Purpose of priority boarding
 

I ask in good faith: what's the purpose of priority boarding?

As I boarded an Air France flight on an A321 yesterday at CDG through the Sky Priority lane, I was asked to gate check my approved carry on bag because the flight was "complet." I didn't really mind (it had carried a change of clothes for my shower at the CDG lounge, and nothing I couldn't live without for five hours).

But the A321 has room for lots of carry ons; it's not necessary for everyone to travel without one. I always thought the big benefit of priority boarding was that you get on well before the plane runs out of room for your carry ons and you have to gate check. No?

The main benefit of priority boarding is indeed the one you mentioned but when a flight is full full, last minute gate check if often the only possibility to solve the relative lack of space on-board. You said that the A321 has lot of space for storage. Well, yes but it has also more seats and so more pax and more carry-on to store. Overall, I don't think the A321 has more storage space/pax than the smaller aircrafts of the A320 family.

It really depends on when you board. The SkyPriority lane allows you to board 'at your own convenience', but the risk of gate checking your bag is real if you board amongst the last people. I have had the same problem with Delta flights in ATL, even in First class.

Priority Boarding works well if you want to board first. Then no overhead bins issue.

I usually board as one of the first and never have bag checks at the gate. But what I have also noticed is that at check in at non hub KLM or AF airports they hang tags on my carryon stating that it is acceptable carryon without weighing or checking them. I guess this is as extra service. I normally travel long haul Y and the reason why I like priority boarding is to have your carry on directly above my seat.

But even with the tags, when bins are full, there is not much they can do to avoid gate checking bags.
What Delta does generally is that they gate check all bags for groups X,Y,Z when a flight is full, so SkyP passengers have a bigger space for bags.
But AF and KL do not have a group boarding process.

My point was that I was early; there was plenty of overhead room; so what happened was pre-emptive. As I said, it didn't bother me -- let someone who needs the space have it -- but who is that someone, when even early boarders on the Sky Priority lane have to gate check their tagged/cabin-approved carry-ons?

I am indeed a bit surprised by what they did to you. Are you sure it was cabin-approved by AF standards? ie only one bag of 55cm x 35cm x 25cm (including all wheels, pockets, etc) as well as one small handbag or small computer bag or small bagpack that can fit under the seat in front of you, all of the above weighing no more than 12kg?

I'm just asking because some US airlines have a more generous hand luggage policy than European carriers and the notion of "approved cabin luggage" has become very elusive in the last decade when the formerly unified IATA rules have been replaced by airline-specific allowances.

If yours fitted AF own guidelines, then I find what they did scandalous and you should write to complain.

Do you have any particular US airline in mind? AFAIK, like AF, US airlines still stick to the old IATA 115cm across the 3 dimensions standard for the main carry on. The one difference is that (like Easyjet, incidentally) they do not impose a weight limit but that is not something an agent could see by looking at it (unless the passenger patently struggles to carry it).

Thanks for your response. AF had labeled it cabin approved. It was well under 10 kg and regulation size, a veteran of many international trips. I'm not scandalized and about to write to complain; sometimes one is just curious!

DL do, but AF don't do linear any more - they do strictly 55x35x25, so for instance my brother was made to check in his musical instrument which was well below 114cm combined dimensions but long and thin.

In my experience, US airlines also do not count airport shopping bags and food/drinks (you can bring as much as you want) while European airlines count it as part of the allowance, at least officially. And finally, US airlines will often turn a blind eye on multiple cabin luggage for elite customers (I have seen some shocking scenes on AA) while there is no such benefit on most European airlines.

That said, clearly none of it applied in the OP's case, and even though he/she is not scandalised, I would be ;)

Me too!!!!

That really is the point of priority boarding (after all, none of us regular travellers really want to be in the metal tube breathing other people's air any longer than we really have to).

Above all, what I have always found to be the biggest end best advantage to Elite Plus status is simply that when sh8t happens, it doesn't happen to us... i.e. overbooked - we don't get offloaded, cancelled - we have priority on the next flight, etc. No space for hand luggage? The group of retirees from the Amicale des Joueurs de Cornemuse have to check in hand luggage, not us.

It's never happened to me (even when exaggerating slightly with my hand luggage), and if it did I would be making a hell of a DYKWIA moment and be rather annoyed at having to do so!

My guess is you were just unlucky with a new boarding agent.

A very good summary indeed! ^

+1 ^

And another ^

This is so true, and by some of us forgotten. I recall many situations where I was completely zen when others were were stressed. I remember the recent air controllers strike in France, where many domestic flights were cancelled, including mine. People where queuing up at the ticket office to try to get on the flight of their choice. Some of my colleagues too. They told me they stood there for over two hours.

As soon as that flight was cancelled I left the airport before I could blink my eyes and had a beer on a terrace looking over the mountains in the late evening sun. Then I called. A 2 minute wait to get an agent. Quite mysteriously there was ONE available seat left for me on the flight of my choice the next day. Many colleagues got bumped. Need I say more?