Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[pshepvic]

QF408 this morning (in fact, still boarding) .... Epic WIN!

Got around to gate 23 and saw a queue half way down the terminal. Walked past the masses, to find only a couple of people in the PB line. Perfect. Let's see if they can get it right on the way back tonight!

 

[Deleted member]

Adelaide's the youngest at less than 10 years, less that 9 in fact and I'm guess around 6 years. ISTR someone saying one of the ADL gates could use 2 bridges. But I can't see how that would work myself and therefore I think my recollection is rubbish.

Not sure of the age of the others. Sydney has one or 2 two bridge gates in T3. And of course modified a couple of gates in T1. So maybe the oldest terminal in the country, that also has the demand has been modified.

Seems to suggest BNE doesn't have the demand.

Fair point. But BNE has been growing. But still A380 service yet

 

[mannej]

QF408 this morning (in fact, still boarding) .... Epic WIN!

Got around to gate 23 and saw a queue half way down the terminal. Walked past the masses, to find only a couple of people in the PB line. Perfect. Let's see if they can get it right on the way back tonight!

You must be dreaming!

 

[QF WP]

PB was available on QF656 ADL/BNE tonight (Gate 21) - boarding was showing in the QC at 7.25 for a 7.45 departure. I walked out of the QC on the first boarding call at 7.25 however there was no queue in either line (they must have started it early) and there were 2 FA's manning the scanners. I chose the PB line and had a joke about the PB issue with the FA's whilst my BP was scanned.

 

[medhead]

PB was available on QF656 ADL/BNE tonight (Gate 21) - boarding was shoeing in the QC at 7.25 for a 7.45 departure. I walked out of the QC on the first boarding call at 7.25 however there was no queue in either line (they must have started it early) and there were 2 FA's manning the scanners. I chose the PB line and had a joke about the PB issue with the FA's whilst my BP was scanned.

This is my new issue with ADL. Their answer to uncontrolled boarding scrums from lounge users is to start boarding 10 minutes early, before the people have got themselves out of the QC in time for boarding. Really gets up my nose, don't fix the problem just hide it from the people who were complaining.

I usually just hang around the gate until 5 minutes before departure time when this happens. Me? Stubborn?

 

[nlagalle]

Well despite the massive delays tonight leaving SYD, the PB worked as it should. There was a huge line for the normal queue and only a few in the PB lane, so we were scanned quickly..

That didn't make up for the seat re-alloaction where i went from row 31 to 51... but that is another story which Qantas is hearing from me about...

 

[oz_mark]

That didn't make up for the seat re-alloaction where i went from row 31 to 51... but that is another story which Qantas is hearing from me about...

Post it on Facebook, the all those Qantas shills on there can tell you all about how seating is not guaranteed etc :mrgreen:

 

[serfty]

....

That didn't make up for the seat re-alloaction where i went from row 31 to 51... but that is another story which Qantas is hearing from me about...

Ouch!

That's another 140 PAX departing with their carry on paraphernalia in front of you!

 

[pshepvic]

You must be dreaming!

Yes I was. Coming back from Sydney was a debacle. QF463 on a 767. Sign was across to the side with no dividing rope. I think some people were self-policing as the left hand queue was about half as long as the right hand queue (although I think that was also partly because you couldn't see the left queue as you approached the gate). When people realised there was a second queue some of them were moving across as they could see it was shorter.

 

[ashleyn]

This may be hard for AFF's to come to terms with but there are flyers who basically don't know cough. They have no FF membership let alone status, they have no concept of Platinum or anything else so they just Q somewhere. Recently overheard an elderly couple in the PB lane (not trying to generalise at all) "are we in the right Q ?" "I don't think so but we're here now". Self policing is OK for those who know but for PB to work, it has to be policed by the staff.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

This may be hard for AFF's to come to terms with but there are flyers who basically don't know cough. They have no FF membership let alone status, they have no concept of Platinum or anything else so they just Q somewhere. Recently overheard an elderly couple in the PB lane (not trying to generalise at all) "are we in the right Q ?" "I don't think so but we're here now". Self policing is OK for those who know but for PB to work, it has to be policed by the staff.

You don't have to be Einstein to work out that bean counters wouldn't allow extra operational staff purely for the purpose of PB however that's not to say there aren't other non-operational staff who are capable of doing the policing. Other posters on this thread people have seen "non-uniformed staff" doing the policing/redirecting of pax at the beginning of the queues so these people who I assume are management folk, need to make an appearance each and every time not sporadically.

 

[ashleyn]

You don't have to be Einstein to work out that bean counters wouldn't allow extra operational staff purely for the purpose of PB however that's not to say there aren't other non-operational staff who are capable of doing the policing. Other posters on this thread people have seen "non-uniformed staff" doing the policing/redirecting of pax at the beginning of the queues so these people who I assume are management folk, need to make an appearance each and every time not sporadically.

Totally agree, a work experience person could do it !

 

[RickyT84]

Travelled on QF431 today and PB was strictly enforced (not that I was entitled to use it). I saw one of the FA turning a couple of pax away and direct them to the general boarding queue.

 

[blewie]

This problem will never be fixed. Qantas just won't address the problem, much like other areas of the FF service. 3 flights this past week and always the same, no policing of PB lane and a sarcastic response when I enquired why it wasn't being controlled. Platinum doesn't really give you much.

 

[userlame]

Priority boarding worked perfectly at Sydney today for a330 flight to Perth. Two scanners for the plebs, one scanner for business and premium.

Reckon we can get Priority baggage collection next? I'm getting a bit sick of the scrum at the conveyour belt. Lets spread the non-premiums down to the end of the belt, there's plenty of space that doesn't get used.

 

[Must...Fly!]

QF480 last Friday and QF773 Sunday I noticed it worked fine, though I suspect on the latter a few plebian pax got in, but mostly fine. Certainly not an all-in scrum like you occasionally see.

If only we could get ex-PER or PER-bound pax to understand that not everyone can get on the plane at once and that the plane doesn't start boarding 10 minutes before the advertised time!! Why is it always the folks from this part of the world that block the concourses at MEL.....

 

[RWJ777]

QF480 last Friday and QF773 Sunday I noticed it worked fine, though I suspect on the latter a few plebian pax got in, but mostly fine. Certainly not an all-in scrum like you occasionally see.

If only we could get ex-PER or PER-bound pax to understand that not everyone can get on the plane at once and that the plane doesn't start boarding 10 minutes before the advertised time!! Why is it always the folks from this part of the world that block the concourses at MEL.....

I've noticed this to and fro PER too. I put it down to it being a long flight and therefore more need for hand luggage (or less preparedness to queue for checked bags at the other end). Either cause, I agree it's bedlam.

 

[medhead]

QF 730 fail. Announcement stuffed premium boarding as an after thought. First guy pulls out gold card to board sits in row 8. Then a platinum I've seen a few times before. Then a guy, row 22, with a red coloured passbook BP.

 

[pagingjoan]

Premium boarding worked like a dream at MEL on Saturday morning, and just as smoothly at SYD on Sunday evening - that is, until all aircraft were grounded to wait out a flurry of lightning. Resumed smoothly afterwards, though.
(Can't comment on pre-boarding announcements, as I can't recall when I was ever at the gate early enough to hear one for a domestic flight in Oz.)

 

[Keelan]

Maybe not wanting to appear "elitist" in front of a group of voters?

Possibly, or maybe just not wanting to appear elitist in general. Much in the same way many wouldn't refer to people flying in economy as "plebs" or refer to economy as whY. Some people just have a different view on what is/isn't elitist/offensive behavior or speech.