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 17, 2017, 10:54 am
#47
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: London N8
Programs: BA (LTG), Miles&More (whatever the lowest level is), Oyster card (zones 1-2)
Posts: 891
I hope this doesn’t mean they do away with the priority boarding channel. I tend to get to the gate quite late and I wouldn’t like to be stuck in a queue behind those who have been called in Group 4 and 5 just because I was late leaving the lounge.
The main difference seems to me the splitting of non-status economy passengers into two groups? Otherwise the change from how it should be done today isn’t that great? I guess implementation is key here.
The main difference seems to me the splitting of non-status economy passengers into two groups? Otherwise the change from how it should be done today isn’t that great? I guess implementation is key here.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:01 am
#48
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,717
As ScruttonStreet mentions, this doesn't appear that big a change from BA's current stated policy. What needs to change is for consistency to be brought in, so this is actually a change in how local and remote agents are trained and compliance is enforced more than anything else. Call my a cynic, but I'm not sure that the BA management will be looking at it this way.
Most of my 100 flights this year have been on AA, and I can confirm that the boarding process is highly consistent and works much better than the current BA system. Aside from agent compliance, AA's main issue is that a lot of people still don't understand the system and just try to board whenever (but I have priority is a common thing you hear from Group 4s) and when you consider some of BA's customers you can only imagine that is going to be a lot more difficult.
Most of my 100 flights this year have been on AA, and I can confirm that the boarding process is highly consistent and works much better than the current BA system. Aside from agent compliance, AA's main issue is that a lot of people still don't understand the system and just try to board whenever (but I have priority is a common thing you hear from Group 4s) and when you consider some of BA's customers you can only imagine that is going to be a lot more difficult.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:04 am
#49
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 995
Surprised really as to how naive you all are - do you really expect this to be implemented and enforced any better by BA gate agents than the current system. The priority channel and general gate area will still be ram packed with people in no particular boarding order and the usual chaos will ensue.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:07 am
#50
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
Unless the system allocates a set number of people per group, on flights where there are fewer status or passengers in Premium cabins then it may be easier to call some groups together especially if the first group has only 5 passengers, for example.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:09 am
#51
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Balham - Gateway to The South
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 2,020
I hope this doesn’t mean they do away with the priority boarding channel. I tend to get to the gate quite late and I wouldn’t like to be stuck in a queue behind those who have been called in Group 4 and 5 just because I was late leaving the lounge.
The main difference seems to me the splitting of non-status economy passengers into two groups? Otherwise the change from how it should be done today isn’t that great? I guess implementation is key here.
The main difference seems to me the splitting of non-status economy passengers into two groups? Otherwise the change from how it should be done today isn’t that great? I guess implementation is key here.
When I was blue and in Y the row numbers were split into two groups starting with the aft rows first (L/H).
I don’t know if this is still the case
Nov 17, 2017, 11:09 am
#52
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
In the latest edition of the BA magazine Up to Speed: "British Airways will be changing the way it boards aircraft with the introduction of group boarding in December. This method has ben used all around the world by many airlines and aligns BA with partners American Airlines and Iberia. Group boarding simplifies the process, making it easier for customers to understand the boarding sequence at the gate.
At the check-in stage, the customer will be put into a group number dependant on their cabin of travel and frequent-flyer status. This number will then be displayed prominently on the boarding pass, printed or mobile. Customers who are entitled will continue to be offered priority boarding for both long-haul and short-haul domestic."
At the check-in stage, the customer will be put into a group number dependant on their cabin of travel and frequent-flyer status. This number will then be displayed prominently on the boarding pass, printed or mobile. Customers who are entitled will continue to be offered priority boarding for both long-haul and short-haul domestic."
I tracked down the original article and hope you don’t mind me adding the closing paragraph which appears to have been omitted (purely in error, I’m sure
) from your quote :“We look forward to the introduction of this new boarding arrangement and feel confident that with the mutual co-operation of passengers and staff it will, over time, prove even more disorganised than our current chaotic procedures”
Nov 17, 2017, 11:13 am
#53
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,676
The reason you get massive priority boarding queues on BA is because people don't know what to expect and aren't sent back when they queue too early.
In the last year I've heard "First, Club, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, OWE", "First, Club, Gold, Silver", "First, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, Silver, OWE, OWS" and all variations of the same when including bronze as the first call announcement made. So if there's a queue forming - what should a silver do if they want to be on early? Simple - get in the queue because you never know.
But in very few situations have I actually seen it enforced reliably by the desk agents - and by that I also include circumstances where one enforces it and the other doesn't. I've genuinely seen one agent refuse someone, the person move out of the way to be beckoned over by a second agent who lets them through.
If the calls are clear, if the calls are structured and if the calls are the same - all the frequent flyers know where they are and what they are doing. Oh - and if the agent who is making the calls waits until the queue is actually short before calling the next group that helps too.
Look at AA - they call CK even when there aren't any on the flight. Makes it clear there's something there for CK.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:20 am
#54
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: BA Gold; IHG Plat
Posts: 116
Nov 17, 2017, 11:21 am
#55
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Scotland & London
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Mucci des Salons Ouvrants
Posts: 3,025
If this is introduced in the same way AA police their priority boarding then I will be very happy on my EDI flight north every couple of weeks!
I suspect, as other have, that the call will be could Groups 1, 2 and 3 board ....oh yes mis XXXX of course you can board now with your bronze card despite me not calling.... in fact let me hold this Gold CE individual back so that you can dump your bags in her overhead locker......... is what will really happen!!!
aks120
I suspect, as other have, that the call will be could Groups 1, 2 and 3 board ....oh yes mis XXXX of course you can board now with your bronze card despite me not calling.... in fact let me hold this Gold CE individual back so that you can dump your bags in her overhead locker......... is what will really happen!!!
aks120
Nov 17, 2017, 11:21 am
#56
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,924
Surprised really as to how naive you all are - do you really expect this to be implemented and enforced any better by BA gate agents than the current system. The priority channel and general gate area will still be ram packed with people in no particular boarding order and the usual chaos will ensue.
If the gate agents become lazy and simply announce 'groups 1, 2 and 3 may board now' then we will have exactly the same problem as we have today.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:25 am
#58
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,717
But it causes confusion.
The reason you get massive priority boarding queues on BA is because people don't know what to expect and aren't sent back when they queue too early.
In the last year I've heard "First, Club, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, OWE", "First, Club, Gold, Silver", "First, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, Silver, OWE, OWS" and all variations of the same when including bronze as the first call announcement made. So if there's a queue forming - what should a silver do if they want to be on early? Simple - get in the queue because you never know.
The reason you get massive priority boarding queues on BA is because people don't know what to expect and aren't sent back when they queue too early.
In the last year I've heard "First, Club, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, OWE", "First, Club, Gold, Silver", "First, Gold", "First, Club, Gold, Silver, OWE, OWS" and all variations of the same when including bronze as the first call announcement made. So if there's a queue forming - what should a silver do if they want to be on early? Simple - get in the queue because you never know.
And that's the kind of thing that happens at BA's base where they have proper control over the staff.
Nov 17, 2017, 11:26 am
#59
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
This is genuinely an improvement - we should be praising BA here. I am surprised at some of the cynicism. AA offer a very structured boarding process, that is enforced rigidly in the overwhelming majority of times (in my experience). In fairness, I do not get to see what happens after Group 1, but even still it seems AA is very rigid in this.
Provided BA can implement and consistently apply this, then it really will make the boarding process better.
Well done BA, and I hope this is a positive we can all be happy with ^
Provided BA can implement and consistently apply this, then it really will make the boarding process better.
Well done BA, and I hope this is a positive we can all be happy with ^
