First World Winge

[Sdtravel]

I'll PM you with the solution to this.

I think we all would appreciate a solution to this.
Its hard enough me deciding when. I also travel with a friend sometimes who can be just as bad. So together we barely have a hope. Wasnt decided this year until the second last day and i had started talking to them in early January.

 

[BD1959]

Flying Melb to Syd with QF platinum status. We all know it takes a fair amount of flying to gain such status. Other than premium lounge access and a better chance at upgrades one also expects the promised priority boarding lane and priority baggage handling. My flight/experience has neither.

You're WP and you've only just discovered these awful truths? Has most of your flying been International to this point? ... My domestic experience is that it has ever been this way.

I deliberately joined the pleb line a few weeks ago flying MEL-PER since it was obvious that it the rear of that would clear well before that of the "priority" line ... much the same way that the "common queue" for security is quite often quicker than the priority line.

Checked bags? ... Are you sure you're a frequent flyer .... ??

Regards,

BD

 

[ButFli]

You tell by people’s boarding pass and sometimes their conversations.

You're examining people's boarding passes closely enough to determine what status they have?

In what way does a Gold frequent flyer's conversation differ from Silver and below?

 

[JB expat]

You're WP and you've only just discovered these awful truths? Has most of your flying been International to this point? ... My domestic experience is that it has ever been this way.

I deliberately joined the pleb line a few weeks ago flying MEL-PER since it was obvious that it the rear of that would clear well before that of the "priority" line ... much the same way that the "common queue" for security is quite often quicker than the priority line.

Checked bags? ... Are you sure you're a frequent flyer .... ??

Regards,

BD

Yes. Most international until this point. And when domestic with carry on and late to gate. This time of had checked bag (had no choice) and was at gate early as they started boarding later. Hope I answered your questions!

 

[BD1959]

Yes. Most international until this point. And when domestic with carry on and late to gate. This time of had checked bag (had no choice) and was at gate early as they started boarding later. Hope I answered your questions!

Ahhhh.... welcome to the dark side of QF .... Domestic!!

Regards,

BD

 

[JB expat]

You're examining people's boarding passes closely enough to determine what status they have?

In what way does a Gold frequent flyer's conversation differ from Silver and below?

When you overhear someone asking their travel partner if they are allowed to use “this” line while pointing to the priory sign and they don’t change lines, it is pretty obvious. And yes - I did a sticky beak (sp?) over a few shoulders.

 

[Vic]

When you overhear someone asking their travel partner if they are allowed to use “this” line while pointing to the priory sign and they don’t change lines, it is pretty obvious. And yes - I did a sticky beak (sp?) over a few shoulders.

Pax 1: chuckle "We're not supposed to be in this line"
Friend "No one will check"
*pause
Both: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Deleted member]

This seems to be the best thread to have a rant about how things should work , but don’t.
I flew BNE-AKL on Friday. Some bright spark (at BAC) has decided that QF is now a low cost carrier. So we all queue up at a kiosk to check in and tag our own bags ..... WTF. Why do I spend over the odds for a premium experience and receive a Jet* experience ? I finally worked out when I walked around to the bag drop that there is in fact ( hidden away) next to the big drop a premium checkin line.
The QF premium checkin in guy was as incredulous as me when I voiced my disgust at the new arrangement, I’m guessing AJ likes it as it means fewer QF check in people on duty. Fast forward to today. AKL -BNE (QF126). Arrive return my hire car (That’s a gripe for another day)
Go to QF check in. Priority checkin working beer than usual. Unusually no express pass... I don’t think much of it. Then I discover why. Only Air NZ premium,pax get express pass facilities at the security line. It’s a complete smash nd grb affair. Lots of shouting (at pax) crazy system of placing stuff in bins , my gear getting mixed up with pax he’d Nd behind me, rubbish supervision (Very officious little man with security wand) then a mele to retrieve my jacket, watch , iPad (why NZ treats iPads the sme as lap tops is beyond me) finally make it through the crush and get to the F cupboard and chat to the lounge gatekeeper, I voice my amazement. He shakes his head in disgust. “How can they design such a horrible system” he laments .
Phew! I need a holiday to get over my long weekend rest.

 

[TheInsider]

So we all queue up at a kiosk to check in and tag our own bags ..... WTF. Why do I spend over the odds for a premium experience and receive a Jet* experience ? I finally worked out when I walked around to the bag drop that there is in fact ( hidden away) next to the big drop a premium checkin line.
The QF premium checkin in guy was as incredulous as me when I voiced my disgust at the new arrangement, I’m guessing AJ likes it as it means fewer QF check in people on duty.

The kiosk check-in for international flights for all airlines will get more and more prevalent over the next few years. Looked at SIN lately? Even MEL international has SQ using the kiosks (for Y pax no choice either). FJ in MEL use them too, as does NZ and UA.
Also there is no less staff or staff that have been made redundant over these systems (as much as people like to say), there is actually an EBA agreement that zero jobs will be lost due to that check-in (for QF staff). Kiosk check-in actually allows more customers to be processed at the same time, instead of waiting for someone to 'serve' them (and the airport authorities also charge more for this per passenger transaction) . So I guess in domestic you line up all the time?
Because many people on VA's facebook page actually complain about them not having a system like QF's due to them waiting in a queue for 30min+, just to check-in a bag!

 

[Sdtravel]

Its moved to kiosk self bag tag and drop in Syd international. Premium checkin is well hidden, although technically it hasn't moves.

I still don't use self service kiosks on domestic so I'm sure as hell not going to be doing it on international while I can avoid it.

 

[calmelb]

I also use the manned counters when traveling where possible (even domestic) just because I like the human contact, obviously I only have the right to use them because of holding QF status. I flew VA out of Canberra last year and although I arrived an hour and a half before my flight to Melbourne I only got to the gate as boarding started. The kiosks wouldn't accept my booking ref (since it was booked using SQ points I think) and so I had to wait in the normal queue. 1 hour to check in (with 3 staff on duty) for an early Friday morning flight doesn't make a full service carrier. The Qantas side had no queues and had about 5-10 staff standing about doing nothing.

The QF self service might not be the nicest to use, but they sure are efficient compared to what VA offer.