Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
Is that because all the pax swarm the desks, and what are the agents to do really? They risk irritating lots of pax who think they deserve the world... as much as I prefer European airlines (mostly anyway), US airlines have got it right when they board pax in groups, thus enabling elite and premium pax to board first and everyone else being forced to stay back.
I actually think it is quite easy to manage - a couple of PA's during the boarding process to 'highlight' the difference should be enough to prevent most non-eligible pax from chancing the fastrack line. I've seen it done for BOM flight (which are always a bit of a challenge for the gate staff) and it worked well.
Groups are OK - but I like to be able to saunter up whenever I feel like getting on the plane - and get on pretty quickly.