Originally Posted by
william142
As a PHX based flyer I fly on alot of 321 / 321neo's and I didn't think FC in its own group or the 5 extra minutes for boarding would make a difference. Boy was I wrong, getting all of FC boarding as a group and AAs focus on PDBs has drastically improved the PDB experience and frequency. Also, before they were scrambling on full flights to get boarding completed by D0, this has also been improved as well.
Looks like AA got something right!
The flow is better, since you do not have 30 people trying to board at the same time. However, getting the plane out on time is still #1, case in point, my last 2 flights out of DFW, inbound flight delayed, once the passengers deplaned, the new crew checked in, and 5 minutes later the gate agent started boarding, no joke, no way was the crew ready, and the lead FA made it known they were not ready and everyone had to get off the jet bridge. This happened twice.
As far as PDB, its a hit or miss on crews, yes, they get pay now for boarding but I have been on flights where nothing was offered with plenty of time