Antarius

Also AA has much more of a hub-spoke model, which means, in places like CLT, 80% of the plane is connecting. A couple of delays and you end up missing those boarding numbers.

The AA system is fine if executed properly. Somehow AA can orderly board a 777 in NRT with minimal fuss; clearly it is possible.

eponymous_coward

And here I was thinking you were going to suggest eating other passengers, or Irish babies.

LovePrunes

Well you're correct I was in part complaining about my seat selection but that's because of the boarding process. Just not a fan of the Southwest boarding process after having flown a lot with them all of a sudden last month.

GoPhils

I don’t think this is really much different than if they kept the current process but used the poles like Southwest does for the Group Numbers, which I honestly think would solve the “gate lice” issue.

I’m not sure why people are suggesting less boarding groups, the reason everyone crowds is because there a ton of people in groups 6, etc. If anything if they implemented the pole method they’d probably want to add more groups.

For example, (edited) maybe it’s just 2 poles (to account for potentially more people in each group): one side groups 1 & 2, other side groups 3 & 4, once 1 & 2 board, 5 & 6 line up, etc.

Gig103

United had 5 pillars for their boarding groups but some time this year changed back to the two aisles (like AA has) model. I think it was a mistake and like the multiple lines. There will always be gate lice, no matter what the airlines say over the PA, so why not let them queue up out of the way?

nittfan

I have had my bags badly scuffed, handles torn off, misplaced/delayed, etc., so I do not check a bag. It is not a matter of the paying for it (& in fact, I get one checked bag free due to an airline branded affinity cc). I only fly 3-4 times a year. I am usually in Group 4, and I often pay extra for a "preferred seating" (to help alleviate the stress of finding a place to store my overhead bag). My roll-on is size compliant. One of the reasons that I personally crowd in close to the gate is I can't hear! I have hearing loss, and it is greatly compounded by all of the extraneous noise in the boarding area. I often ask others what group is boarding! So, one suggestion I would make is for the boarding gates to have large, brightly lit, group number signs indicating the group presently boarding! As others have noted, having more group poles would help to alleviate this, and/or adopting SW's method of rewarding people with the first come/first severed group assignment.

Secondly, "gate lice" have seen what seems to be an extraordinary amount of people boarding during the pre-boarding & groups 1-3, and I'm sure I am not the only one wondering if I have missed (hearing) my group called, or how we will make it thru the masses to enter during our assigned group. The stress causes people to press forward so that they do indeed get to board during their group. Again, more poles would help decrease this behavior.

Regarding lost space due to bulkhead seating, in additon to this the first couple of overhead bins may contain emergency equipment, defibrillator, plane safety/demonstration equipment, pamplets for credit card applications, & other assorted items. I was recently on a AA plane where an overhead bin in the middle of the plane contained some type of electronics?! When people are boarding & glance back thru the plane as far as they can, and do not see any bag space in "their" general area, the tendency is for people to stash their bag in the first overhead they see open. Recently the overhead bin space in my row (which I had paid extra for, and for which there was a sign "reserved for main cabin extra") was taken. I have no answer for this problem, unless technology progresses to the point where our ticket is embedded with a code that will only open up a small locker dedicated to a particular seat. I can't forsee this happening because space is at a premium and this would definitely decrease a few rows of seats.

AAir_head

plagiarist

tomj888

Boarding problems? Overhead bin space problems? On time departure problems? Too many people queing up before they are supposed to board? Oasis seating on 737 workhorse planes. Less space, more people. Excess baggage fees. Crappy luggage service once you do check your bags ( that's for us LA people where luggage retrieval services suck)? All of these are what's wrong with AA and many major airlines.
System after system is tired, implemented then something else or better comes online. As someone who is very lucky and has EX Plat status. How to fix some of these??? AA: realize you make millions on ancillary fees. Adjust your model to fit the right number of seats on your planes that respect that an actual human being with a normal sized body is going to occupy the majority of the plane. Give us back 18-18.5 inch seats. Give us back 33-36 inch seat back spaces. Nobody really cares about seat back entertainment. Who in this country doesn't have a cell phone. With that, give us Wifi/Sat service that works. AA: charge a fair fee for checking baggage. AA: treat your employees with respect and appreciate what they do. Value is a culture not a cuss word.
Passenger: Stop traveling with everything but the kitchen sink. Passenger: Pay a fair fee for service. You can't expect the world for $149 coast to coast. If you do, then you get what you pay for. Passenger: Realize that there are 125-290 people traveling with you on this tin can, and understand the principle of travel that says, the we all take off and land at the same time. Are you really in a hurry to board and be squished or be able to sip on $2 buck chuck wine? Gate agents: Be kinder than you typically are. We passengers realize you have a thankless job. So why can't we all be friends and good neighbors??
If we all tried some of these suggestions, I'll bet air travel would be much better tolerated by one and all. Your thoughts?

razzaba

I flew United this morning for the first time since before the merger, back when US was Star Alliance. It’s a small sample size of two flights - one at RDU and one at IAD - but I was surprised how well their boarding process worked. (I also watched another flight board at IAD just because I was so surprised).

The TV monitors clearly showed the order for Pre Boards with a chevron-like graphic, the Group 1 and Group 2 lines were clearly marked, and directed Groups 3-5 to essentially stay away and sit down until their boarding groups were called.

I like how they only have lines for Group 1 and Group 2, and no “line” for 3-5, unlike AA’s cluster of a line for 1-4 and 5+.

Miraculously, no one crowded the gate, and I easily boarded with Group 1 (after their PreBoards, Global Services, and 1K - also nice that their top tier are allowed to board before normal non-status first class, like I was this AM) without having to shove through a horde of people.

Interested to see if the two return flights follow with the same efficiency, or if this was an anomaly, but it certainly was a pleasant reprieve from what I’ve become used to.

lds89

United's scanning mechanism also beeps a loud out of order signal if you try to board out of turn that prompts the GA to check the group number which also helps keep people away - when I jaunt down to SNA on UA I often see the GA scolding people for not following directions and sending them back to wait their turn, as the whole area looks on. Embarrassment works wonders. AA could probably do this fairly easily.

Mynoles1

Seriously? LOVE this idea. I would love to have heard the buzzer keep going off on the 50+ people that boarded as Group 1 on a 737 last week in Chicago. I would pay hard cash to see them all called out.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I think one of the issues is that AA (and others) adopt the ULCC model part way. Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier charge for carry on bags and charges less to check a bag. (The speed of which they process bags IDK about). Accordingly more people are going to check a bag because it's cheaper. The ULCC have shoved more seats into a plane and made it clear their seats (except like Spirit's Big Seat) aren't made for people to work on and they aren't there to entertain you. The tendency of so many people is to book the $39 ULCC fare then go and complain on social media about the "horrible experience" never asking one's self what did I expect for $39?

Sadly this industry has decided a race to the bottom is the way to be competitive and make money. DL to a certain extent is trying to change their imagine but at the end of the day you still hear the same kind of stories about DL. Who deals with crowded planes, late arrivals and departures, missed connections, missed bags, etc the front line staff. Who tends to have bad attitudes towards paxs, the same people of course.

I don't see this changing anytime soon. As long as the ULCCs are growing and making fat profit margins all the other airlines will mimic the ULCCs to a certain extend while the US3 will also try to be the airline of luxury paying flyers. The horrible boarding experience I think is here to stay for good. I don't see one airline trying to be head and shoulders above the others. Maybe to a lesser extent B6 and AS.

razzaba

Yep, like the boarding Group 9 (NINE!) basic economy girl who cut in front of me in Group 1 last week flying SEA-PHL on AA. The Gate Agent did nothing, of course.

ckendall

I flew UA for the first time in a while (paid F) and on the return flight from AUS I was probably person number 40 getting on the plane (and I was not at the end of the group 1 line). Veterans, families, GS, and all sorts of others even before Group 1. There was just room for my carry on suitcase a bit behind my row. I was not terribly impressed.

gateH15

Agree! United group 2 is lower elites, plus credit cards and anyone who purchased priority. Seems like more than half of the plane can board in group 2.
Delta is even worse