Priority luggage, enough is enough.

[EuroFlyer]

Flew in F from LHR to mel. All first guests were almost the last to get bags in Melbourne. Not working that day for sure

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?

 

[Groundfeeder]

If you sell your QTags online, with your personal details etc etched into their little plastic jiggers, what use is to a buyer whose details won't match their BP etc? Or am I dimmer about things that people buy on large online sites?

 

[mannej]

If you sell your QTags online, with your personal details etc etched into their little plastic jiggers, what use is to a buyer whose details won't match their BP etc? Or am I dimmer about things that people buy on large online sites?

Are you talking about details being physically written on the tag, or the details that are electronically stored on the tag?

If it is the latter, I am fairly sure nothing is stored until you actually check in for a flight. Once you check in and scan the tags, the details are then stored on the tag.

 

[chrisb]

If you sell your QTags online, with your personal details etc etched into their little plastic jiggers, what use is to a buyer whose details won't match their BP etc? Or am I dimmer about things that people buy on large online sites?

Nothing is ever written to the bag tag. The scanner scans it and the tag transmits its serial number which is then associated with your booking.

 

[Flying mermaid]

If you sell your QTags online, with your personal details etc etched into their little plastic jiggers, what use is to a buyer whose details won't match their BP etc? Or am I dimmer about things that people buy on large online sites?

It is only connected to you when you do the bag drop, so there is no issue there. When I gave one of mine to my son's girl friend, I just used whiteout to cover my details, so she could write her own name

 

[Anna]

Flew in F from LHR to mel. All first guests were almost the last to get bags in Melbourne. Not working that day for sure

Once in SIN a few years ago I had been having a terrible time for some reason I can't now recall, and the very nice check-in agent was trying to make things as smooth as possible for me. She said "I'll pop a first tag on your bag so you won't have to wait at the other end".

My bag came out the very last bag on the carousel. I'm damn sure the Aus baggage handlers held it back deliberately.

 

[ReLoad]

Ok, im a bit pissed off now.

Today I flew AKLxBNExMEL - there was no J seats n the AKL-MEL flight (apparantly there is a grad prix coming? who would have thought)

My bags came out stone motherless last, the very last bag on a ful 737. Here's the rub. By the time my bag came out last, the majority of a Hawiian fight had gotten thier bags and completely held up quarrantine. so much to the point that the extra delay caused me to miss my connection to MEL.
If the bag had have come out in the first 20% I would have missed the crush and been on my way to MEL instead of sitting here moaning and wailing like a banshee.

I know an extra wait for a couple of hours to get another flight home isnt the end of the world, but tonight my kids chucked a wobbly for the poor wife at home who had primised that daddy would be home for story time and a goodnight song. you didnt just piss me off tonight, you now have a scorned woman and two little boys that have the capacity to melt down the interior of a 767 (only the non refurbished ones of course)

Qantas, you say you want to look after frequent flyers because you understand how hard it is for us to be on the road all the time, well prove it. I dare you, I double dare you.

 

[jetlagger]

ReLoad, so sorry to hear. This should not happen & I understand your anger toward Qantas.
With your status your bag should have been one of the first to appear- without fail! :evil::evil:
Wish you a safe & more pleasant journey home.

 

[Adel_Traveller]

Reload, I can relate to your anger and disappointment. In my recent experience (especially since the Q tags were introduced) status counts for nothing at the baggage carousel. And yes it's a first world problem, but it can be be pretty frustrating to watch all the other bags come by when all you want to do is to get your bag and to get moving to be with your family.

Like priority boarding, Qantas need to sort this out if it is to continue as a stated benefit for frequent flyers.

 

[bigjobs]

Never use the q bag tags crew checking in.

 

[drewbles]

Sounds an awful lot like PER. Every time I checked luggage on QF there it would be stone cold last. Without fail.

There has to be a better way (heck even my bag in T3 LHR this morning arrived before I did, and I was only 2nd in the Fast Track queue, very fast exit!).

 

[scheps]

i dont even get the right tags.... maybe thats why it comes out quicker

 

[docjames]

Ok, im a bit pissed off now.

Today I flew AKLxBNExMEL - there was no J seats n the AKL-MEL flight (apparantly there is a grad prix coming? who would have thought)

My bags came out stone motherless last, the very last bag on a ful 737. Here's the rub. By the time my bag came out last, the majority of a Hawiian fight had gotten thier bags and completely held up quarrantine. so much to the point that the extra delay caused me to miss my connection to MEL.
If the bag had have come out in the first 20% I would have missed the crush and been on my way to MEL instead of sitting here moaning and wailing like a banshee.

I know an extra wait for a couple of hours to get another flight home isnt the end of the world, but tonight my kids chucked a wobbly for the poor wife at home who had primised that daddy would be home for story time and a goodnight song. you didnt just piss me off tonight, you now have a scorned woman and two little boys that have the capacity to melt down the interior of a 767 (only the non refurbished ones of course)

Qantas, you say you want to look after frequent flyers because you understand how hard it is for us to be on the road all the time, well prove it. I dare you, I double dare you.

A great example of why many of us care so passionately about priority baggage (amongst other things).

Will you provide feedback to Qantas?

 

[ReLoad]

A great example of why many of us care so passionately about priority baggage (amongst other things).

Will you provide feedback to Qantas?

I most certainly have, and exactly as per previous times I expect to get a generic response.

 

[docjames]

I most certainly have, and exactly as per previous times I expect to get a generic response.

Sadly that's what a large chunk of us have come to expect too....

 

[AVC]

First world problem? Not really. There are a good portion of flyer that require priority baggage.

If I am jetting in, and on my way home a delay getting my bags is no biggie. No one likes a delay, but everyones bag cant come out instantly. if i get to my car 30 minutes later, so what.

But peeps on connecting flights and premium classes who are paying premium rates, should be getting their luggage out first. i mean, how damn hard is it. Do the ones with these tags THEN the rest. Its not rocket science. Well, maybe to a baggage handler it is

 

[ajw373]

First world problem? Not really. There are a good portion of flyer that require priority baggage.

Here is half the problem. Due to the ease (compared to the past) at getting status for a variety of reasons, a good portion now get priority baggage too. The more that have it the more chances that your bags are not going to be first out.

In fact the same is true for the whole frequent flyer program. With many more travelling and getting status the value of that status over time is devalued. Hence I guess why P1 was created, because Platinum was no longer as exclusive as it once was, and why Silver status is now 'worth' less than it once was.

 

[love_the_life]

We flew AKL - BNE - CBR in January (J class). Bags were duly tagged Business and guess what... they were the last off at Brisbane. Really! It just made a poor experience worse and the trend continued (e.g. ran out of meat meal on AKL - BNE and we were in Row 2, only 1 person at BNE handling domestic transfer so a huge queue, had to carry all luggage on transfer bus at BNE as the conveyer was broken, send to Group check in at BNE domestic who had no idea why these people were there etc.). The luggage thing was just the start.
OTOH, we flew OOL - CBR on Sunday and luggage was out in the first few minutes - again no Q tag. My experience is that the Q tagged luggage is not given priority at all.

 

[docjames]

I don't use Q tags as I have 100% coming out last despite SG and travelling J.

 

[Danger]

Maybe we should run our own little test on the effectiveness of the Q tags over printed tags. If you're travelling with two bags, apply the Q tag to one and put a thermal printed tag on the other (without adding any of the 'Business' or 'Priority' tags). Then at the other end, wait at the carousel and count.