Programs: HH Diamond, MR Silver, Alaska Air MVP Gold/BR, ASCE, ITE, OPM CSRS annuitant, SOA Tier IV
Posts: 448
Autumnal Message
Item no. 1 confirms what most of us have experienced, and some were confused about - boarding can start up to 40 minutes before departure. I'd like a little more clarity on the "losing your seat" piece.
November 5, 2009
Dear dave1013,
Year-end is fast approaching and we want to take a moment to talk about operational reliability — that is, getting you to your destination on time.
We've made enormous strides in on-time performance this year. Not only do we lead the industry for timeliness, but we have had similar improvements with baggage performance. We appreciate your help as we continue in our commitment towards operational consistency. In many ways, MVP Gold and MVP members are our "model passengers." Each of you has the ability to assist our crew members in getting your flight out on time, as well as the opportunity to set an example for less experienced travelers.
One of the most important elements of an on-time departure is the boarding process. We want to equip you with the most effective tools to ensure this happens on each flight you take with us.
1. Boarding begins at least 30 minutes prior to departure (and can be as early as 40 minutes prior). Agents are concurrently processing the First Class waitlist and other stand-by lists, so please be available to board at this time — or you are in jeopardy of losing your seat.
2. Our customer service agents close the boarding door 10 minutes prior to departure. At this time all necessary flight paperwork is completed and sent to our Flight Operations department. Once this paperwork has been sent, late passengers are no longer allowed to board.
3. Carry-on baggage is limited to one bag and one personal item (laptop or purse).
4. Once on board, you are welcome to use your cell phone and laptop until our flight attendants make the announcement to turn off all electronic devices. We are unable to close the aircraft door until these devices are turned off and stowed, so we ask for your prompt response to this request.
As one of our most valued customers, we appreciate your business and feedback. Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve you.
With gratitude,
Steve Jarvis
Vice President Marketing, Sales & Customer Experience
Ann Ardizzone
Vice President Inflight Services
Jeff Butler
Vice President Customer Service - Airports
I think its pretty simple IMO - when a flight is oversold, or you are in F, if you aren't there to board, your seat will be given to someone on standby. I believe the requirement is to be in the boarding area 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
I see often times while waiting to board, pax coming up after everyone else has boarded, and I'm willing to bit the majority of the time those pax are MVP/G, waiting until the last minute, and I think AS is trying politely to get those pax to show up early enough to board with their respective group.
__________________ My Open Flights
LAST FLIGHT: SEA-LAX-RNO-SEA | NEXT FLIGHT: TBD
Programs: AS Gold, UA 1P, Hilton and Marriott Silver
Posts: 106
The rule is that you must be checked in and available to board at :30 prior (Rule 135AS-D-1-b). I know that standby clearance usually happens about T-20. That is when you can turn into a pumpkin if you aren't on board. But then like rybob1 says, it is more important to be there when the flight is full as the gate chaos factor goes up. If the flight is empty, your biggest fear is that they just close the door and leave.
I may be a little slow, but after reading this email it has left me wondering just what Alaska Airlines is trying to say about us as flrequent flyers.
1) The point of the message seems clear: Alaska Airlines is ver concerned with on-time delivery and they want to improve it.
2) Reading the section regards the "important elements of an on-time departure" all I see is how we as customers are screwing up their performance measurements. I am really glad to see Alaska Airlines is steppng up and taking responsibilities for their operations.
Programs: AS MVP Gold, UA 1K, Kimpton Inner Circle
Posts: 1,194
It's all our fault
I recently completed travel with my family from ANC-BOS and noticed that boarding stared absurdly (40 mins) early for all of the flights.
As a sane traveler, the last thing I'm going to do is to pack two small children onto a six hour flight 40 minutes early. Instead, I encourage them to run around and expend as much energy as possible before boarding.
We therefore invariably board last, go straight to our seats and are ready to go after +/- 45 seconds.
Every flight we took had doors closed and plane parked 10ft from the gate (an 'ontime' departure) where we sat, and sat, and sat. Based on this recent experience, any attempt at blaming the customer for delays is just nonsense.
An Autumn Message for Our Most Valuable Customers
Why am I and other MVPs getting an email telling me how to board airplanes?
Quote:
Year-end is fast approaching and we want to take a moment to talk about operational reliability — that is, getting you to your destination on time.
We've made enormous strides in on-time performance this year. Not only do we lead the industry for timeliness, but we have had similar improvements with baggage performance. We appreciate your help as we continue in our commitment towards operational consistency. In many ways, MVP Gold and MVP members are our "model passengers." Each of you has the ability to assist our crew members in getting your flight out on time, as well as the opportunity to set an example for less experienced travelers.
One of the most important elements of an on-time departure is the boarding process. We want to equip you with the most effective tools to ensure this happens on each flight you take with us.
1. Boarding begins at least 30 minutes prior to departure (and can be as early as 40 minutes prior). Agents are concurrently processing the First Class waitlist and other stand-by lists, so please be available to board at this time — or you are in jeopardy of losing your seat.
2. Our customer service agents close the boarding door 10 minutes prior to departure. At this time all necessary flight paperwork is completed and sent to our Flight Operations department. Once this paperwork has been sent, late passengers are no longer allowed to board.
3. Carry-on baggage is limited to one bag and one personal item (laptop or purse).
4. Once on board, you are welcome to use your cell phone and laptop until our flight attendants make the announcement to turn off all electronic devices. We are unable to close the aircraft door until these devices are turned off and stowed, so we ask for your prompt response to this request.
As one of our most valued customers, we appreciate your business and feedback. Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve you.
With gratitude,
Steve Jarvis
Vice President Marketing, Sales & Customer Experience
Ann Ardizzone
Vice President Inflight Services
Jeff Butler
Vice President Customer Service - Airports
Perhaps AS should be sending it to Ma and Pa Kettle who only fly at Christmas
1) Flights frequently sit at the gate for 10 minutes or longer after door closure. This has nothing to do with the boarding process.
2) There needs to be clarification as far as when the confirmed seat of a checked-in passenger can be given away (ie. someone who is coming from a connecting flight, or someone who did web check-in). The implication from the letter is 30 minutes prior to departure, but this can't be true because you can check-in up to 30 minutes prior to departure, and they can't exactly expect you to instantaneously teleport to the gate.
3) The improvements to ontime performance are largely due to lower aircraft utilization/more spares, transitioning to a single fleet type, longer turn times at hub airports, and less congestion in the air and on the ground.
I actually have no problem with beginning boarding 40 minutes prior to departure. I would prefer that the agents slow down when they scan the boarding passes, so that there isn't always a big line in the jetway. I think when things get bottle-necked at the boarding door, it just stresses people out and could actually slow things down.
Also, some passengers still do not know to turn and insert their rollaboards lengthwise into the overhead bin, so I'm surprised they did not insert this into their lecture.
My concern is connecting flights. What does "you are in jeopardy of losing your seat" mean for connecting pax? It reads sort of ominous to me.
I think if these are uniformly enforced practices, then minimum connecting times may need to be adjusted accordingly. You can book a 50-minute codeshare connection through ORD on the alaskaair website, not to mention what Expedia or Orbitz will sell you. That's kind of insane if they are giving away seats as early as 30-40 min and closing the a/c doors 10 min before departure.
Also, I agree that I'm not sure it's the elites that need to be prompted about this. Set an example for the other pax? Not sure how that works exactly. Are we supposed to wear MVP/G t-shirts while boarding or something?
Every flight we took had doors closed and plane parked 10ft from the gate (an 'ontime' departure) where we sat, and sat, and sat. Based on this recent experience, any attempt at blaming the customer for delays is just nonsense.
Count me in on the people who believe 99% of delays arent customer related. Furthermore when the doors do close late its usually due to a late A/C arrival at a gate or baggage handlers futzing around outside. And only in the airline industry are you allowed to be 15 minutes late and still be considered on time. In my reality 15 minutes late is 15 minutes late but thats another ball of waxed fudged numbers
Yeah, I talked to a FA and he said its purpose was that golds need to know to "turn off their damn phones" so they can "close the damn door cause we can't do it until all their crap is off, and yes...I see it when they text between their legs."
Yeah, I talked to a FA and he said its purpose was that golds need to know to "turn off their damn phones" so they can "close the damn door cause we can't do it until all their crap is off, and yes...I see it when they text between their legs."
"wow Id love an FA to tell me that explanation" Id have said you need to first practice that in your own @@#$ing ranks because on more than 1 occassion I have heard FA cell phones ringing in the galley during taxis and safety briefings as they run giggling to shut it off!
So I guess I don't understand why people are getting worked up over this? AS isn't changing any policy, they are just reminding people of what is already in place.
__________________ My Open Flights
LAST FLIGHT: SEA-LAX-RNO-SEA | NEXT FLIGHT: TBD
So I guess I don't understand why people are getting worked up over this? AS isn't changing any policy, they are just reminding people of what is already in place.
did this go out to all passengers or just "most valued passengers?" If just the latter I think its an email preaching to the choir. Just how are we to be role models? To most pax were pathetic POS's who sit in first class, board first, and butt line
How are we to be a role model in boarding? If boarding procedures are enforced and followed then we should be onboard before everybody else so they shouldnt be seeing what we are doing on the A/C before they get on
Whats the purpose of the Gold/F line? Perhaps GAs are whining that they have to stop the Y line to let a late arriving gold or F board? In that case get rid of the line if theyre too inconvenienced by having to do their job.
If AS wants me to help get flights on time I have no problem helping the GA with turning away people boarding out of order if they are afraid to. The way people mob AS gates during boarding is a joke to people throughout the industry
January came early!!! 
