Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[Ansett]

QF1011 MEL-HBA 1st August 2013

View attachment 17589

Can the QF team spot why this might just lead to a failure of Premium Boarding?

They may need a hint

 

[BadgerBoi]

They may need a hint

no no, please let them figure it out

 

[lovestotravel]

PB has been working perfectly for me in MEL over the past month or so!

Call made in the lounge
Head to gate
Usually 20-30 people in the non-status line
No-one in the PB line

One guy did try to use the PB line the other day and was politely turned back to the non-status line

Well done QF

Now where is the PB line in CBR

 

[BD1959]

Handled perfectly for this morning's 675 MEL-ADL, a 737.

Call made as Boarding was opened. Only one FA at the gate at this point and she was stood at the non-PB machine, I was first in line in the PB line. The FA saw her colleague hadn't yet arrived and so called me forward in front of the half-a-dozen or so stood in the non-PB line.

Regards,

PB

 

[TonyHancock]

QF614 - MEL-BNE 1st August 2013

Fail. 20 mins before departure boarding was already well underway, the snaking queue of one line was blocking access to the PB lane. When the "brave" WP did enter the line he was left standing at the end whilst the FA continued to process the non PB lane. I followed another couple into the PB lane and we basically had to push in to get scanned.

Three flights today, two PB fails and one flight not eligible for PB (HBA)

 

[QF WP]

My email to the RGM today (let's see how it goes - I see him in 20 mins):

I thought I’d qualify some of the discussion regarding Qantas on Australian Frequent Flyer and give you links to the topics, so you can see the extent of the discontent with some of the decisions (albeit some are “under review”).

1. Any Seat Awards

I trust [samh004] gave you some background to the issue. Whilst the members of frequent flyer website (like Australian Frequent Flyer and Flyertalk) may be a minority of the 9 million QFF members, I’d think that due to our sharing of information, we are some of the better informed about this benefit. As Virgin recently had a trial using the same offer, it would appear that it was working for QF and copying of a benefit by a competitor is the ultimate proof that the strategy was working.

In my own case, use of ASA’s have been instrumental in keeping me on QF over the past two years and my re-qualification of Gold status. It has also reduced my business costs as well as reducing QF’s unused points liability on their Balance sheet. It will also mean some of our members (who have already contacted me) will not only stop flying QF, but also change their CC spending habits to ensure they don’t earn QF points.

I was privy to a conference call (with other social media people) where QF Management flagged that ASA’s were under review and the ability to be booked online was being transferred to the Call Centres. To our members (and I would think to QF), this has meant a significant increase in the time taken to book these flights and therefore, bottom line cost (particularly to QF).

Relevant topics:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....m/confirmed-qf-removing-cheap-asas-48705.html
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....rogram/has-anyone-had-success-call-51720.html


2. Priority Boarding

If Virgin can implement it and it works relatively seamlessly, why is it a problem with QF? This topic shows the level of discontent (but also shows tha it does work, but not consistently):

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....priority-boarding-qf-domestic-what-30246.html


3. Qantas Survey

I recently participated in a Qantas survey to rate the Qantas Frequent Flyer program (see copy of email at bottom) and wrote a comment at the end:

I am one of many who are disappointed with the transfer of Any Seat Award bookings (at Classic redemption rates) from the website to the Call Centre and the review currently being undertaken. If they are taken away, that will impact my desire to earn points in the Qantas FF program, to fly with QF and to continue to re-qualify Gold and will continue my significant transfer of flying to Virgin (where I have obtained and recently re-qualified Platinum).

It was asked me to compare the Velocity program – which unfortunately for you, rated higher in more than half of the categories.

 

[chrisb]

Qf475 mel to per today. Complete fail. Flight was late, no one was policing the line and it was a giant mess. The people in front of me didn't even have FF numbers on their boarding passes. Another guy was CX ruby.

All it takes is someone at the entrance.

They did have someone policing priority security but it was quiet across all lines anyway.

 

[ozmille]

Now where is the PB line in CBR

you know that long line of people is the Priority line

 

[nlagalle]

Well QF623 BNE to MEL was a complete failure. To the point where I will lodge a complaint.

1 person scanning who was on the PB side so EVERYONE was queued up in the PB lane. I just waltzed down the general lane and pushed in front.. DYKWIA moment..

 

[mrpooky]

Massive fail PER -> BNE (QF598) last Thursday, 1st of August: two huge lines spreading into a general mess of people not knowing what they were doing. I walked up the right-hand side (PB lane) asking people, "Are you in the premium boarding lane?" That got a few of them out, but really shouldn't be up to a passenger to do it.

Flight was delayed, which always seems to make it worse.

 

[doctau]

It's easy to understand why SG's think they get PB domestically when all the other QF signs at the airport allow them entry eg Premium Check in, Premium Security & Lounge access not to mention for QFi flights.

I'm a fairly newly minted SG, and I assumed we got that since we get all the other things you list, and I didn't notice Pb was for int flights only. I've never had to try it out since my two flights since gaining the status have been Int Y and Dom J so it hasn't been relevant, but I would have guessed we did.

 

[Wests Tigers]

Priority boarding at Coolangatta yesterday to Sydney (Sunday night 4th August), on QF was operational and overseen by a rotweiler! Well done...everyone happy who were legitimate and who werent sent to the back of the long queue snaking around and around! Well done QF!

 

[TonyHancock]

DATE	FLIGHT	ROUTE	CLASS	AIRCRAFT	REGO	PREMIUM BOARDING
01-Aug-13	QF1011	MEL-HBA	Y	738	VH-VXB	FAIL
01-Aug-13	QF1012	HBA-MEL	J	738	VH-VXB	UNAVAILABLE
01-Aug-13	QF614	MEL-BNE	J	738	VH-VXB	FAIL
01-Aug-13	QF784	BNE-CNS	J	738	VH-VZA	SUCCESS
02-Aug-13	QF799	CNS-BNE	J	738	VH-VXB	UNAVAILABLE
02-Aug-13	QF589	BNE-PER	J	763	VH-OGQ	FAIL
02-Aug-13	QF1000	PER-KTA	J	738	VH-VZU	SUCCESS
02-Aug-13	QF1001	KTA-PER	J	738	VH-VZU	UNAVAILABLE
03-Aug-13	QF648	PER-MEL	J	332	VH-EBS	SUCCESS
03-Aug-13	QF1011	MEL-HBA	J	738	VH-VZA	FAIL
03-Aug-13	QF1012	HBA-MEL	Y	738	VH-VZA	UNAVAILABLE

Melbourne was three for three on fails. On two occasions there was not even a premium boarding call and on one occasion, shown in my previous photograph, no effort was made to even implement it. The other failure involved non premium pax being processed through the PB lane.

Perth was successful on both occasions, in that I was able to walk directly to the BP scanner. I don't know if any non pax were processed or not. I can however say that the non PB queue was very long and pax were NOT migrating to the empty PB lane.

Personally I don't think PB is working as it should anywhere and this manifests itself when flights are late. The whole process turns into a scrum. You may think it is working because you join a short queue, but you are one late flight away from experiencing Premium Scrumming.

It has been said before over and over again, but there are three simple things that will lead to the correct outcome.

1. Clear and Consistent Boarding Calls. (At Melbourne Alone I heard three variations, two of which did not even mention PB)
2. Clear and Consistent Signage. It needs to be bigger than current effort - and PB should be left or right not a mixture depending which airport.)
3. Enforce PB. A little pain now will educate pax and lead to long term better results.

 

[Dmac6345]

Good start so far today. Turned up at Mel Gate 8 for QF406 to Syd. There was a que a mile long, one FA scanning and nobody in the PB Lane. Walked up through the PB Lane, waited for less than 3 seconds and the FA waved me over, scanned my BP and said welcome back on board Mr Dmac, have lovely flight. Good stuff QF.

 

[Brisbane Flyer]

QF 615, BNE - MEL Sunday 4 August and QF 634, MEL - BNE, Tuesday 6 August.
PB worked very well, rocked up, PB lane empty, single check in FA, scanned me in front of others, off I went to my solitude in the exit row, window seat. Love the legroom and not in a hurry to deplane.

I guess people on these flights could read and comprehend English

 

[love_the_life]

SYD - ASP on Sunday last week, pretty good with a short PB queue, a very long general queue and only one staff member. She did a reasonable job - one PB then one general then a couple of PB. Not perfect but could have been much worse.

 

[boomy]

This morning I was a bit bored at the lounge so I went to the gate before my MEL-BNE flight started boarding.
I noticed a funny thing, the queue at the PB line was much longer then the queue at the regular line. I checked again to make sure that I'm not wrong. Then I took my place at the regular line and entered the plane faster.

I noticed the same thing happens sometimes at the priority screening as well and it makes me wonder if some pax are so attached to their status that they just can't queue in the regular lines.

 

[TonyHancock]

I noticed the same thing happens sometimes at the priority screening as well and it makes me wonder if some pax are so attached to their status that they just can't queue in the regular lines.

.......assuming that the pax in the PB lane actually had any right to be there.

 

[QF WP]

Okay, cleared the desk and have 5 minutes to report the adbridged summary before I hit the next job.

To recap, my email to the RGM was this (and the basis of our discussion):

I thought I’d qualify some of the discussion regarding Qantas on Australian Frequent Flyer and give you links to the topics, so you can see the extent of the discontent with some of the decisions (albeit some are “under review”).

Priority Boarding

If Virgin can implement it and it works relatively seamlessly, why is it a problem with QF? This topic shows the level of discontent (but also shows that it does work, but not consistently):

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....priority-boarding-qf-domestic-what-30246.html

They understand that there are failings in the PB, but as Red Roo has stated, they want specific mention of these fails so the staff can be identified and ensure that appropriate training is done.

My personal observations - many have stated the success (or otherwise) of the QF PB experience (including me, when I have had the opportunity to use it)...and compare against the VA experience (where the level of success is much higher). I'm surprised that they haven't learnt more from the VA experience (particularly from casual observation at the VA gates by non-uniformed QF staff) and been quicker to respond - however I don't run a multinational company and understand the machinations of decision making in them.

Although it does help that on every VA flight I take I get PB access (being a Plat); my smaller sample on QF fligts in J show a material difference between the two experiences and for that reason alone, are a small part of any decision I take when considering purchase of flights). It certainly will take some time (and resources) for QF to reach the VA standard.

 

[TonyHancock]

Premium Boarding appeared to work to perfection on QF410 MEL-SYD today!