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]
Jan 12, 2018, 8:23 am
#631
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,347
From what I can make out, they are not widely implementing it yet. I'm only getting limited information about it. AMS appears to be doing it with gusto, which doesn't surprise me (it's a pity they didn't also try GVA), LHR is only doing it for some flights, and my guess is that the relevant project resource needs to be there to watch the outcome. We've had some interesting experiences in the other thread but it's probably next week (Tuesday 16 January I think) that the real test of this will become apparent. I really doubt it can be done perfectly in all locations. The bus issue is the obvious one, but the layout of some terminals and gates (e.g. LGW's biometrics) will mean some compromises will have to be made.
Jan 12, 2018, 9:42 am
#632
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: BA GOLD
Posts: 603
Well that didn't exactly go to plan at gate A6 today - four agents standing around without a clue what to do and large queues at Priority Boarding regardless of group number and the same at General Boarding. Eventually got their act together and checked boarding passes of people waiting and asking them to move if they weren't group1 - but then allowed people through with Group 2 passes and asked them to stand at one side - you can guess what happened. Early days I suppose.
Jan 12, 2018, 11:46 am
#633
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Gibraltar
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 174
Nothing in Gib tonight on boarding pass other than 'group' without a number, and usual CE and BAEC going first. But it's now gone tech and what with the wait for the engineer from Malaga, the new process could catch up with us..
Jan 12, 2018, 12:01 pm
#634
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: LCY
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 1,208
Another odd thing regarding groups on BPs:
I was returning to UK on 8th Jan BKK-SIN-LHR-AMS. In BKK, the CX checkin staff printed boarding passes and my LHR-AMS said 'group 5', although I was in CE.
I didn't bother to query it, I was most likely going pre-board anyway. However, I lost my BP somewhere in LHR (9th Jan) and when the lounge staff printed another, the new BP had 'group 1'
I was returning to UK on 8th Jan BKK-SIN-LHR-AMS. In BKK, the CX checkin staff printed boarding passes and my LHR-AMS said 'group 5', although I was in CE.
I didn't bother to query it, I was most likely going pre-board anyway. However, I lost my BP somewhere in LHR (9th Jan) and when the lounge staff printed another, the new BP had 'group 1'
Jan 12, 2018, 12:31 pm
#635
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: 63,736
I've embedded Globaliser's table from post 533 into the Wiki, it is indeed buried mid thread.
Jan 12, 2018, 12:38 pm
#636
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Jan 13, 2018, 4:20 am
#637
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold & GGL & CCR, HH Diam, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Spire, Tastecard
Posts: 7,549
Yes, if there is space for 5 separate lines then people have to make a choice of which line to join, whereas AA has 2 lines, priority and non priority, with consequent congestion. However what was reported in AMS yesterday was interesting - a pre-announcement saying "clear the area please / remain seated" and then calling the Groups clearly batch by batch. With an interloper thrown out from Group 1, it probably deterred others from jumping into (e.g.) Group 2 ahead of time. The 5 separate lines simply won't work in congested airports. Looking at gate 3 at Newcastle, it's quite a reasonable size, but I can't see how they could fit in 5 lines there, let alone behind all the pillars at EDI, and the corridors of MAN.
Jan 15, 2018, 5:12 am
#638
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 251
I would be interested to know from the experiences here (or if BA has commented) whether the “board at” time (which I think is now being shown on boarding passes?) is being stuck to?
Where priority boarding is badly enforced, I would think there’s increased benefit in turning up as late as possible.
Where it’s well enforced, the “board at” time becomes more relevant because those who like to take their seats early for whatever reason can do so without standing around for too long or having to fight a scrum.
Where priority boarding is badly enforced, I would think there’s increased benefit in turning up as late as possible.
Where it’s well enforced, the “board at” time becomes more relevant because those who like to take their seats early for whatever reason can do so without standing around for too long or having to fight a scrum.
Jan 15, 2018, 1:54 pm
#640
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 54
Sorry it was not as expected. I am a gold, so expected Group 1, but it was a HBO fare through Egencia travel agency and it showed Group 5. I then app upgraded to CE at check-in but it remained at Group 5 on the boarding pass when I was given another boarding pass at bag drop despite it saying Club Europe on hte boarding pass. Assuming it stayed Group 5 because it was a travel agency booking though it should have been overriden because I of being Gold?.
Boarding itself was not implemented by group at the and was A10so bused at T5, I just wondered why it was showing Group 5 despite cabin and status.
Boarding itself was not implemented by group at the and was A10so bused at T5, I just wondered why it was showing Group 5 despite cabin and status.
Jan 15, 2018, 3:06 pm
#641
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: England
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 272
I’ve seen a few comments on here about T3 FT , is not much of a time saver ? Will be experiencing it first hand next week , want to make sure I’ve left enough time for a lounge hop!
Jan 16, 2018, 3:23 am
#643
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: MUC
Programs: BA Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 29
Had a group number on my BP but there was no group boarding on the LHR-MUC at 7am today. There were three lines at the gate (B44) but only one was used (at least up to the point at which I boarded). Boarding sequence was CE/Gold/Emerald first, then Silver/Sapphire
Jan 16, 2018, 3:32 am
#644
Join Date: May 2016
Location: EDI
Programs: Was BA GGL but no longer travelling
Posts: 583
Had a group on my BP for last few weeks (I fly every Tue and Thu). At EDI this morning in the priority Q they made sure everyone was in Group 1, 2 or 3. So 1-3 got treated equally, called at the same time.
Jan 16, 2018, 3:42 am
#645
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,914
If this is the way they are going to work priority boarding at such places then the process is unchanged apart for the names of the groups. Not encouraging really. I fear the same useless process at MAN that we’ve suffered for years.