T8191

No issues at all with our latest experiences [JER, LGW s/h and l/h, and KIN] as CE/CW/Gold. Even JER seems to have re-discovered the boarding system after a couple of years of a shambles of a free-for-all.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...r-lgw-kin.html

jaylon

Very well policed tonight on LHR to CPH from B gates. Clear pre-announcement explaining process and asked everyone else to stay away from the entry point. When CE/Gold was called some guy came forward and was clearly told "Sorry sir you are blue and are in row 27 (or something)". He tried to question it but was sent back to do the walk of shame.

BMWMOT

BOS-LHR last Friday- After standing by the gate for a while, my wife pulled up a rocking chair that near by and sat down as her back was hurting. By this time they had just pre-boarded the families and made an announcement the cleaners were still on board so they were holding boarding another 10 minutes. The GA took notice of my wife pulling up the chair and sitting. She came over and asked if we would like to pre-board. Yes, thank you very much. So I'm not sure what happened after that.

Return flight was the usual line up at the Priority Lane queue. First, CW Emeralds and Sapphire I beleive all called at once. They had 2 lines going.

T8191

BMWMOT My sympathy to your wife, I know the feeling! ... but, I must consider starting playing the "I'm old, and I have a bad back" game [which are both true], but somehow I feel guilty about trying it when I usually [if not always] zoom past most of the meandering sheeple!

I have a folding walking cane, which I need occasionally.

claptonalex

AMS - LGW last week. Families pre board and was announced that club europe and gold would be next followed by silver etc etc., but when it came to the actual boarding, apart from families etc, it was totally ignored and the scrum commenced!

Fitch

Sadly this is par for the course at AMS ... unless you're flying U2

travelwithross

BA1494 last night, LHR-GLA. Announced Golds, Biz UK + Emeralds only. Lots of Bronzes and Silvers just went through anyway - what's the point if your not going to shame people into being sent back?

T8191

Part of the issue, speaking as an older person with slightly deficient hearing, is that the ground staff have appalling microphone technique, and also speak too quickly. I have to rely on my 'Hearing Wife' for much of the time, and even she gets 'blurred messages'.

And it's not just BA ... everywhere I go these boarding announcements are a high-speed gabble from a memorised script, with little apparent attempt to ensure a clear message is given to multi-national pax.

travelwithross

Last nights announcements were very clear Uncle T. He repeated it twice. I do have compassion for your tales - and understand completely as I've also had the same happen - but last night was defo a case of ignoring the announcements. Unless of course you don't understand perfect English.

MPH1980

That's why I like two things I've seen other airlines do:

1) They'll put multiple queues into place: First/top tier, Business/Middle Tier, Premium Eco/Lower tier, economy. That's nice and straight forward. And I've seen it done at Heathrow with CX - so it's not impossible in that environment. When queue 1 is empty - they feed from queue 2 and so on.

2) They put the current boarding status on a screen. "Now boarding: First and Gold/Emerald customers". I won't accept an argument from BA they can't do this - those screens at Heathrow are MORE than large enough to hold the right messages.

It's clear, it's straightforward and the announcements supplement the existing displays.

T8191

BA evidences no real interest in managing this [supposed] priority scenario, mainly at LHR/LGW or, to a noticeably lesser extent actually. at outstations I've experienced.

I've seen BA manage it well at LAX, IAD, MLA, KIN, MBJ ... why can't BA do it at home hubs?
British reticence? Or just bloody idleness? You would think it would be to BA's advantage.

Misco60

Boarding at BUD yesterday was uncontrolled, chaotic and, frankly, incompetent.

Despite putting out the Tensa barriers and signs indicating separate queues for Club Europe, Rows 5-16 and Rows 17-35, the staff then made no announcements to explain the boarding procedure. As a result, as soon as they opened the doors to the air bridge almost everyone in the departure lounge surged forward to the gate. One assistant was trying to tell passengers that boarding was for business class passengers only and attempting to send non-premium passengers back (which was impossible due to the scrum), while the other was letting everyone through. It was a disgraceful free-for-all, and far from being a premium experience for anyone.

Someone should have taken charge, made an announcement instructing everyone to move away from the gate and then re-commenced boarding in a civilised manner.

Wozza2404

BUD is a comedy of errors when it comes to BA anyway.

Do they pay for Fast Track yet?

Misco60

Apparently not - fast track security seems to be for business class passengers for every airline but BA. At the gate, a young woman with a big "Trainee" badge was attempting to put yellow tags on every piece of luggage, completely failing to understand what the tags mean. Gate staff made no attempt to limit the number or size of carry-on bags, with the result that about a dozen passengers were unable to find space for their bags and had to bring them to the front of the aircraft to be tagged and placed in the hold. The ground staff had also not correctly set up the tables on some of the 'B' and 'E' seats in the CE cabin.

Clearly, BA has annoyed someone at BUD.

Globaliser

Although I've seen the (smaller) scrum quite a few times now for AMS-LCY, yesterday there was a member of staff checking BPs on entry to the priority boarding lane, specifically looking for the Club/Gold etc notes before allowing people through at the appropriate time.