BearX220

I did a SEA-LAX roundtrip today and both ways the whole coach cabin was called to board at once... no more "Rows 20 and higher... rows 15 and higher..."

The outbound was a lightly booked 737-900 so it didn't make much difference, but the return out of LAX was a nearly full MD80 and the everybody-at-once model made for a major bottleneck at the a/c door. Although we were all settled and ready to push back five minutes before departure.

New policy?

beaver

This was part of the introduction of TANGO, last Jan/Feb I think. See a recent article here:
http://www.alaskasworld.com/NEWS/200..._natl_attn.asp

EIPremier

This part of "TANGO" which started back in February. Basically, they do pre-boards, followed by First Class and MVP/Gold, followed by all remaining rows. A few have mentioned MVPs not getting called with the MVP Golds, but that hasn't been a problem in my experience.

In my view, it works fine when the flights aren't too full, but "cattle call" seems to cause a bottleneck on full flights. The new ground procedures may save time, but the boarding process seems as slow as ever. While Alaska has some scheduled 35 min turns at SEA, I have yet to see them turn a full flight at SEA in that amount of time.

At my home airport of SJC, the new boarding process has definitely been saving time. That's because they were already boarding through both the fore and aft doors, so it only made sense to call everyone at once. Also, the rampways have really streamlined preboarding (wheelchair pax were difficult to board when they only used stairs).

AS Flyer

Frankly, I don't see much of a difference since everyone just ran for the gate as soon as boarding was called anyway. Most here are MVP/Golds, so, of course you all were boarding early but once they got to the general boarding it always seemed to be a big free for all and nobody EVER enforced the row number business.

Westcoaster

I haven't flown AS since May. Back then, TANGO for MVPs meant that we theoretically boarded in a separate group with non-AS (i.e. partner) elites after the Golds and F. Only some gate agents went straight from Golds to general boarding with no opportunity for MVPs. Does your post mean that they are now officially boarding MVPs at the same time as Golds? Or are gate agents just unofficially allowing proactive MVPs to board with Golds?

channa

Maybe they should've just enforced this and fixed the problem, instead of reinventing the wheel.

AS has always been lax about row numbers back in the row number days. Most other carriers don't let you slide on this.

travelalot5

There still are 4 groups:

1. Preboards - extra time/assistance + children < 2.

2. First, MVPG, Row 6.

3. MVP and partner elites.

4. All rows.


Enforcement of the rows was done but people are amazing sometimes and want to argue that a gold credit card is the same as MVPG or Somalian Airlines is a partner member or they didn't know row 8 wasn't included in rows 20-25. It takes more time to explain, send them away and have them return to argue some more than let them board.

rjque

The gate agents have skipped step #3 on my last six flights. Since I'm and MVP and two of those trips were in coach, this was quite irritating.

Westcoaster

Sounds like things haven't changed. Unfortunately.

EIPremier

Apparently, the protocol is to board First Class, then MVP Golds, followed by MVPs and other elites. So far, I have yet to see a flight where they have actually done this! My experience here is taken from only half a dozen flights, but it seems like they have done something different every time. A couple times they called First, MVP Gold, MVP all at the same time. This is what they did on my most recent flight out of SEA. On a couple others, they have boarded First, followed by main cabin MVP Gold and MVP. On one flight, they just starting boarding all rows, but the flight was only 1/3 full.

I figure we're all getting on the plane sooner or later, so it doesn't bother me too much. Even if they don't call MVP, I can still get near the front of the "free-for-all", so it doesn't make too much difference.

BearX220

Well, I think the free-for-all yields suboptimal results. If you're non-elite and don't stampede to the front of the line, you are stuck standing in a steamy jetway for 10-15 minutes while the people inside the fuselage sort themselves out. And on a long, skinny, packed MD -- where more rows + longer cabin seemed to mean more places to stop, more traffic tieups -- the free-for-all was a real cluster****. Boarding took just over 30 minutes. How is AS supposed to turn planes in 35+/- then?

BOB W

I just finished a trip , ANC-SEA-SAC-SEA-ANC. ANC & SAC followed the procedures listed above. In Seattle, both ways, they called:

1. pre-boarding
2. MVPG, MVP & Elites together
3. General boarding

Grouping the three together in step two was no big deal & it did seem to make for quicker boarding

EIPremier

Bob W---that is the order I have seen on my most recent flights, and I agree that it makes sense.

pdxasflyer

Friday, PHX-PDX:

1. Special pre-boarding (seniors/wheelchairs/children traveling alone)
2. Families w/ children needing extra time
3. First and MVPG - ONLY (no MVPs)
4. All Rows.

Normally, since MVPs are included in #3 above, I made my way into that line when she called it. I was the second to the last person in that group. As she scanned the bar-code on my boarding pass she caught that I was an MVP and asked me at that point: "Are you Gold?" I told her no and she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes: "Next time you'll be asked to wait to board with the other rows."

So, since she had already scanned my boarding pass, I proceeded down the jetway, but only so far as to confirm what she said to me. Her next announcement (and I did let the person last in the gold group go ahead of me down the jetway) was for All Rows. This is beyond irritating - it is the antithesis of customer service.

Needless to say, I'm calling Consumer Affairs to remove yet another benefit of pre-boarding for MVPs on their website, because it's been this way the last 3 flights I've had, and it's to the point now that it's false advertising. Another spin in the downward spiral of this airline, along with the other posts on the anniversary upgrades with the BofA cards.

On that regard - does anyone know how to change usernames in FT? I'm wishing to delete the "as" from mine since they seem to be pushing me away as a customer. Indeed I was once proud to fly them, now they are the bane of my existence (when traveling).

BOB W

From the Flyertalk help section:

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