New Reverse Order Boarding

 
Old Sep 26, 2002, 7:57 am
  #1  
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New Reverse Order Boarding

I flew ATL-FLL yesterday. Due to a delay in getting our flight crew from an inbound flight, our flight was behind schedule. To speed up the boarding process, the gate agents announced a new reverse boarding process. The plane was boarded from the back going forward. Last to board were Medallions and First.

I was in coach, so I didn't care very much when I boarded - I just wanted to get home sooner so I went along with the plan. But there were some irate first class pax.

In cases like this when a flight is late getting out and Delta has created a way to make up some time are we willing to give up some privaledges in place of time, or does the privaledge of boarding earlier outweight the benefit of getting there on time?

Discuss.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 8:04 am
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As long as you can toss into the aisle any bags that are in the bin above your row but the owner is 20 rows back, I don't mind this policy. Also, I better still get my pre-departure drink in F.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 8:04 am
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Boarding early has at least two advantages:

1. Overhead bin space is available. This is critically important to frequent flyers like me who may not check bags very often.

2. A pre-departure drink in first class. This is nice, but I can get the same thing in the CRC, if I have time.

So, I vote for pre-boarding First Class and Medallions. If Delta starts to be too much like Southwest, I might as well fly Southwest!

Bruce
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 8:06 am
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As often happens, Spiff and I posted similar responses simultaneously. Great minds think alike!

Bruce
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:04 am
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Is this Delta policy or an employee trying to streamline things on his/her own? The coach cabin is usually filled from the back anyway, so how much time did this really save? 3-5 minutes? This is really cutting off your nose to spite your face.

>>bags in the aisle<<

My sister once told me that on certain Asian airlines, this is common. If your bags are in the overhead bin above someone else's seat, they will just remove yours, place them in the aisle and put their bags in. "My seat, my bins" was the attitude. Urban legend?


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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:06 am
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You see everything imaginable on domestic Chinese flights.

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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:26 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by FLL2002:
To speed up the boarding process, the gate agents announced a new reverse boarding process. The plane was boarded from the back going forward. Last to board were Medallions and First.
</font>
On the premise of boarding from the rear of the aircraft forward, I understand why First would be last to get on. But, why hold out on the Medallions also? Are you saying that a Medallion member in row 30 is denied boarding until the regular people board his row and all the rows before him? How does that save any time? Seems pretty poor to me.


[This message has been edited by yashan (edited 09-26-2002).]
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:46 am
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Yashan, I should have been clearer.

Medallions were not preboarded. They were asked to board when their row was called. I had a coach ticket but was hanging back in the hopes of getting upgraded. Otherwise I would have boarded earlier. All F's got their drinks anyway, so I'm not sure what their big problem was. I think F's like the common folk to see them sitting there in a fat chair with a drink as they pass by to their cramped coach seat and bag of pretzels. I know I do! (And so do most of us, so don't deny it.)

How much time did it save? I don't know. They must have statistics on boarding efficiency methods. I heard a red coat talking to an upset F pax explaining that this new boarding procedure was in testing. He said reaction from First class and Medallions has been not good. He said make sure to write Delta and tell them how you feel.

The gate agent said this procedure was in place to speed along a late flight and was not the norm.


[This message has been edited by FLL2002 (edited 09-26-2002).]
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:51 am
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I would object strongly to denial of Medallion pre-boarding in coach. Medallions are experienced travelers and may be much quicker at taking their seats and stowing their luggage.

There is a potential benefit of boarding F last: open overhead bin space. The FA's could simply remove any luggage that coach pax decide to stow up front during coach boarding. I don't imagine they will bother with that though.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 9:57 am
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I've had this happen on AA on delayed flights into hubs. Tends to be used more often coming from tourist destinations where boarding can be very slow. Also, single aisle jets board slower than dual-aisle.

This is not as necessary for delayed flights in business markets where the pax know how to board quickly.

Strict by-the-row boarding will save some time, but it cannot be much more than five minutes.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 10:05 am
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One additional comment:

Boarding First and Business last. On many int'l flights, the attendant from the lounge will walk the business class customers to the jet, and after they are boarded, walk the first class customers to the jet. Actually makes things quite pleasant. The cabins are vacant and tidy when you arrive -- no passengers pushing past, etc.

On SFO-SYD in the cone I have had the departure lounge attendant board me as little as five minutes before pushback. The F/As simply wait for the attendant with the first class passengers, then the agent shuts the door, and away we go. I think this is truly the way to travel. With taxi, there is time for one glass of Champagne before takeoff.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 10:18 am
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Swissair (R.I.P.) always did this, it actually makes a lot of sense.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 10:19 am
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Boarding first and business class, and high-tier/lounge-access passengers last is the common practice on most airlines I fly (European and Asian). Pax don't want to be on board the aircraft for longer than they have to when they can be sitting more comfortably in the lounge while the hordes are being put into the back. If the distance from lounge to gate is not too great, the common technique is that the gate calls the lounge when ordinary boarding is largely complete and the lounge then announces the flight.

I agree, though, that they ought to do something about people who deliberately and selfishly put their bags in overhead bins a long way away from where they are seated and deny the pax in that area the use of those bins. "My seat, my bin" should be SOP.
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 11:16 am
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Amazing, isn't it?

Per the my seat, my bin rule... I completely agree. Each traveler should have to make an honest effort to find space above/near their row before attempting to stow baggage any closer to the front.

Otherwise, someone might gate-check their stuff for them .

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bdschobel:
As often happens, Spiff and I posted similar responses simultaneously. Great minds think alike!

Bruce
</font>
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Old Sep 26, 2002, 11:19 am
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If efficiency is to rule in boarding, I support the old United Shuttle 6-Zone system:

1. Window seats, rear of aircraft
2. Window seats, front of aircraft
3. Middle seats, rear of aircraft
4. Middle seats, front of aircraft.
5. Aisle seats, rear of aircraft.
6. Aisle seats, front of aircraft.

All Shuttle flights were boarded this way, so if you really wanted guaranteed bin space, all you had to do was accept a window seat.
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