Bags Bags Bags

[token01]

I have just about had it. First world problem yes i acknowledge from the get go. Im sure I've seen threads on this before. But here we go as a silly WP.

Every Single flight domestically (40+ sectors) I have taken this year has been in J, Airports nearly always BNE and SYD.
I have tried checking in with bag tags, at the counter, different suitcases, checked in at Q valet, early and right about close 30mins before departure.

After arriving into BNE last night I have just about had it with QF. bags came out in the last 5.

But the most consistent Qantas has been about anything is having my Business tagged bags come out in the last 20 bags.
I honestly cant recall the last time i saw my bags come out in the first bunch of Priority / Business / Small handbags that have been put on last / international Transfers allotment.

I even had a conspiracy theory that my regular suitcase on the same flights each week became an inside joke to the handlers and loved putting it out next to last. Change of bags to no avail.

I understand this is a minute issue. However after all the *enhancements* to the WP / new age silver program, this is one of the only things I do rely on with QF making tight international connections on differing alliances or making it to commitments on time with an even tighter schedule.

Im amazed they cant get that right yet every time I fly into SIN on SQ my bags have always beaten me in the 2 mins in takes me to Clear Changi.

Just booked the next 6 immediate domestic sectors with Virgin to give them a proper go. Time to flirt properly.

A truly exasperated tiny small problem hater.
Token01

 

[defurax]

I agree that priority bags with QF is VERY hit and miss, I hope for you that VA is better at it, but I still haven't found a single carrier which consistently delivers on priority bags. I used to hate BA, but then last year they admitted they never cared about the OW priority tag.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I have just about had it. First world problem yes i acknowledge from the get go. Im sure I've seen threads on this before. But here we go as a silly WP.

Every Single flight domestically (40+ sectors) I have taken this year has been in J, Airports nearly always BNE and SYD.
I have tried checking in with bag tags, at the counter, different suitcases, checked in at Q valet, early and right about close 30mins before departure.

After arriving into BNE last night I have just about had it with QF. bags came out in the last 5.

But the most consistent Qantas has been about anything is having my Business tagged bags come out in the last 20 bags.
I honestly cant recall the last time i saw my bags come out in the first bunch of Priority / Business / Small handbags that have been put on last / international Transfers allotment.

I even had a conspiracy theory that my regular suitcase on the same flights each week became an inside joke to the handlers and loved putting it out next to last. Change of bags to no avail.

I understand this is a minute issue. However after all the *enhancements* to the WP / new age silver program, this is one of the only things I do rely on with QF making tight international connections on differing alliances or making it to commitments on time with an even tighter schedule.

Im amazed they cant get that right yet every time I fly into SIN on SQ my bags have always beaten me in the 2 mins in takes me to Clear Changi.

Just booked the next 6 immediate domestic sectors with Virgin to give them a proper go. Time to flirt properly.

A truly exasperated tiny small problem hater.
Token01

Oddly I am going to disagree with you on two points of detail, yet agree with your general point.

First, my experience has been the reverse. Bag priority has usually worked well for me on QF (as it has on VA).
Second, though, I don't agree that this is a minor point. It is a benefit which QF has chosen to give its high status or premium cabin PAX.
It promotes that as one of the benefits of being a Qantas frequent flyer, and remaining loyal to QF.
They shouldn't offer and promote something unless they have the capacity to provide it and the willingness to deliver it, consistently.
As you observe they do have established procedures to prioritise bags. Indeed, the one time I can remember priority not working for me, it was becauase my bags were prioritised but then mistakenly removed with the international transfer bags, rather than being placed on the conveyor. The lost luggage staff told me it was not uncommon for this to happen with bags which had only a Q-Tag on them and no paper tag. (Aside - this makes no sense to me as any bag tagged for an international connection would need a paper tag - Q-Tags are for QFd only!).
So given that these procedures exist, it shouldn't be too hard to ensure they work consistently.

In my view your expectations are entirely reasonable.
I look forward to hearing how you find the experience on VA.

 

[Groundhog]

Just booked the next 6 immediate domestic sectors with Virgin to give them a proper go. Time to flirt properly.

A truly exasperated tiny small problem hater.
Token01

Hope it works for you. Sounds like the best way to get your bags to come out first is to drop back down to NB or Red.

ps. I got sick of this ages ago so i have now managed to work out a weeks worth of clothes in carry on.

 

[kermatu]

I agree that priority baggage is an important selling point and not at all an unreasonable expectation. And it can have quite a cost. One time at Cairns my bag came out near to last - the wait in the taxi queue was over 25 minutes as all those who got their bags earlier were ahead. Was an unusual flight in so many grabbing cabs (must have been a conference on).

Trouble is, how much is within an airline's control, or down to an airport's baggage staff? If an airline employs its own baggage handlers then yes, it should be automatic and properly enforced.

In the main, my bag comes randomly. I've been first, with or without tag, and often near to last even with priority tag. That's across a number of airlines around the world.

Best experience was in a US airport (I think it was Kansas City) where the priority bags off an AA flight were delivered direct to a little roped off area with an attendant a minute before the carousel started. Showed my boarding pass and bag receipt to the guy, pointed to my bag and was off without having to queue or lift bag off belt etc. Now that would be nice Qantas....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Airlines in Asia, and the big Asian airports generally get priority baggage right. Why western countries can't do it I have no idea.

Airlines in Australia could enforce it if they wanted to. But they either don't care, or can't be bothered.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

It shouldn't make any difference whether it is the airline's own baggage staff or not.
I am open to correction but AFAIK most baggage and other ground services at international airports are provided by contractors.
They are engaged by the airlines, not simply provided by the airport.
So it is a matter of managing that commercial relationship to ensure the benefits promised to PAX are delivered.
Just an ordinary part of doing business.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So it is a matter of managing that commercial relationship to ensure the benefits promised to PAX are delivered.
Just an ordinary part of doing business.

Exactly - which is what I was alluding to above. They could write a performance measure into their contract stating priority bags are out first. They either haven't, or if they have, don't bother to enforce it.

 

[anat0l]

Exactly - which is what I was alluding to above. They could write a performance measure into their contract stating priority bags are out first. They either haven't, or if they have, don't bother to enforce it.

Right, new contracts shall have provision that if any shift has a situation where a priority bag is not delivered correctly, the entire shift's pay is forfeited for all staff on duty. Three strikes and it is the sack with prejudice.

That should light a large enough fire under those responsible without actually needing to literally light them on fire.....


Another idea I floated one time is to possibly automate the baggage loading and unloading significantly so that delivery can be electronically controlled. If bags can be directed to the correct loading laterals electronically, why can't a similar system rearrange a stream of incoming baggage according to criteria which is likely already coded in the bag tag?


One thing for sure is that clearly airlines, like Qantas and many others, are not actively measuring the success or failure of priority baggage delivery. Many things in the airline's operation are measured or monitored for success or failure; this is clearly not one of them. They only rely on complaints as a flimsy measure of such. There's no one actually watching baggage delivery shifts or belts, or installing measuring scanners at the baggage belts to monitor, for correct delivery.

 

[token01]

Internationally - with SQ I have had similar experiences in DEL out of all places and LAX - where all priority bags are roped off and sometimes even escorted till the customs door.
In Changi as mentioned previously, its a leap year between when you get past immigration and the bags are not there.

Domestically however my experiences mainly lie with QF.
Please correct me if I am wrong but aren't all the priority bags put in its own container on the plane and thus pulled out and shuttled to the baggage belts? If it is then i fathom how later trolleys are loaded first on the belt.
@esseeeayeenn Im glad you don't think its a minor point. I am of the view if its advertised as a benefit then it should work. However seeing what others go through with QF on this forum including the P1's, I was happy to see this pushed down the list. Glad this is not the case.

 

[kermatu]

International can be different - yes, I've seen the roped off (or at least separate) luggage in LAX too, and a couple of other places, like KIX. My reference to KC was domestic, which I doubt is that common but I just don't know.

I should note that I did benefit once from an excellent QF First host in Melbourne who picked up my bag (from the carousel in my presence) then walked me through customs, up the travelator and into the Dom terminal, and checked me in. OT as it wasn't priority bag related, but great service!

From onboard several QF flights I have watched as bags with priority stickers are loaded at the same time as others, in random order as the handler gets to them. Unless they are sorted onboard in the hold, I think it is pure randomness. And with speed of the essence on landing, if it isn't sorted on the way in I suspect that's the end of it.

 

[pythonisman]

My experience (albeit limited, I usually travel HLO for domestic) has been more hit than miss for both QF and VA. It's not 100% reliable, but it's usually pretty good.

Travelling in a group (myself WP, the other two NB) last week, All three of our bags were tagged business and I think were bags 3,4 and 5 off the carousel. I was surprised/impressed!

I actually find international a lot more variable, especially if there's been a domestic connection before the international leg (for me there usually is), on both VA and QF. AA and DL are also pretty variable... My limited experience with MH was great too, into PNH, SIN and NRT earlier this year

 

[opusman]

Please correct me if I am wrong but aren't all the priority bags put in its own container on the plane and thus pulled out and shuttled to the baggage belts? If it is then i fathom how later trolleys are loaded first on the belt.

I thought 737s didn't use cargo containers?

 

[Reeldeel]

This happens to be one of my biggest annoyances with Qantas. However, when it happens to me I have a little whinge to myself and move on.

I would think most people do the same as they don't want to make a big deal of a seemingly first world issue.

There in probably lies the problem. Qantas may not understand how bad it is.

 

[ajw373]

I thought 737s didn't use cargo containers?

They don't. Only ac flying domesticity with Qantas that use containers are the A330s.

 

[whughes3]

In my fairly extensive experience, QF generally do a pretty good job with priority baggage on international routes; on domestic routes however, as the OP has noted, it seems to be a total lucky dip, randomly varying from excellent to abysmal! Why there should be a difference I can only conjecture...

 

[banger2]

I would have thought the cause of this issue was how the aircraft hold was loaded and subsequently unloaded? In the case of the 737, surely first bag in is last bag out...I really cant imagine they sort the bags into priority once unloading...surely they just get them to the belt as quickly as possible, ie last in first out? So my logic would mean for the priority baggage to come out first they would need to be loaded last...so maybe its an aircraft loading issue?

As I understand, with A/C with containers they may be able to be more successful with prioritizing luggage as they could keep one or more containers for priority baggage?

With domestic in Sydney, it seems at QF terminal that the baggage is simply hand loaded onto the appropriate belt....so there is no computerized operation of the flow of baggage between unloading point and different belts. If this was the case, it wouldnt be possible to sort the baggage on route to the belt electronically. Can anyone confirm this? I would suspect international is different in that regard.

To the OP, is it predominantly single isle aircraft you fly on the domestic routes?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I would have thought the cause of this issue was how the aircraft hold was loaded and subsequently unloaded? In the case of the 737, surely first bag in is last bag out...I really cant imagine they sort the bags into priority once unloading...surely they just get them to the belt as quickly as possible, ie last in first out? So my logic would mean for the priority baggage to come out first they would need to be loaded last...so maybe its an aircraft loading issue?

As I understand, with A/C with containers they may be able to be more successful with prioritizing luggage as they could keep one or more containers for priority baggage?

With domestic in Sydney, it seems at QF terminal that the baggage is simply hand loaded onto the appropriate belt....so there is no computerized operation of the flow of baggage between unloading point and different belts. If this was the case, it wouldnt be possible to sort the baggage on route to the belt electronically. Can anyone confirm this? I would suspect international is different in that regard.

To the OP, is it predominantly single isle aircraft you fly on the domestic routes?

Yes, yes and yes are the answers. Although one wonders whether the removal of brightly coloured tags makes the job more difficult?

Regardless of how bags are loaded or unloaded (no doubt due to operational reasons there will be times when bags can't be loaded ideally) - the final decision is at the time the bags are put onto the baggage belt. Clearly some airlines and some airports are able to manage that, even with 737s, and ensure priority are the first out, almost every time (looking at China here). But they have tags on the bags for most of asia.

 

[ajw373]

the final decision is at the time the bags are put onto the baggage belt.

So are you suggesting if non priority comes off the a/c first that the baggage handlers offloading onto the delivery belt should hold non priority bags until such time as priority bags arrive? Thus holding everyone up, just to give the appearance of priority rather than just put what they have on the belt?

But do agree don't think the removal of coloured tags helps the issue, but my experience with Qantas it has never been much of an issue. The disclaimer is my domestic flights are normally CBR-SYD-CBR to connect to/from international. So SYD-CBR in particular often not much baggage anyway and by all accounts a higher than average number of high tier frequent flyers who have priority (like me), so hard to judge.

One of my worst ever experiences was flying SQ into Singapore. Due to a late connecting flight (the 717 out of Canberra went tech) the family and I were the last onboard the A380, so presume our bags would have either been in the last container loaded or even in the loose hold. Yet in SIN they were stone cold motherless last, and they were sporting a bright SQ priority tag (that must have been changed in SYD), as they had Qantas tags when we checked in.

 

[TomVexille]

IIRC a 737 has a smaller forward hold and a larger rear one. And that priority bags should be loaded into the forward one which should then be unloaded first and taken directly to the belt. Obviously this doesn't happen in practice.