Originally Posted by
USFlyerUS
FWIW, I have seen the agents call for CKs, and 15+ people swarm to the gate. When I get a glimpse of their BPs, almost none of them are CKs but rather people in First (Group 1). Then, to avoid being the chump who waited until the Group 1 announcement is made, I get in line. I'm generally a 'rule follower' as my friends call me, but there are times you need to ignore that and fend for oneself. Herd mentality is likely a part of this as well.
This is called inflation...To get what Group 1 boarding used to be, you now have to board with the CKs...
What I often hear at the gate is, CKs, 5 seconds later Groups 1-5 welcome to board, and 30 seconds later all groups now welcome to board....You snooze for a few seconds and the GA is now boarding everybody....