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]
Nov 20, 2017, 8:24 am
#242
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IHG Gold, VS Silver, EK Silver, BA Blue
Posts: 99
Personal experience Air Canada do this well, clearly marked at the gate and on boarding passes. Gate staff do enforce it.
As crazy as it sounds, I actually don't mind boarding last.
Quite often when my kids were toddlers, we would wait until the end, and let them run around as long as possible. Remember one particular time when flying back from PHX in WTP, we were the very last to board. My son & I got to our seat, he was 20 months so sitting on my lap, to see the look of horror on the guy's face in the seat next to us when we turned up. All turned out good, both my son and I slept 80% the whole way home and they guy congratulated us on our behaviour at the end! I laughed and reminded him, adults are often worse.
I do appreciate SH with a bag is a different game, but LH will wait to the end.
As crazy as it sounds, I actually don't mind boarding last.
Quite often when my kids were toddlers, we would wait until the end, and let them run around as long as possible. Remember one particular time when flying back from PHX in WTP, we were the very last to board. My son & I got to our seat, he was 20 months so sitting on my lap, to see the look of horror on the guy's face in the seat next to us when we turned up. All turned out good, both my son and I slept 80% the whole way home and they guy congratulated us on our behaviour at the end! I laughed and reminded him, adults are often worse.
I do appreciate SH with a bag is a different game, but LH will wait to the end.
Nov 20, 2017, 8:52 am
#244
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lausanne Switzerland
Programs: BA Gold; Swiss Blue
Posts: 1,244
Last 4 flights with BA, this weekend were all done perfectly with CE, Gold and OWE being called together...
GVA 2xLHR and GLA
I did not see any send aways. The issue with the BA system is they use the branded names for the cabins which alot of PAX especially on bucket and spade heavy routes do not understand.
Lets see what happens... Next flight going to Christmas do
GVA 2xLHR and GLA
I did not see any send aways. The issue with the BA system is they use the branded names for the cabins which alot of PAX especially on bucket and spade heavy routes do not understand.
Lets see what happens... Next flight going to Christmas do
Nov 20, 2017, 9:02 am
#247
Moderator: Qatar Airways
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: LHR/NCE/MIA
Programs: BAEC GfL & GGL, SQ Gold, Amex Centurion, Mucci des Chevaliers des Bons Mots et Qui Savent Moucher
Posts: 8,949
Summarising the past 17 pages is a pretty simple task, but there is one recurring theme - enforcement.
Collectively, the BA Forum seems to be happy with the proposed changes to the Boarding Procedure, but there also seems to be agreement that the only way it will work, is if it is enforced properly by the gate-staff.
A lot of the concern, seems to come from the fact that the current system, which is actually not too dissimilar to the new, is rarely enforced.
I would hope, that having gone to the hassle of amending the designs of the BA App and physical printed boarding passes, that the gate staff will be warned to actually use the new Grouping system, but I wonder whether there is any insight into the Staff Training element of the boarding process?
Will all relevant BA gate staff be re-trained to ensure the Grouping process is adhered to?
M
Collectively, the BA Forum seems to be happy with the proposed changes to the Boarding Procedure, but there also seems to be agreement that the only way it will work, is if it is enforced properly by the gate-staff.
A lot of the concern, seems to come from the fact that the current system, which is actually not too dissimilar to the new, is rarely enforced.
I would hope, that having gone to the hassle of amending the designs of the BA App and physical printed boarding passes, that the gate staff will be warned to actually use the new Grouping system, but I wonder whether there is any insight into the Staff Training element of the boarding process?
Will all relevant BA gate staff be re-trained to ensure the Grouping process is adhered to?
M
Nov 20, 2017, 9:13 am
#248
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
More importantly, will there be suitable punishment (involving Ryanair, diamond hairbrushes, Brussels sprouts, stocks (with uncooked Brussels sprouts as ammunition) or an endless loop of a Yorkshire Television Leeds Bradford Airport special) to punish passengers who try it on with the new rules in place?
Nov 20, 2017, 9:21 am
#249
Join Date: May 2016
Location: EDI
Programs: Was BA GGL but no longer travelling
Posts: 583
Would love to see how this works at LGW on the EDI flights. Most (IMHO) gates at LGW have the boarding pass check at entrance to the gate, with the jetty at the far end of the gate. Everyone takes a seat, then they open the door and announce "those seated in rows...." and before they can finish the sentence the entire load of pax is marching down the jetty, regardless of ticket.
Nov 20, 2017, 9:34 am
#250
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DEL
Programs: Mucci du Miel d'Or
Posts: 2,375
Would love to see how this works at LGW on the EDI flights. Most (IMHO) gates at LGW have the boarding pass check at entrance to the gate, with the jetty at the far end of the gate. Everyone takes a seat, then they open the door and announce "those seated in rows...." and before they can finish the sentence the entire load of pax is marching down the jetty, regardless of ticket.
Nov 20, 2017, 9:44 am
#251
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: London Town
Programs: BA Silver, AF Silver
Posts: 465
Seeing as BA staff are unable and/or unwilling to enforce current boarding rules, why would anyone expect this to be any different? And doesn't the whole idea of introducing a new system that will affect every departure to every destination run somewhat contrary to BA's current race to the bottom in terms of service standards?
To my mind, there is nothing wrong with the current system which was clearly intended to make boarding faster and more comfortable for everyone. The fact that it seems to be rarely, if ever, enforced means pretty much every flight has a 30-minute line of stationary passengers queuing along the aisle of each plane, because people are trying to get to the back of the plane whilst others are seated near the front and are blocking the aisle whilst stowing their luggage.
I really don't see the point in creating endless boarding groups to recognise every status and cabin combination. Is it really necessary to have more than the following simple categorisation:
Premium cabin passengers can board at their leisure
1. Special assistance/families
2. Gold/Emerald status only
3. Everyone else, ideally in blocks of 10 rows each
The current system isn't broken, it's simply not being followed. Why try to replace instead of fixing? It just requires 2 staff members to say 'no' to a bunch of self-important chancers.
To my mind, there is nothing wrong with the current system which was clearly intended to make boarding faster and more comfortable for everyone. The fact that it seems to be rarely, if ever, enforced means pretty much every flight has a 30-minute line of stationary passengers queuing along the aisle of each plane, because people are trying to get to the back of the plane whilst others are seated near the front and are blocking the aisle whilst stowing their luggage.
I really don't see the point in creating endless boarding groups to recognise every status and cabin combination. Is it really necessary to have more than the following simple categorisation:
Premium cabin passengers can board at their leisure
1. Special assistance/families
2. Gold/Emerald status only
3. Everyone else, ideally in blocks of 10 rows each
The current system isn't broken, it's simply not being followed. Why try to replace instead of fixing? It just requires 2 staff members to say 'no' to a bunch of self-important chancers.
Nov 20, 2017, 10:03 am
#252
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Wolverhampton
Programs: BA Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriot Gold, Radisson Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,608
Nov 20, 2017, 10:07 am
#253
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Wolverhampton
Programs: BA Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriot Gold, Radisson Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,608
To me the only difference apart from potential enforcement, is the prioritisation of the people who have luggage in the hold and thus no actual NEED for overhead space (though perhaps desire to have some for speed of exit), from the hunger/angry cantpaymorethanthebareminimumcramitinCRAMIT lot...
That and Bronze separated out from the rest. Probably the second biggest contribution to the size of the queue after nobody giving a crap about who is in it...
That and Bronze separated out from the rest. Probably the second biggest contribution to the size of the queue after nobody giving a crap about who is in it...
Nov 20, 2017, 10:19 am
#254
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MAN
Programs: BA Blue, Priority Club Plat (again!), Marriott Rewards Gold
Posts: 541
I have never understood this obsession with wanting to board first. Surely it is a perk to board at the end without all the fuss chaos that is invariably at the gate at the start of the process.
I like to be last on and first off ideally. Load by row, blocks of 10 starting at the back.
I like to be last on and first off ideally. Load by row, blocks of 10 starting at the back.
Nov 20, 2017, 10:28 am
#255
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, *A Gold, Hertz President's Circle, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 529
I think these new proposals are great.
At KEF last weekend they tried to call CE/GHC/OWE first but there were so many pax clogging up a very small waiting area, it was hard to get through.
New lanes will definitely help. The problem at the moment is one single priority lane with loads of silver and bronzes getting in line early and getting annoyed when you try to get past as Gold.
Ive seen the current boarding procedures enforced well at AMS and KEF, but diabolically at LHR, MAN and DUB recently.
I really hope this new new method works. If it’s similar to AA it will.
At KEF last weekend they tried to call CE/GHC/OWE first but there were so many pax clogging up a very small waiting area, it was hard to get through.
New lanes will definitely help. The problem at the moment is one single priority lane with loads of silver and bronzes getting in line early and getting annoyed when you try to get past as Gold.
Ive seen the current boarding procedures enforced well at AMS and KEF, but diabolically at LHR, MAN and DUB recently.
I really hope this new new method works. If it’s similar to AA it will.