Nov 15, 2014, 2:15 pm
Air Canada introduces zoned boarding
May 28, 2015, 9:54 pm
#1921
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Did a quick search but couldn't come up with the answer.
I redeemed United miles for an AC flight and got zone 2 boarding - but I have no Star Alliance status or credit card (other than Mileage Plus Explorer). Is this just a fluke? Or are award flights assigned zones differently?
I redeemed United miles for an AC flight and got zone 2 boarding - but I have no Star Alliance status or credit card (other than Mileage Plus Explorer). Is this just a fluke? Or are award flights assigned zones differently?
May 28, 2015, 10:18 pm
#1922
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Does AC employ its own staff in any of the outstations like that? In my experience, even if they wear AC uniforms, they're typically employed by some 3rd party that provides services to AC. Had a very interesting argument with one of those people in LAS once.
May 29, 2015, 12:48 am
#1923
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Redeemed in Y, so I guess it was just a lucky fluke. (Although not sure what PY ticket is?)
May 29, 2015, 10:37 am
#1924
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May 29, 2015, 10:39 am
#1925
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May 29, 2015, 5:58 pm
#1926
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AC 33 at YYZ. I show up at T-23, big line in 3-5, 2 is empty, 1 is empty, but has a wheelchair semi-blocking the entrance.
I walk past the wheelchair into the zone 1 line just as the agent calls zone 4, and proceed to step between the person at the podium and the next person in line. The agent takes my BP, looks at, scans it, and says "Thank you Merci".
Exactly how it should work
I walk past the wheelchair into the zone 1 line just as the agent calls zone 4, and proceed to step between the person at the podium and the next person in line. The agent takes my BP, looks at, scans it, and says "Thank you Merci".
Exactly how it should work
May 29, 2015, 7:33 pm
#1927
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AC 33 at YYZ. I show up at T-23, big line in 3-5, 2 is empty, 1 is empty, but has a wheelchair semi-blocking the entrance.
I walk past the wheelchair into the zone 1 line just as the agent calls zone 4, and proceed to step between the person at the podium and the next person in line. The agent takes my BP, looks at, scans it, and says "Thank you Merci".
Exactly how it should work
I walk past the wheelchair into the zone 1 line just as the agent calls zone 4, and proceed to step between the person at the podium and the next person in line. The agent takes my BP, looks at, scans it, and says "Thank you Merci".
Exactly how it should work
May 29, 2015, 11:16 pm
#1929
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I don't think you can. I thought I read on here that the back of the bus is zone 3, and the front of Y is zone 5. Are you saying that you were at the back of the airplane? What zone were you in?
Maybe it was a smaller bird (I don't fly that route usually so I don't know), perhaps they omitted zone 3 as there wasn't enough people and so zone 4 became back of the bus and zone 5 was the front of Y?
Maybe it was a smaller bird (I don't fly that route usually so I don't know), perhaps they omitted zone 3 as there wasn't enough people and so zone 4 became back of the bus and zone 5 was the front of Y?
So far I have no complaints. I mean I get there and the FA's are nice enough.
I flew on an A320 so not exactly a HUGE plane, but not tiny either and from what I could tell it zone boarding but people seated from the front, back, middle, etc. Didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, just calling the various zones in order.
There were all 5 zones too for both the flight to YHZ and back. As I was able to hear Zone 4 called as I was waiting on the bridge/ramp on the way to YHZ out YYZ. Zones 4 and 5 seemed VERY big though. The FA's also mentioned numerous times that only "zone x" or "1-x" can board now, etc.
As an aside, I'm usually lucky enough to get into the "zones/boarding" right after people with status/first class tickets regardless of the airline. I guess I'm just lucky!
May 30, 2015, 9:30 am
#1930
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Gate 41 AC 101 complete fail. Zone 3-5 and zone 2 signs were facing the wrong way. Unfreaking real.
Had to fix it myself. #fail
Had to fix it myself. #fail
May 30, 2015, 9:34 am
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Let me guess - they were all pointing to the same lane... and then an AC staffer said that was the latest update that they chose to implement, based on rock-paper-scissors best-of-999 games in addition to five coin tosses?
May 30, 2015, 9:43 am
#1932
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Lane 3-5 | Lane 2 | Lane 1
Lane 3-5 faced RIGHT
Lane 2 sign faced RIGHT
Lane 1 sign faced left
So...
I had to move lane 1 to face right, at which case about 10 passengers went OHHHHHH, and then everyone reshuffled. I had to fight with the gate agent though to explain they failed miserably because they said that they were right. 
May 30, 2015, 10:23 am
#1933
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So if you imagine:
Lane 3-5 | Lane 2 | Lane 1
Lane 3-5 faced RIGHT
Lane 2 sign faced RIGHT
Lane 1 sign faced left
So... I had to move lane 1 to face right, at which case about 10 passengers went OHHHHHH, and then everyone reshuffled. I had to fight with the gate agent though to explain they failed miserably because they said that they were right.
Lane 3-5 | Lane 2 | Lane 1
Lane 3-5 faced RIGHT
Lane 2 sign faced RIGHT
Lane 1 sign faced left
So...
I had to move lane 1 to face right, at which case about 10 passengers went OHHHHHH, and then everyone reshuffled. I had to fight with the gate agent though to explain they failed miserably because they said that they were right. This was the same BS thing that happened for AC001 last month when a brand new concierge told me at the gate that it was done on purpose!!! I posted previously here that this is a complete farce if AC spends money to print separate Zone 1 and Zone 2 signs only to have them point to the same lane. Apparently the concierge said that "many people were complaining about being in Zone 2 so it was decided to have them board using the same lane".
I just love the absurdity of all of this.
May 30, 2015, 10:32 am
#1934
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That's absolutely insane. Because then all the Zone 2 pax will just board with Zone 1 and we're back to the ridiculous days of the old "priority" boarding.
AC, if you're going to have Zone 1 boarding, have godd@mned Zone 1 boarding. Have a lane for it and call it separately. It's not rocket science.
People may be complaining today, but they will get used to it. Just stick to the policy and enforce it consistently and eventually the griping from the Zone 2s will go away.
AC, if you're going to have Zone 1 boarding, have godd@mned Zone 1 boarding. Have a lane for it and call it separately. It's not rocket science.
People may be complaining today, but they will get used to it. Just stick to the policy and enforce it consistently and eventually the griping from the Zone 2s will go away.
May 30, 2015, 10:38 am
#1935
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That's absolutely insane. Because then all the Zone 2 pax will just board with Zone 1 and we're back to the ridiculous days of the old "priority" boarding.
AC, if you're going to have Zone 1 boarding, have godd@mned Zone 1 boarding. Have a lane for it and call it separately. It's not rocket science.
People may be complaining today, but they will get used to it. Just stick to the policy and enforce it consistently and eventually the griping from the Zone 2s will go away.
AC, if you're going to have Zone 1 boarding, have godd@mned Zone 1 boarding. Have a lane for it and call it separately. It's not rocket science.
People may be complaining today, but they will get used to it. Just stick to the policy and enforce it consistently and eventually the griping from the Zone 2s will go away.
Although I commend AC for trying, this whole zoned boarding thing is failing miserably I hate to say.