Jan 9, 2018, 5:44 am
Last edit by: KARFA
Please use this thread for discussion, conjecture and speculation about the Group Boarding Process.
Experiences of the actual process in airports should be made in the dedicated thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...periences.html
Group Boarding Summary (courtesy chris1979)
NB. Customers with additional needs will be offered pre-boarding ahead of all the groups listed above.
Boarding priority for Executive Club Gold, Silver or Bronze Members or oneworld equivalents, will automatically be reflected in the group number given on their boarding pass. If they arrive after their group has been called, they can use the priority boarding lane to go through before the flight closes.
Please note that priority boarding will not be reflected for any other people travelling with an Executive Club Member on the same booking at the moment, but will be introduced in the coming months. In the meantime, the whole party can use the priority boarding lane and our staff will endeavour to board everyone together.
Pre-boarding
Families with small children
We invite families with infants under two and young children in pushchairs to board first, so that the whole family can settle in. Customers must arrive by the time specified on their boarding pass so that they are ready to board and we have enough time
to load their pushchair into the hold.
Customers requiring disability or mobility assistance
We will assist customers on to the aircraft ahead of other passengers so that they have time to settle in and get comfortable. Please contact us at least 48 hours before their flight so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
Experiences of the actual process in airports should be made in the dedicated thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...periences.html
Group Boarding Summary (courtesy chris1979)
NB. Customers with additional needs will be offered pre-boarding ahead of all the groups listed above.
Boarding priority for Executive Club Gold, Silver or Bronze Members or oneworld equivalents, will automatically be reflected in the group number given on their boarding pass. If they arrive after their group has been called, they can use the priority boarding lane to go through before the flight closes.
Please note that priority boarding will not be reflected for any other people travelling with an Executive Club Member on the same booking at the moment, but will be introduced in the coming months. In the meantime, the whole party can use the priority boarding lane and our staff will endeavour to board everyone together.
Pre-boarding
Families with small children
We invite families with infants under two and young children in pushchairs to board first, so that the whole family can settle in. Customers must arrive by the time specified on their boarding pass so that they are ready to board and we have enough time
to load their pushchair into the hold.
Customers requiring disability or mobility assistance
We will assist customers on to the aircraft ahead of other passengers so that they have time to settle in and get comfortable. Please contact us at least 48 hours before their flight so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
Boarding by group to be introduced [general discussion]
Dec 12, 2017, 12:00 am
#436
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Glasgow
Programs: British Airways Silver, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, AMEX plat
Posts: 251
No group on boarding pass when checked in yesterday. Just boarded the plane and priority boarding was "club Europe, gold, silver and bronze" (a Gatwick flight, in case that matters).
Dec 12, 2017, 3:11 am
#437
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 215
Just boarded the LUX - LHR flight and no group boarding, just the normal CE, Gold, Silver. From above sounds like its been pushed to next year. Was looking forward to seeing if it worked at an outstation on the first day.
Dec 12, 2017, 7:17 am
#438
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cape Town
Programs: BA Exec Gold , Qatar Priviledge Club Plat
Posts: 1,584
Strange , maybe others can confirm if it was implemented at LHR today ? I do not think it has been pushed to next year , as BA have updated the website to reflect the new group boarding procedure , would be a bit overkill to update the website for something only being rolled out next year .... i hope !
Dec 12, 2017, 8:16 am
#439
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,809
Strange , maybe others can confirm if it was implemented at LHR today ? I do not think it has been pushed to next year , as BA have updated the website to reflect the new group boarding procedure , would be a bit overkill to update the website for something only being rolled out next year .... i hope !
Dec 12, 2017, 9:20 am
#440
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 995
Yes no boarding by group today - just experienced another classic BA boarding for my A380 flight.
Gate agent announces boarding for First and Gold/Emerald - priority boarding lane is jammed - we try as do other F and Gold passengers to make it through people blocking the priority queue to board and then 10 seconds after the call for First and Gold - the gate agent calls CW Silver etc resulting in more of a logjam.
If group boarding makes things even slighty better that would be good but i am not holding out too much hope.
Gate agent announces boarding for First and Gold/Emerald - priority boarding lane is jammed - we try as do other F and Gold passengers to make it through people blocking the priority queue to board and then 10 seconds after the call for First and Gold - the gate agent calls CW Silver etc resulting in more of a logjam.
If group boarding makes things even slighty better that would be good but i am not holding out too much hope.
Dec 12, 2017, 9:23 am
#441
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Effectively grounded
Programs: BA GGL for a little while longer
Posts: 844
I thought we'd already had a BA insider post above that it was postponed for internal BA reasons ?
Dec 12, 2017, 9:32 am
#442
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: City of Kingston Upon Hull
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 4,940
The problem is not the system, rather that people are not prepared to do as they are told anymore. Unless BA are prepared to use tatics akin to a third world dictatorship, any system they introduce is doomed to failure. My solution would be to simply deny boarding to those who do not comply, however I understand that staff could not or would not be willing to implement this. It is exact the same issue as BA have with hand luggage. I do not understand why the typical BA customer profile is intrinsically anarchic.
Last edited by kanderson1965; Dec 12, 2017 at 11:20 am Reason: fonger trobble wit typin
Dec 12, 2017, 10:19 am
#444
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,163
The problem is not the system, rather that people are not prepared to do as they are told anymore. Unless BA are prepared to use tatics akin to a third world dictatorship, any system they introduce is doomed to failure. My solution would be to simply deny boarding to thise who do not comply, however I understand that staff could not or would not be willing to implement this. It is exact the same issue as BA have with hand luggage. I do not understand why the typical BA customer profile is intrinsically archaistic.
I am sure that even the current system would be fine if properly enforced.
Dec 12, 2017, 10:23 am
#445
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
In my experience, if passengers chance it once and get away with it, they will chance it again. Other airlines do not seem to have a problem sending back passengers who try and board too early. And by send back, I do not simply mean make them wait at the front of the queue blocking access from entitled priority boarders but sending them to the back.
I am sure that even the current system would be fine if properly enforced.
I am sure that even the current system would be fine if properly enforced.
It is easy to do, just need the staff to enforce properly.
Dec 12, 2017, 11:12 am
#446
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Surrey, UK
Programs: BA Gold, *A Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 654
The problem is not the system, rather that people are not prepared to do as they are told anymore. Unless BA are prepared to use tatics akin to a third world dictatorship, any system they introduce is doomed to failure. My solution would be to simply deny boarding to thise who do not comply, however I understand that staff could not or would not be willing to implement this. It is exact the same issue as BA have with hand luggage. I do not understand why the typical BA customer profile is intrinsically archaistic.
Was boarding a flight a few weeks back and as priority boarding got underway, a staff member walked the queue checking eligibility. She said to the guy in front of me that they were only boarding CE/Gold and could he wait a second until he was called. He simply shrugged and carried on anyway. Once he got to the BP scanners, he wasn't sent back so I'm guessing thats his tactic every time.
Dec 12, 2017, 11:28 am
#447
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: City of Kingston Upon Hull
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 4,940
This then begs the question as to why they are so reluctant to enforce rules, are they so averse to conflict? In a building packed with security staff, any irate customers are not going to get very far. I am waiting for the day when automated boarding gates are universal, let us see the self-entitled try to argue with them.
Dec 12, 2017, 12:42 pm
#449
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: North East
Programs: Hilton HHonors, BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,204
Regarding the EDI gate 11 setup, I can confirm the 767 BA1448 service today had this. Just a quick point, but I thought the implementation of this new boarding procedure was to start on the 16th, and has been that since last week.
On a sidenote, I totally agree with the comment upthread stating the problem was not that of the system. Any system can be next to useless if people aren't willing to abide by it, and goes generally unenforced. I took two orange flights last week for the first tweek me in over 6 months with both A320's being packed out and boarding was complete within 12 minutes on both occasions. Any more than 50 trolley bags clicked through as carry on and the rest are shoved in the hold, like it or lump it. Their system worked like a dream, and at leat half the flight were either on stag or hen do's of sorts and had had a fair session beforehand by the looks of things. If they can manage it without any fuss.....it really does make me wonder.
On a sidenote, I totally agree with the comment upthread stating the problem was not that of the system. Any system can be next to useless if people aren't willing to abide by it, and goes generally unenforced. I took two orange flights last week for the first tweek me in over 6 months with both A320's being packed out and boarding was complete within 12 minutes on both occasions. Any more than 50 trolley bags clicked through as carry on and the rest are shoved in the hold, like it or lump it. Their system worked like a dream, and at leat half the flight were either on stag or hen do's of sorts and had had a fair session beforehand by the looks of things. If they can manage it without any fuss.....it really does make me wonder.
Last edited by TyneTraveller; Dec 12, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Dec 12, 2017, 1:04 pm
#450
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Effectively grounded
Programs: BA GGL for a little while longer
Posts: 844
This then begs the question as to why they are so reluctant to enforce rules, are they so averse to conflict? In a building packed with security staff, any irate customers are not going to get very far. I am waiting for the day when automated boarding gates are universal, let us see the self-entitled try to argue with them.
- Staff are briefed on the new procedures but targetted (and thus assessed) on something completely different: time to turnaround. So if the flight goes out late, bonuses (and even jobs !) are on the line; if a couple of self-important blowhards moan about boarding priority, meh !
- Management are conspicious by their absence. When a 98 CIV pax complains the gate agent was rude and prevented her from taking her rightful place at the head of the queue, do you think the member of staff will have the full weight of the company behind him, or just a boot aimed at his a**e ?
- It doesn't even matter if the above is not true, ground staff just need to believe it is...
If BA management fail to get a grip, success will be forever out of reach
