Priority lane enforcement

[dxwell]

I thought there was a thread on this, anyhoo.
Flying SYD-BNE last Friday evening and queued up in the priority lane with 60 others.
Fabulous VA staff checked status of each person in priority lane and pulled aside those not of required status.
Statement over loudspeaker reinforcing who the priority boarding lane was for.
I gave a huge thanks to the staff members who were so actively monitoring this.
Top work!

 

[flyingfan]

There's this thread that started off about a fail, so glad you had the opposite experience.

Thread 'Virgin priority boarding fail'

Mar 15, 2021

Virgin Australia normally does an excellent job of priority boarding. So I was quite disappointed this morning to experience my first VA priority boarding failure ex BNE.

There were two queues formed at gate 38 - one general lane and one priority boarding lane, both of which were signposted - but only one person scanning boarding passes. This employee was not calling forward people from the priority lane first, and instead the two lanes were basically just merging (with people from the general queue basically being given right of way).

I brought this up with the gate agent when I...

• Mattg
• Replies: 252
• Forum: Virgin Australia | Velocity

• 

 

[AIRwin]

Same happened in HBA yesterday

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But… the real issue is… when did they start general boarding? 99% of the time they give the priority line a 5 second head start, then board the general line as well. So you end up standing in the jet bridge for a good 10 minutes.

 

[Harrison_133]

But… the real issue is… when did they start general boarding? 99% of the time they give the priority line a 5 second head start, then board the general line as well. So you end up standing in the jet bridge for a good 10 minutes.

At least in my experience, nearing 80+ flights on VA so far this year, they've been pretty consistent with not starting general boarding until the priority lane is cleared first – especially in the major ports. And I'm finding that priority enforcement in general has been much better than it has been in a long time.

Of course, that's not to say slip ups don't happen or it works 100% of the time.

 

[z28]

I found enforcement is pretty good except there are more people with priority than without (a bit off the mark but not too far off).

 

[pauldab]

I found enforcement is pretty good except there are more people with priority than without (a bit off the mark but not too far off).

Definetely the case for the golden triangle.
I had one guy once obviously not accustomed to this with business class tickets wandering around aimlessly trying to find the priority lane which was already about 50 deep not realising they have the same priority as the frequent flyers

 

[billmurray]

If travelling without an serious carry on luggage (and the plane looks like it will be full), i see no value in boarding first and happy to wait to be the very last person to board

 

[flyingfan]

If travelling without an serious carry on luggage (and the plane looks like it will be full), i see no value in boarding first and happy to wait to be the very last person to board

I admit to being conditioned to treating boarding early or first as a benefit and privilege and usually do so, even though it means I'm 'stuck' in a seat for a few minutes longer. But IMHO one of the good things about boarding early is because I usually have a window seat, I don't have to impose on others to move if they're already in their middle and aisle seats. Not that there's ever been an issue with that.

On the rare occasion I'm in an aisle seat I might try to be one of the last to board.