Adam Smith

Surprised to hear this, as YYC has been the most consistent station in correctly applying zoned boarding since it was introduced, in my experience.

YXUFlyboy

The problem with YYC in the international terminal is that they cannot setup different lanes for the zones, so everyone crowds the gates and you have to push to get in when your zone is called. If you want to board after your zone is called you have to board with everyone else - unlike say - YVR, YYZ, or heck, anywhere else, where your dedicated zone lane remains open. Drives me crazy!!

SKYEG

I was at gate and they announced pre boarding before anything else. Nothing else. I ended up boarding last as usual but thought it was very odd that they A) would call out of order and B) Not call any groups after.

flyquiet

In my experience having a boarding pass marked Zone *, most of the time, Zone * is boarded before 1 and 2. The exceptions were the coast-to-coast/long flights, I believe.

However, when they do board Zone 1 and 2 first, they deny me my entitlement by not allowing me to board with my status.

Should the computer not be smart enough to put the highest Zone, either * or the number, that would board me earliest?

Maybe for mobility device users, getting the fancypants people on board first and out of the way makes sense, but they don't actually need to help me. However, I *do* need their complete attention when they scan my boarding pass to ensure I am at the right gate, because I can't hear the announcements. I find they are more attentive before several dozen people have boarded than they are after the mad rush is underway, even if they pause between 2 and 3 to process *. Surely people without disabilities who are lucky enough to carry status and Zone 1 and 2 can enjoy their gratitude for their good health and other fortune at the gate just as easily as on board, while those who need some type of extra attention are attended to.

canolakid

adding to the boarding woes: our last flight, YYC assigned intl gate positions to two domestic flights with departures 5 minutes apart- not only are the lanes poorly positioned but Zone 1/2 passengers were directed to the left side of the lane set up for flight departing gate X and on the right for gate y. Poor audio added to the confusion.

SKYEG

YYC-YVR zone 1 and zone 2 lines are packed with lice while 3-5 are empty LOL. Go figure. 20 minutes before boarding.

jc94

Ah but are/will the lice be accepted or dispatched elsewhere?

It's high time priority boarding had a different gate where the airline drives everyone from gate to plane before everyone else is allowed to board Or - and I've only had this once board the J pax last... but ensure all the overhead bins are free. Granted this wouldn't well work for priority pax in Y.

roadracer

When I was in HKG a few years ago, I was waiting in the Virgin Clubhouse lounge for a BR flight to TPE in J class. (This was before BR was with *A). The lounge overlooked the concourse and I could see my flight preparing to board below. I got up to leave, and at the lounge entrance the lady looked at me (apparently remembering which flight I was on) and said "No, it's not time for you to board yet. You have time for another drink. I will come tell you when it's time to board."... and marched me back to my chair. I tried to relax while I watched my gate get mobbed by more and more passengers for the 747 flight.

Finally, after what seemed an agonizingly long period of time, she came back to me and said it was time to board. She then pointed out that my gate number was DIFFERENT than the one everyone else was boarding at. Not only did J class have their own jetway, they had their own gate, adjacent to the other gate. I was able to bypass the crowd entirely. It was amazing.

24left

Zone boarding is a mess for AC 15 at YYZ regardless of whether it's gate 75 or 77 or whatever. Or, to be clear, pre-Zone Boarding is irrelevant and a mess.

The poor design of the gate area/boarding process is partly to blame. The pax are partly to blame.

I've watched this zoo for over a year now and I am not sure if it can ever be fixed.

While there is plenty of room to sit at these gates, once people line up for boarding, all bets are off. The lines behind stanchions on the carpet are blocked off until boarding begins. The space is not large to begin with but compounding this is that long walkway/retail hallway in the terminal. The lines from the stanchions to the wall can only have about 10-15 people and then start to turn right or left depending on space.

So, while Zone 1 can "curve" one way and 3-5 can go towards gate 73 for eg. there is nowhere for Zone 2 and it just becomes a giant huddle.

And then there are the personalities who show up well after the lines have established and just walk to the front.

The other morning there was one person who placed herself right at the front of the Zone 1 line, despite 20 people already standing in it. You could see the facial expressions, your perhaps typically Canadian roll-eyes or deep breathing techniques on display to indicate displeasure without being aggressive.

Finally, someone turned to her and said "the end of the line is over there, everyone else was here first"

The same thing happened at line 2.

Watching all of this is a great case study in human behavior and sometimes amusing. But for me and others, these are annoying FWPs and certainly no AC GA is ever going to get involved in turf battles in the Zone lines.

I can't stand YYZ and don't mind saying so. I have found boarding for TPACs at YVR more civilized due to the design of the international gate areas. Same even if boarding at 50 or 51. Even at 43-44 for domestic, it is well spaced and managed.

And then there is the fine dance of zone boarding at TPE, NRT, HND, SIN and even HKG.

So, despite AC and other airlines having these zone lines, design flaws combined with the challenge of herding cats is not enhancing my travel experience.

Interestingly, due to gate design differences at T3, boarding for CX to HKG is nothing like AC to HKG.

And for those of you tired of the complaining, I am more than happy to admit this is a perfect example of FWP, but it is my experience and I'm not enjoying it.

Stranger

That would be me, if I would have been there.

Last happened in the security line at AMS.

Bartolo

Could have been me, too.

StuckInYYZ

The funny thing is that these people are the same people who will freak out on you if you do the same queue jumping on them.

As a slightly less busy example, Finch station... people line up, but once the bus arrives in the bay, everyone behind seems to mob the entrances. People don't seem to learn unless publicly shamed.

Personally I can't stand either places. If you don't plan for the lineups to board and the gate agents aren't willing to enforce the rules, then you deserve to be at the back of the line. When I sit in Y, I make sure I plan my time so I can be among the first to board in my zone so I can secure space for my stuff... then I also plan to make sure I watch my stuff as I have been experiencing many of those thugs who move my stuff to a different overhead compartment to make space for their stuff.

songsc

Agree that Zone boarding in YYZ is a mess. There simply isn't enough space for 5 long lines extending outward from the gate. Lines will reach the wall or other obstacles after 15 people or so, then extend to either left or right and possibly tangled with other lines like octopus arms. One possible way is to extend Zone 1, 2 left from the gate and Zone 3, 4, 5 right from the gate, so that lines can get longer without blocking the entire walkway. However I have never seen AC doing that in YYZ.

As for gate lice, if someone can get to the right airport and right gate, don't tell me they can't read a single digit number on their BP and follow it. Airlines in general should enforce the rules. Or perhaps dividing a gate into 5 gates will work.

vernonc

Part of the issue is gate design/layout and the rest is GA. NRT is the holy grail of boarding, may even put German efficiency to shame. BR at TPE also does an excellent job of boarding but they seem to have an endless amount of staff.
Sometimes I may be guilty of inadvertently 'crashing' the line as if its not organized it is hard to figure out where Zone 1 ends with everyone milling around and Zone 2 surging forward. I do not mean to crash but I also do not want to board at the end, specially if I am in Y

canadiancow

I've actually found Europe to be worse than Canada in terms of priority boarding. I've never flown AC out of Germany, but I have flown LH numerous times.