Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[SeatBackForward]

A couple of flights on AA I waited a side and watched the agents.. They were very strict and anyone that wasn't entitled was moved over to the side or sent back out the way! Even when a flight was delayed and the general line was very pushy they held their ground!

Were the gate agents also the ones onboard? I wonder if the seperation between agents at the gate vs those who then have to be onboard is a factor about how strongly its enforced?

 

[gogo419]

Were the gate agents also the ones onboard? I wonder if the seperation between agents at the gate vs those who then have to be onboard is a factor about how strongly its enforced?

It was a mix.. Depended on airport and time of day.. But either way all staff knew what they were doing with the announcements..

AA certainly does employ a s**t load of ground staff during the busy hours of the day.. But QF can't use that as a legitimate excuse for their failings..

FA's shouldn't feel intimidated if it is a stated policy of the company!

 

[drewbles]

As mentioned, AA's works for two reasons:

- Strict enforcement by ground staff
- The fact that the announcements for priority boarding are *very* clear along with group boarding system.

 

[gogo419]

As mentioned, AA's works for two reasons:

- Strict enforcement by ground staff
- The fact that the announcements for priority boarding are *very* clear along with group boarding system.

I can't see QF making it work any other way than adopting AA's process..

 

[Hvr]

As mentioned, AA's works for two reasons:

- Strict enforcement by ground staff
- The fact that the announcements for priority boarding are *very* clear along with group boarding system.

AA staff are not afraid to deny boarding and they are supported by their captain if they say this person is not suitable to fly. You do not annoy/upset an AA FA without consequences.

 

[SeatBackForward]

AA staff are not afraid to deny boarding and they are supported by their captain if they say this person is not suitable to fly. You do not annoy/upset an AA FA without consequences.

See I see this as more a cultural thing that exists in the US. The concept of "authority" seems to be stronger in the US, although what authority a gate agent actually has is questionable. Whereas in Australia, because the concept of "class" and of "authority" is nowhere near as strong - so who are they to tell me not to line up here...etc..

 

[RooFlyer]

AA staff are not afraid to deny boarding and they are supported by their captain if they say this person is not suitable to fly. You do not annoy/upset an AA FA without consequences.

Abso-bloody-lutely!

 

[gstapleton]

What's involved? Signage, lane ropes, and a knowledge of the ground staff as to what to announce and (hopefully) how to police it.

I have never seen them police a person in the wrong lane

 

[pshepvic]

I have never seen them police a person in the wrong lane

I've seen it once. But not on Thursday night in BNE when there were several people in front of me who knew they were in the wrong lane (I heard them comment and just laugh about it - one even said "oh well, I'm Silver, I should be allowed here") and were let through no questions asked.

 

[Berlin]

Last night at OOL: Clearly marked priority row. In front of me, three bogans (well, they looked and behaved like you'd imagine a bogan to look)- one of them having a spark of brightness telling the other two "Oh, this priority lane! We not priority! Need change lane!" to which the other bogan replied "No matter. Queue shorter, no one will ask" And guess what? :evil: The latter bogan was correct and the gate staff did not give a toss even though it took them AGES in front of me to find their boarding passes in their over-packed backpacks. As said many times before: The entire priority boarding would work a treat if QF simply forced their staff to care about it. Other airlines do it, why is it so hard for QF?

 

[Red Roo]

Last night at OOL: Clearly marked priority row. In front of me, three bogans (well, they looked and behaved like you'd imagine a bogan to look)- one of them having a spark of brightness telling the other two "Oh, this priority lane! We not priority! Need change lane!" to which the other bogan replied "No matter. Queue shorter, no one will ask" And guess what? :evil: The latter bogan was correct and the gate staff did not give a toss even though it took them AGES in front of me to find their boarding passes in their over-packed backpacks. As said many times before: The entire priority boarding would work a treat if QF simply forced their staff to care about it. Other airlines do it, why is it so hard for QF?

Thanks for this example. I've passed it on to the airport manager for internal review.

 

[pagingjoan]

And for me, another two faultless Premium Boarding experiences over the weekend, MEL-SYD on Saturday and return last night.
Not denying the less than great experiences of other posters but I would be hard pressed to remember a PB fail on domestic routes.
(Contrary to the general wisdom that International works, while domestic does not, I can recall one or two fails on International flights, where it has been impossible to fight through the masses to the PB queue. LAX stirs a memory or two. None of them good. )

 

[Red Roo]

And for me, another two faultless Premium Boarding experiences over the weekend, MEL-SYD on Saturday and return last night.
Not denying the less than great experiences of other posters but I would be hard pressed to remember a PB fail on domestic routes.

That's the consistency we're working hard to achieve. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[lovestotravel]

See I see this as more a cultural thing that exists in the US. The concept of "authority" seems to be stronger in the US, although what authority a gate agent actually has is questionable. Whereas in Australia, because the concept of "class" and of "authority" is nowhere near as strong - so who are they to tell me not to line up here...etc..

Yep!

It's the tall poppy syndrome which causes problems in Australia.

 

[drewbles]

Yep!

It's the tall poppy syndrome which causes problems in Australia.

With the tight alliance between QF and AA, perhaps an exchange of FA's is required to learn cultural differences.

I'd love to see a WP Miner argue with one of the AA FA's. Someone would be tore a new one, and it would not be the person scanning the boarding passes

 

[BVT]

2000+ posts on this and QF clearly do not care.

VA do it, AA do it; it's not difficult to enforce. Both QF staff and the travelling public need to be trained in how it works. Communication and enforcement - it is not too difficult.

FWIW, I have generally had good PB experiences on QF and VA.

 

[Downwind]

Thanks for sharing this. I've let the MEL duty manager know for their reference.

4 replies from Red Roo (that I seemingly can't multi quote) all towing the company line of "thanks for your feedback and we look forward to welcoming you on board soon" which we all know is QF code for "shove it up your backside, we dont give a toss".


Im sick and tired of all the excuses. Either offer it and make sure you provide it, or pull it as an advertised benefit and be done with it.


Im sure I dont need to remind you, and by you, I mean Qantas, that it neither acceptable or appropriate that PB continues to NOT be made available to eligible members in eligible ports as advertised. This is a published benefit that is NOT being provided. Its not a one off, its an inherent flaw that IMHO constitutes a failure to provide a product or service with due care or skill, misrepresentation and misleading and deceptive conduct, all of which are clear breaches of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. PB has been advertised and available for far too long to STILL be experiencing this atrocious level of inconsistency and my patience with QF is all but exhausted.


ENOUGH.


There are 2620 odd posts on this topic, the overwhelming majority of which, agree that PB (dont get me started on priority luggage) is not working.


Quit with the excuses and fix it. QF have had it far too easy and far too good for way too long and if you wont do it voluntarily, a class action might get your backside into gear!

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

2000+ posts on this and QF clearly do not care.

VA do it, AA do it; it's not difficult to enforce. Both QF staff and the travelling public need to be trained in how it works. Communication and enforcement - it is not too difficult.

FWIW, I have generally had good PB experiences on QF and VA.

On the contrary, since the start of this thread I have seen a marked improvement in PB, and while still not 100% consistent, the presence of RedRoo would suggest that they actually do care and want to improve.

I think the frustration is pretty clear at this late stage of the thread.

Surely others have seen improvement over this period?

 

[tm.smile]

FWIW, I've always had a fairly good experience with priority boarding. Not 100% but then again there are bigger things to worry about. As for breaking any act, pretty sure there are T's&C's that protect against that... Have a another drink in the QP and wait for final call ;-)

 

[Downwind]

FWIW, I've always had a fairly good experience with priority boarding. Not 100% but then again there are bigger things to worry about. As for breaking any act, pretty sure there are T's&C's that protect against that... Have a another drink in the QP and wait for final call ;-)

No T&C's can override Law and IMHO, this constitutes several breaches of various Federal and State Acts that QF has gotten away with for far too long. Im taking them to VCAT to challenge this and other issues that QF expect you to cop on the chin, but if the situation were reversed, they'd throw the book at you. I am not very partial to double standards.