead]

And a little look on their website reveals nothing about it,

To quote from the post just before your post. It is mentioned on the QF website

As I noted in my post 201, above, priority boarding for Platinum is mentioned as available on selected international flights on this page but on this different part of the QF website it has a big fat tick saying it's available for both domestic and international. And as I've noted this is one of the very few benefits/rules/requirements/regulations that does not come with a perennial footnote.

As domestic boarding was part of the recent changes maybe someone forgot to tell the staff.

 

[Blackadder]

Had priority boarding as a SG on both the SYD-BNE and BNE-SYD legs of my most recent trip.

 

[justin23]

I had priority boarding tonight on a SYD-CBR flight, but not on the DRW-SYD flight. anyway I may as well been no one cause silver gets few benefits these days, even though it requires significant patronage still to reach it.

Because silvers can select seats though, I got 8C, but got called in the last group to board ;-) because rows 13+ got called before everyone else ...

 

[samh004]

To quote from the post just before your post. It is mentioned on the QF website

I meant specifically in the sense of domestic priority boarding. Yes, the comparison table does show it, but only there, which seems a little odd.