FlyerTalker6245

Implementation has been mixed. Some times they announce the old order and don't enforce it, sometimes they announce the new order and don't enforce it, and sometimes they do enforce it but usually I find not all the agents boarding the flight enforce the rules.

Bizarre.

T8191

I could suggest that some agents are sufficiently self-confident [and audible] to impose the "New Order". Others are either unaware of the process, or too weak to enforce it.

"Agents are people too", with all that implies, when facing a hundred or two passengers desperate to get on board!

liamvad

I was in PRG last night,full flight,waiting in lounge,everybody sat down ok,two people came along,who though they were more important than everyonelse, so they stood right by the priority boarding sign,so,all others thought 'They aint getting on before me,and a scrum quickly developed for that queue,they announced women with kids first,no takers,then in order of status,but the trouble was they opened up a second point of check in for general boarding at the same time,so it was then every man for himself,so,in fact NO priority boarding took place,why can't they get this right? All it needs is some very assertive boarding and enforced by the ground staff.They flight was delayed by a computer error,so the rush was not needed!!!

HilFly

No call for men with kids???

liamvad

Nope,only women with kids,and the male announcer was laughing all the time as he spoke.

corporate-wage-slave

That would be a fair synopsis of my experience since the change over. In a way it is worse than before since you have no idea what to expect. E.g. at Oslo there is an airport recorded message asking for Business travellers to board first. Under the old rules you knew that also included Bronze and above, but now - well who knows?

Having said that, tonight's BA1486 LHR to GLA had the new system implemented with a rod of steel. As I arrived there were about 20 people queuing back from the entrance to Priority Boarding, 3 agents awaiting clearance to begin boarding. The lead agent made an announcement a few minutes before boarding stating that Business UK and Gold/Emeralds would be boarded first, then Silvers and Bronze, then by rows, and that could customers please follow the given sequence to facilitate the boarding process. About 3 people dropped out of the queue.

A few minutes later he announced "we are now boarding Business UK, Gold and Emeralds only at this stage". Half the queue proceeded down priority queue lane, around 8 people , the other half hung back. The second agent then came forward and inspected boarding passes and told 4 passengers, one after the other, to stand to the side to allow the other 4 Emeralds to pass to agents 1 and 3. One person objected (I don't know on what basis) but it didn't cut any ice. As soon as the last waiting Emerald had been scanned (me) then Silvers were invited to come forward, I guess less than a minute after boarding started.

Minor Guru

They enforced it for me for the first time today but it was a bit painful as none of the signs explained the "new" process. There was only one lane and in order to know that it was for gold only, you needed to be there at the time of the announcement.
Many people, including me, were confused, as we were not present at the time of the announcement and had to turn around.

I can compare that with the CX boarding process where they have a different line for each status (OWE, OWS etc) and that makes the boarding process much smoother.

MrPunch

Exactly as predicted by a number of posters here.

rollingdeep

In LHR they seem to do it well on my weekly flights and have told people to wait. When flying back its anyone for themselves.

paul4040

Saw this for the first time at BSL today. Ruthlessly enforced. Was a little bizarre having no less than four separate pens, but it seemed to work.

Jase76

Flying out of DUB today, 2XX gates and it was enforced. I felt for the gate staff as everyone just surrounded them. People with status or CE then needed to push through the scrum to get their boarding pass scanned. I'll give them credit, they turned ineligible people away! I'd imagine a lot of gate staff would have given up.

Filthy Monkey

Reasonably well enforced tonight on the 21.00 flight from Glasgow to Heathrow. Rather nice, as the priority queue stretched quite far back when I arrived at the gate, about 5 minutes prior to the start of boarding. Initially a call was made for all Business UK, Gold and OneWorld Emerald members to board, at which point everyone surged forward, including a little renegade gang who came from the back, flanking the existing queue by heading down the standard boarding line and cutting in at the end. At this stage another staff member re-iterated the call and her steely glare seemed to deter the majority of the advancing masses, allowing myself and a few other GCHs to cut in to the front of the queue and board. I did notice a couple of SCHs and one BCH ahead of me, but managed to temper my emotions

TheBaps

Heading to CPH the other day on a slightly delayed BA 816, arrive at the gate with a queue of 20+ people in the priority lane. They announced boarding of club Europe and gold/emerald and the queue literally remained stationary with everyone looking rather confused. Wondered to the front of the queue along with half a dozen other folk and boarded.

No one seem annoyed, but there were a lot of confused people, I guess folk just need to get used to the new approach.

MADPhil

That is really the key. If the rules are clear and consistently enforced then people will get used to them. As long as there is a chance of getting away with it people will try to ignore them.

prof

It was a shambles boarding BA269 to LAX at the C gates today. The access points were jammed with passengers blocking the way before boarding started. They called First, Club and Gold cards and it was a struggle to get through. They then almost immediately called everyone else. No row numbers. Boarding 350-400 people onto a packed A380 really ought to be done with a little more order and decorum.