Qantas to Introduce Group Boarding and Bag Tracking

[Volando]

I must say that I never never seen anyone asked to wait because they were in the wrong group. Recently at SYD INT boarding line for a flight to WLG, when they announced which line applied to which group, one PAX made to move out of the Group 1 line. He was invited to stay put by a Qantas staff member and they let him board with Group 1..

That’s a bit surprising. I haven’t seen group boarding in action on Intl flights yet, but on domestic, the scanners deny boarding and the staff point to the red light and tell people to step aside until their group is called.

 

[Beano]

That’s a bit surprising. I haven’t seen group boarding in action on Intl flights yet, but on domestic, the scanners deny boarding and the staff point to the red light and tell people to step aside until their group is called.

At one time on a SYD-DXB flight on EK, I missed the group number calls and arrived after the main body of PAX's had started boarding. There was no separate priority queue and had to join the general boarding.

 

[elanshin]

At one time on a SYD-DXB flight on EK, I missed the group number calls and arrived after the main body of PAX's had started boarding. There was no separate priority queue and had to join the general boarding.

I think that depends on the Airline, the setup as well as the specific gate. QF these days often still has a separate entrance for Group 1/2 even after they start boarding 3-6. Although at some places it's a bit chaotic regardless of having these separate lines.

 

[Beano]

I think that depends on the Airline, the setup as well as the specific gate. QF these days often still has a separate entrance for Group 1/2 even after they start boarding 3-6. Although at some places it's a bit chaotic regardless of having these separate lines.

I've seen Group 3+ PAX's use the the Group 1/2 check-in point, but only from the front of their line when there are no G1/2 Pax's baording. (Another late arrival on my part with essentially empty G 1/2 line).

 

[kgreenuq]

Group boarding seemed to work well on QF flights last week PER-LHR (QF 9?) and QF 2 LHR-SYD. Staff checked boarding group numbers on boarding passes at the gate.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Flew out of MEL yesterday, 737, 6 spare seats maybe? Boarding by front and rear stairs. Boarding completed in under 15 mins. So they system works really well when it works!

Even had passengers asking if they could ‘get past’ those standing and fiddling about in the aisles.

Cf VA… takes forever to board, long queues at front and rear doors, and no announcements by crew for pax not to block the aisles.

 

[PERLHR]

Certainly a free for all on the flights of Qantas and Virgin Aus yesterday late afternoon from Kalgoorlie. No priority announcement by any...scramble at gates. Hope the QF flight was better than the VA one...rubbish crew, rubbish service. It was pathetic.

 

[Falcs]

Flew out of MEL yesterday, 737, 6 spare seats maybe? Boarding by front and rear stairs. Boarding completed in under 15 mins. So they system works really well when it works!

Even had passengers asking if they could ‘get past’ those standing and fiddling about in the aisles.

Cf VA… takes forever to board, long queues at front and rear doors, and no announcements by crew for pax not to block the aisles.

Sounds like the usual behaviour of gate lice in their natural environment