Do DM get to jump the priority queue?
Jan 26, 2015, 7:04 pm
#33
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
Recently took a flight out of PVG.
There was only a J and Y queue, so I joined the J queue like a normal person; at this point I'm pretty much in the front, so it's all good for me. After the line started to get long, but the boarding process did not start yet (it was slightly delayed), this late arriving DYKWIA guy comes up and decides he's going to start creating his own line. I'm looking at him like are you on standby and the GA comes over and before she can say anything, he pulls the, "I'm a DM" card and she basically just backs off. Now you can imagine all the J passengers are trying to move to the new line, because they think that's the new J line. More confusion when they're told DMs have priority for them (paying premium passengers), thus forcing the GA to put out new signs that read "First Class and Diamond."
Anyways all this time, I'm still standing in the original J queue like ... assert your rights as GAs! But sadly there are are now some 35 DMs (!!) in the new queue.
In the end, the DYKWIA DM won.
There was only a J and Y queue, so I joined the J queue like a normal person; at this point I'm pretty much in the front, so it's all good for me. After the line started to get long, but the boarding process did not start yet (it was slightly delayed), this late arriving DYKWIA guy comes up and decides he's going to start creating his own line. I'm looking at him like are you on standby and the GA comes over and before she can say anything, he pulls the, "I'm a DM" card and she basically just backs off. Now you can imagine all the J passengers are trying to move to the new line, because they think that's the new J line. More confusion when they're told DMs have priority for them (paying premium passengers), thus forcing the GA to put out new signs that read "First Class and Diamond."
Anyways all this time, I'm still standing in the original J queue like ... assert your rights as GAs! But sadly there are are now some 35 DMs (!!) in the new queue.
In the end, the DYKWIA DM won.
Jan 27, 2015, 10:37 am
#35
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
Technically F pax and DM can be pull by GA to go to the front of the line. But so far they are only pulling F pax, and not DMs. Mind you this is unpublished benefit and most CX staff ignores it. But I guess if some DM wants to pull DYKWIA, yeah, CX staff is known to back off to characters....
Jan 27, 2015, 12:16 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
Technically F pax and DM can be pull by GA to go to the front of the line. But so far they are only pulling F pax, and not DMs. Mind you this is unpublished benefit and most CX staff ignores it. But I guess if some DM wants to pull DYKWIA, yeah, CX staff is known to back off to characters....
Jan 27, 2015, 12:24 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
When I was still flying out of JFK I've seem this a few times in HKG-JFK flights, F would get identified and pulled to the side up front, but I haven't fly JFK-HKG-JFK anymore so don't know if they still do that now.
Jan 27, 2015, 6:44 pm
#38
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
My flight out of PVG only had two!
The DYWIA DM took it upon himself to create a new queue after seeing how long the standard priority line was.
Jan 27, 2015, 7:04 pm
#39
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
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Posts: 19,800
Jan 28, 2015, 10:09 am
#41
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: CX DM, SPG Pt, Le Club Accor GO, Shangri-La GC Jade
Posts: 1,327
I'll (and had) complaint this to MPC (and of course, in return you'll get a template apology). PVG (and PEK as well actually) staff quality varies a lot. Once I saw GA did hand carry size / quantity check for a 320 before boarding at PVG. But more of the time is the two lines simply board together and there's no priority concept at all
Jan 28, 2015, 7:28 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
I'll (and had) complaint this to MPC (and of course, in return you'll get a template apology). PVG (and PEK as well actually) staff quality varies a lot. Once I saw GA did hand carry size / quantity check for a 320 before boarding at PVG. But more of the time is the two lines simply board together and there's no priority concept at all
Jan 28, 2015, 8:13 pm
#43
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Sydney
Posts: 267
Reading about all these DMs and the DYKWIA behavior, I'm actually seeing a lot of parallel between this and the KE VP's nut issue...
Obviously the scale of the incident is different but the concept of 'I'm important so I can do whatever the hell I like' is similar. Pretty appalling to say the least...
Thinking about this whole issue makes me angry and I kinda wish that they just did away with this whole elite gets priority boarding (so you just board based on your class/row number) but then I'd also feel sorry for the other Y DMs that try to do the right thing.
What happened to noblesse oblige?
Obviously the scale of the incident is different but the concept of 'I'm important so I can do whatever the hell I like' is similar. Pretty appalling to say the least...
Thinking about this whole issue makes me angry and I kinda wish that they just did away with this whole elite gets priority boarding (so you just board based on your class/row number) but then I'd also feel sorry for the other Y DMs that try to do the right thing.
What happened to noblesse oblige?
Jan 28, 2015, 8:20 pm
#44
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
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Twisted into jus primae noctis?
Unless you're in the Mainland, where it's a egalitarian free-for-all...
Unless you're in the Mainland, where it's a egalitarian free-for-all...
Jan 28, 2015, 9:31 pm
#45
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,405
No written privilege.
However, at HKG and some airports, when an aircraft has a first class, gate agents occasionally make 3rd queue for F and DM(and OWE?), then check statuses of passengers in J queue and move passengers of F and DM to the 3rd queue. Passengers in the 3rd queue board first.
Rumors say this operation is also applied when J queue is longer than Y queue
However, at HKG and some airports, when an aircraft has a first class, gate agents occasionally make 3rd queue for F and DM(and OWE?), then check statuses of passengers in J queue and move passengers of F and DM to the 3rd queue. Passengers in the 3rd queue board first.
Rumors say this operation is also applied when J queue is longer than Y queue
The 'priority' queue was miles long, and the GAs pulled out a handwritten sigh with 'Diamond' on it, and a couple of people went up to use that.
Based on that i would have thought at least some DMs might think there is an entitlement.