New Boarding Process- has anyone noticed an improvement?
Aug 28, 15, 2:41 am
#121
Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: Flying Blue, Marriott Rewards, BA Executive Club
Posts: 294
Originally Posted by lost_in_translation
I congratulate BA on the improved boarding system and the attempt to provide something of value to premium passengers in particular which helps to justify CE (let's hope that they do now enforce this going forward!), but I still feel like the system is slightly broken for shorthaul when priority boarding is offered as a prize.
If in CE, I'd ideally like to spend as little time with my legs rammed into 31 inches of legroom as possible, rather than boarding first! Given there's no pre-departure beverage in CE, it seems the only rewards you get with priority boarding are avoiding a possibly long queue and ensuring that your hand luggage has space, which really should be guaranteed for CE passengers anyway. Would much rather BA properly policed people outside CE placing baggage in the CE cabin and so allowed CE passengers to board as late as possible without having to worry their baggage won't fit in the lockers.
If in CE, I'd ideally like to spend as little time with my legs rammed into 31 inches of legroom as possible, rather than boarding first! Given there's no pre-departure beverage in CE, it seems the only rewards you get with priority boarding are avoiding a possibly long queue and ensuring that your hand luggage has space, which really should be guaranteed for CE passengers anyway. Would much rather BA properly policed people outside CE placing baggage in the CE cabin and so allowed CE passengers to board as late as possible without having to worry their baggage won't fit in the lockers.
Nowadays there is never room overhead on BA you have to get in a queue to make sure your bag gets up top. EZ and FR now offer reserved seating and they have the bag situation under much better control and so for the past year they have had my custom (weekly commute), not BA.
Aug 29, 15, 11:48 am
#122
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 465
Flew MAN-LHR-TXL on Sunday 23rd and back on Friday 28th in CE/Business UK.
At MAN outbound, the flight was from Gate 9, where there was plenty of space to manage the queues and the new system seemed to be employed and working things might have been different at one of the 14x gates. The flight seemed to be fairly full, but I had an what seemed to be one of very few empty middle seats beside me - a possible effect of being silver with checked bag, or just a coincidence.
At LHR the new system was in full operation, CE before anyone else and others (I think including Golds), turned away to rejoin the queue at the back.
At TXL, I was one of the last through security, so missed the early stages of boarding, but I didn't notice any signs about boarding order.
At LHR for the flight to MAN, the sign was there, Business UK went first, and I did see some people turned back.
Despite all this, you still got people blicking the aisle whilst they arranged their belongings. Perhaps a couple of inches more seat pitch would have given them room to turn round in their seat space and leave the aisle clear.
At MAN outbound, the flight was from Gate 9, where there was plenty of space to manage the queues and the new system seemed to be employed and working things might have been different at one of the 14x gates. The flight seemed to be fairly full, but I had an what seemed to be one of very few empty middle seats beside me - a possible effect of being silver with checked bag, or just a coincidence.
At LHR the new system was in full operation, CE before anyone else and others (I think including Golds), turned away to rejoin the queue at the back.
At TXL, I was one of the last through security, so missed the early stages of boarding, but I didn't notice any signs about boarding order.
At LHR for the flight to MAN, the sign was there, Business UK went first, and I did see some people turned back.
Despite all this, you still got people blicking the aisle whilst they arranged their belongings. Perhaps a couple of inches more seat pitch would have given them room to turn round in their seat space and leave the aisle clear.
Aug 29, 15, 12:13 pm
#123
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: London, Strathaven
Programs: BA (Gold). Various other statuses
Posts: 1,463
Originally Posted by RGS5526
Despite all this, you still got people blicking the aisle whilst they arranged their belongings. Perhaps a couple of inches more seat pitch would have given them room to turn round in their seat space and leave the aisle clear.
Aug 30, 15, 2:10 am
#127
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 22
New Boarding Process- has anyone noticed an improvement?
General boarding scrum at VRN on Wednesday. Despite the signs, both lanes were opened as general boarding! We decided not to join the party (2 young children with us and lots of pushing in the gate area)... processed through as the area calmed down, hopped on 2nd bus which drove off first (leaving all the enthusiastic queue pushers at the gate with a look of horror as we left for the plane and boarded first!!!).
Aug 30, 15, 8:45 am
#128
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Geneva/Sydney
Programs: Mucci; BA, LT GGL; QF, platinum; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 920
Travelling in F to BOM last Monday from T5c, I joined the Fast track line with some 20 people ahead of me and one agent, when the agent at the next desk opened the other line to general boarding. I asked why she didn't finish with the people in the Fast Track line and got a frosty response!
Aug 30, 15, 3:01 pm
#131
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,449
Originally Posted by mclachlan4321
What happens if a GCH is travelling with a non card holder on the same Ticket in ET? Can the GCH "guest" the travel partner to board at the same time?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Aug 30, 15, 3:15 pm
#132
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bristol
Programs: BA GGL, UA Plat, DL Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,380
Originally Posted by mclachlan4321
What happens if a GCH is travelling with a non card holder on the same Ticket in ET? Can the GCH "guest" the travel partner to board at the same time?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Aug 30, 15, 3:16 pm
#133
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,338
Originally Posted by flashware
Generally not an issue. If however they're trying to guest multiple non-status pax then it can become an issue.
Aug 30, 15, 4:26 pm
#135
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 888
Did BRU-LHR a couple of days ago with the new boarding process, complete shambles. It was just a confused swarm of people, they had to have an extra agent checking eligibility before even going to the scanner agent.
Did LYS-LHR today and there it was still all premium pax at once, wasn't that bad.
Did LYS-LHR today and there it was still all premium pax at once, wasn't that bad.
