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Air Canada introduces zoned boarding

Old Nov 15, 2014, 2:15 pm
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Air Canada introduces zoned boarding

Old Nov 2, 2018, 1:18 pm
  #3916  
 
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Originally Posted by JetLife
Outside of priority stowing your carry-on luggage, why do people prefer to board early? I almost always try to be the last one on-board as it minimizes my time on the plane.
My sole remaining travel anxiety is just straight up missing a flight. So then its a game of chicken balancing how many drinks I can have in the lounge and still be at the gate when Zone 1 is called.
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Old Nov 2, 2018, 1:27 pm
  #3917  
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Originally Posted by lcohen999
I watched an interesting gate lice/zone issue in FLL last week

For people who know FLL, the gates are not that great...

All that said, people were 'standing' in the zone one line while the inbound was still getting off the plane. Given the way FLL is designed, people had to move around the groups of people lining up.

I've just never understood it
Why are people in zone 1 standing in line that far in advance of boarding? If I get to the gate and notice they're still deplaning, I either head back to the lounge, or sit down.

Originally Posted by JetLife
Outside of priority stowing your carry-on luggage, why do people prefer to board early? I almost always try to be the last one on-board as it minimizes my time on the plane.
So outside of the primary reason to board early, why do people board early?

That's like asking "outside of your need to be in Europe, why do you fly to Europe?"

Originally Posted by jc94
AC J (even narrow body) is often more comfortable than waiting at the gate. But in Y? Yeah pretty much just luggage.
Narrow-body I need bin space. Wide-body behind J I need bin space.

J is more comfortable than the gate area.

Yes.

Originally Posted by JetLife
Wouldn't boarding last avoid this since everybody is settled by the time you get on the plane? Most of the morons seem to be the people who crowd around the boarding area before they've even announced boarding.
No, they're all standing in the aisles/jetbridge waiting to board.
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Old Nov 2, 2018, 3:31 pm
  #3918  
 
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
No, they're all standing in the aisles/jetbridge waiting to board.
This. With the exception of a flight I turned up to t-20 mins to find no one in the gate area and an agent saying we were just waiting for you two ... when there was basically no queue ... when I’ve boarded with the last few after the “get up or you won’t make the flight” announcement there was still a huge queue from half way down the walk way.

And even I have a small backpack that I can fit under the seat I like to put my feet there. And prefer not to try and cram it into an overhead taken up peoples second piece of carry on.

But I’ve only done this (intentionally) a few times.
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Old Nov 2, 2018, 8:40 pm
  #3919  
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Originally Posted by jc94


This. With the exception of a flight I turned up to t-20 mins to find no one in the gate area and an agent saying we were just waiting for you two ... when there was basically no queue ... when I’ve boarded with the last few after the “get up or you won’t make the flight” announcement there was still a huge queue from half way down the walk way.

And even I have a small backpack that I can fit under the seat I like to put my feet there. And prefer not to try and cram it into an overhead taken up peoples second piece of carry on.

But I’ve only done this (intentionally) a few times.
Yep.
FTers who have travelled with me know that I often prefer boarding last or near last.
I often try to time it so that there is minimal waiting on the jet bridge, but often it doesn't work out that way.
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Old Nov 3, 2018, 9:17 am
  #3920  
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Just noticed, wiki does not mention zone *.
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Old Nov 3, 2018, 10:14 am
  #3921  
 
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Originally Posted by Stranger
Just noticed, wiki does not mention zone *.
I think it used to, and then it was edited to say "preboarding".
As I have posted multiple times, Zone * is not only for customers requesting wheelchairs. I always get Zone * because I indicate that I am deaf when I buy my ticket or FP. (And when they board Zone * after Zone 2, which I would be as E50K, I am disgruntled, as I would be if I was in paid J.)
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Old Nov 3, 2018, 10:24 am
  #3922  
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Originally Posted by flyquiet
I think it used to, and then it was edited to say "preboarding".
As I have posted multiple times, Zone * is not only for customers requesting wheelchairs. I always get Zone * because I indicate that I am deaf when I buy my ticket or FP. (And when they board Zone * after Zone 2, which I would be as E50K, I am disgruntled, as I would be if I was in paid J.)
What about upgraded J?
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Old Nov 3, 2018, 2:04 pm
  #3923  
 
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that too
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Old Nov 9, 2018, 3:22 pm
  #3924  
 
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I have been given zone 5 and no other indication of TK status on AC BP again. Funny AC issued UA segment BP has TK*G Zone 1.

Anyone else on the same boat?
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Old Nov 14, 2018, 11:36 am
  #3925  
 
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Hi,I just read an article about Vancouver International Airport opens new bus gate terminal expansion.

I do understand this kind of system but how would Air Canada zoning system work? Will AC transport each zoning passengers with an individual bus like zone 1 bus, zone 2, zone3 etc? Will AC suspend the zoning boarding so whoever first gets off the bus they get on the plane first =chaos?

Last edited by dingkong; Nov 14, 2018 at 4:27 pm Reason: typos
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Old Nov 14, 2018, 2:39 pm
  #3926  
 
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Originally Posted by dingkong
Hi,I just read an article about Vancouver International Airport opens new bus gate terminal expansion.

I do understand this kind of system but how would Air Canada zoning system work? Will AC transport each zoning passengers with an individual bus like zone 1 bus, zone 2, zone3 etc? Will AC suspend the zoning boarding so whoever first get off the bus they get on the plane first?
This I'd like to see. My only experience with bus was at a AC outstation where it was every man for himself.
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Old Nov 14, 2018, 2:44 pm
  #3927  
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Originally Posted by dingkong
Hi,I just read an article about Vancouver International Airport opens new bus gate terminal expansion.

I do understand this kind of system but how would Air Canada zoning system work? Will AC transport each zoning passengers with an individual bus like zone 1 bus, zone 2, zone3 etc? Will AC suspend the zoning boarding so whoever first get off the bus they get on the plane first?
Originally Posted by vernonc
This I'd like to see. My only experience with bus was at a AC outstation where it was every man for himself.
Airlines like LH at FRA and MUC still do priority boarding for buses, which at least allow for dibs for space and seats on the COBUS 3000s. Then everyone else crams on shortly thereafter.

For AC outstations, my N=3 experiences have been Zone 1 onto our own sparse bus and all other zones boarded later onto other buses.
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Old Nov 14, 2018, 4:29 pm
  #3928  
 
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Originally Posted by vernonc
....My only experience with bus was at a AC outstation where it was every man for himself.
Oh... great! looking forward to that
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Old Nov 14, 2018, 5:04 pm
  #3929  
 
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It depends on both the airline and the airport, and sometime the size of the aircraft/J cabin. Some airports have mini buses for F/J passengers, so zone boarding means you have to be at the gate when they call Zone 1 or J/F or priority or whatever to use that mini bus. For airports using large buses only, if the J cabin is huge, then priority boarding means getting on the first bus. If the J cabin is small, then that means getting on the bus first, which means getting off the bus last, board the plane last.
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Old Nov 25, 2018, 12:33 pm
  #3930  
 
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My wife and I booked 2 tickets in J on Aeroplan. She has no status. The flight includes a segment on a plan with no J class but what's interesting (or weird) is that for this segment our boarding passes spit out Zone 2 for me (E35K) and Zone 4 for her. Wouldn't it make sense for AC to give Zone 1 across all your flights in a booking like this? I also thought it was strange that we have different zones even though we are sitting together and on the same PNR.....
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