Priority luggage, enough is enough.

[ReLoad]

First world DYKWIA get it off my chest problem.

I'm sick to death of the RF tags not giving any sort of luggage priority.
about 12 months ago I cracked the sads and decided to start tracking how often "priority" luggage actually worked for me, and now finally after 12 months and yet another failed priority luggage on Sunday night its time to publish my stats.

48 QF Dom segments;
42 where the RF tag was used
19 times luggage came out in the first batch of bags.
16 times luggage came out in the middle
7 times it came out near last.

I know at least once now I have resorted to bringing on a mountain of carry on because I knew that when I got to the other end I couldn't wait for ages for my bag to come out.
(yeah that was me that you saw )

Why is it so hard? back in the old days we had a DYKWIA "Priority" or "Business" tag stuck on our bags, it was hard for Steve the luggage handler to miss, but now days there is virtually no indicator.

I know its only 5 extra minutes, but sometimes (not all the time) 5 minutes can be important.

lil help QF?

 

[Anna]

I'm sick to death of the RF tags not giving any sort of luggage priority.

What's an RF tag?

For my part, I have stopped using the Q bag tags because of the consistent failure to give me any luggage priority - or sometimes even to deliver my bag to my destination at all (twice in one week last November).

I haven't had any trouble with the paper tags I have used since November, with the black Business square marked on them.

 

[mannej]

Sorry - but in some ports, those tags were useless ;
(Read PER).

 

[JohnPhelan]

Why is it so hard? back in the old days we had a DYKWIA "Priority" or "Business" tag stuck on our bags, it was hard for Steve the luggage handler to miss, but now days there is virtually no indicator.

And that, in one short sentence, is the whole problem with the stupid tags.

And don't even start on the secondary issue of what hapens when the machinery rips the tag off your bag altogether ........

 

[markis10]

My priority baggage worked well at Horn Island or so I was told, pity I was in Darwin :shock:

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip> publish my stats.

48 QF Dom segments;
42 where the RF tag was used
19 times luggage came out in the first batch of bags.
16 times luggage came out in the middle
7 times it came out near last.

<snip>

Don't suppose you kept track of the unloading result Vs when you checked in? A couple of times my "priority" tagged bags have arrived stone motherless last on the carousel (or very close to it), I've checked in really early. Early check-in = first into the queue for loading = last off has been my explanation in those cases.

Actually, does anyone know how 'Priority Bags' are meant to be physically handled? I've assumed that baggage handlers at the departing airport are meant to keep them to one side, then load them last, so they are unloaded first. When you see the priority bags scattered throughout the carousel at arrival, I question that theory!

And are baggage handlers an airport employee, or an employee of the airline?

 

[markis10]

Actually, does anyone know how 'Priority Bags' are meant to be physically handled? I've assumed that baggage handlers at the departing airport are meant to keep them to one side, then load them last, so they are unloaded first. When you see the priority bags scattered throughout the carousel at arrival, I question that theory!

And are baggage handlers an airport employee, or an employee of the airline?

They are loaded onto a separate cart or container, and go in a different area, as to them being spread across non priority luggage, if two handlers decide to unload two carts/containers at separate times then thats bound to happen.

 

[dajop]

And in other news, it was recently discovered that the pope is catholic, birds lay eggs and the earth is not flat.

What has changed with RF tags? 7 or 8 years go with good old fashioned paper priority tags, in my experience the outcome used to be similar, there are probably even a few threads on it.

 

[Anna]

They are loaded onto a separate cart or container, and go in a different area

Except that, according to a QF baggage employee at SYD in November, not every QF aircraft has a separate area for priority baggage and that is why the Q tag does not always deliver priority baggage. If the particular aircraft does not have a separate place to put the priority baggage, all the baggage is loaded together regardless of the colour of the Q tag. (Why priority still seems to work for paper tags but not Q tags, I don't understand. Perhaps the paper tags require human intervention and the Q tags don't?).

Apparently (according to the QF employee) it is particularly the 737 aircraft that lack the separate area for priority baggage. So if you frequently travel on 737s you are more likely to encounter the problem of lack of priority baggage with a Q tag.

And for anyone else who was wondering - RF appears to mean "radio frequency", as far as I can work out.

YMMV, but I would usually encounter a baggage problem if using the Q tag. The paper tags have given me problems far more rarely (both before and after Q tags were introduced).

 

[Grogan]

I am based in Townsville and have had my luggage go missing (particularly on qf978) more than 6 times in 1 year. It usually turns up within 24 hours. The Townsville Qantas check in staff have advised us not to use the Q-tags as they are the cause of it. Complaints to Qantas regarding the Q-tags resulted in an offer to send some new tags, but I have three sets (silver, gold and plat) and each have been lost a similar number of times.

 

[markis10]

Except that, according to a QF baggage employee at SYD in November, not every QF aircraft has a separate area for priority baggage and that is why the Q tag does not always deliver priority baggage. If the particular aircraft does not have a separate place to put the priority baggage, all the baggage is loaded together regardless of the colour of the Q tag. (Why priority still seems to work for paper tags but not Q tags, I don't understand. Perhaps the paper tags require human intervention and the Q tags don't?).

Apparently (according to the QF employee) it is particularly the 737 aircraft that lack the separate area for priority baggage. So if you frequently travel on 737s you are more likely to encounter the problem of lack of priority baggage with a Q tag.

And for anyone else who was wondering - RF appears to mean "radio frequency", as far as I can work out.

YMMV, but I would usually encounter a baggage problem if using the Q tag. The paper tags have given me problems far more rarely (both before and after Q tags were introduced).

Different area does not always mean separate, as is the case with the Q400s etc, where they will get loaded last, in the hope being first out onto a different trolley will see them in first to the carousel, if the aircraft is in a tight turnaround timeframe that will often mean they all go in together resulting in no priority on the belt.

 

[ReLoad]

Don't suppose you kept track of the unloading result Vs when you checked in? A couple of times my "priority" tagged bags have arrived stone motherless last on the carousel (or very close to it), I've checked in really early. Early check-in = first into the queue for loading = last off has been my explanation in those cases.

Actually, does anyone know how 'Priority Bags' are meant to be physically handled? I've assumed that baggage handlers at the departing airport are meant to keep them to one side, then load them last, so they are unloaded first. When you see the priority bags scattered throughout the carousel at arrival, I question that theory!

And are baggage handlers an airport employee, or an employee of the airline?

It is very rare I am running late at an airport, so its usually approx 60 min prior to departure.

As others have suggested looking at the stats MEL/SYD/MEL seems to be ok (A lot of 767 flights) but the 737 based stuff sucks.
Flights with SQ, CX and even heaven forbid AA all worked out ok priority wise.

 

[Dmac6345]

Travelled last week CNS-MEL with wife.
I used both my Gold Tags (one on each bag). My wifes bag was the second one out and mine was almost last.
Of course she made a cheeky comment about it. No pattern what so ever with them being prioritised as far as I can tell.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip> The Townsville Qantas check in staff have advised us not to use the Q-tags as they are the cause of it. <snip>.

News I can use.

 

[Qld4101]

I have also been advised by the check in staff in CNS to use paper tags as they believe the RF tags to be unreliable - maybe it's worse when leaving from a regional port - do they have the same electronic equipment - no idea really? I have also had the unusual situation where all other bags had come off and been collected (CNS again) when I went to baggage services to report they went out back and sure enough there was my bag (they just hadn't put it on the belt, again maybe with no paper tag they didn't know where it was going??
Although I have to say that it doesn't seem to get much better with paper but at least they do arrive.

 

[ashleyn]

What's an RF tag?

For my part, I have stopped using the Q bag tags because of the consistent failure to give me any luggage priority - or sometimes even to deliver my bag to my destination at all (twice in one week last November).

I haven't had any trouble with the paper tags I have used since November, with the black Business square marked on them.

RF = Radio Frequency = Q tag

 

[Berlin]

What I don't understand- there are some airlines that manage to do it properly! I am still surprised how a otherwise so coughpy and always chaotic airline like Iberia for all managed to do the priority luggage right on several trips last year. If Iberia can do it, seriously...

 

[serfty]

What I don't understand- there are some airlines that manage to do it properly! I am still surprised how a otherwise so coughpy and always chaotic airline like Iberia for all managed to do the priority luggage right on several trips last year. If Iberia can do it, seriously...

The systems are in place.

They break down on the ramp.

I think it's a combination of the egalitarian Oz society and a "couldn't care" attitude on the tarmac.

Periodically there's a directive that come down from management that evokes a flurry of baggage handler compliance for a short time before drifting back ...

19 times in the first 30% against 23 times in the latter 70% is, perhaps, above average.

 

[reductionist]

If QF staff can't (or won't) provide this benefit then really, they should stop advertising it.

 

[Berlin]

If QF staff can't (or won't) provide this benefit then really, they should stop advertising it.

A bit like the domestic priority boarding, isn't it? :shock: