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Boarding by group to be introduced [general discussion]

Old Jan 9, 2018, 5:44 am
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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.
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Boarding by group to be introduced [general discussion]

Old Nov 20, 2017, 9:48 pm
  #286  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Originally Posted by xenole
That's my general experience with BA.
Even if they do manage a gap between announcements, it's usually only a few seconds and not enough time to react or push through the hoards in front.
Originally Posted by Vgravity
This may well have been an exception, but they definitely called all CE, Gold, Silver, Broze and OW equivalents at once. Probably about half the plane.
thats exactly what the staff do at Glasgow. They never invite CE, Gold and Emerald. They always group CE, Gold, Emerald with Silver and Bronze, even though ALL the signs at ALL the boarding gates clearly state that the aircraft will be boarded in strict order starting with CE, Gold and Emerald (SH obviously).
I really hope that the BA staff dont just fob this off and get lazy and revert to just saying, We are now calling forward Groups 1,2&3 to board via the priority lane!
highexpectations is online now  
Old Nov 20, 2017, 11:17 pm
  #287  
 
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Companion

Curious. Im booked in a companion voucher flight on 13th Dec, and Ive currently dropped back down to silver (1140 points). I wonder if Ill be in group 5 on the basis I paid nada for my flight
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 11:26 pm
  #288  
 
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Smile

Originally Posted by HighwayToHEL
Curious. Im booked in a companion voucher flight on 13th Dec, and Ive currently dropped back down to silver (1140 points). I wonder if Ill be in group 5 on the basis I paid nada for my flight
According to the BBC yes, but in the real world I imagine as long as your silver exec club number is in the booking you will be group 2.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 12:24 am
  #289  
 
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Interesting the press have picked up on this
my partner, non FT just said what happened to boarding by seat row number !
This new system has been described as the last preserve of the Bristish class system !
Having said that I think it works very well on AA !
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 12:31 am
  #290  
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Originally Posted by allturnleft
Interesting the press have picked up on this
my partner, non FT just said what happened to boarding by seat row number !
Boarding my seat row is not efficient at all. Boarding efficiency mainly is about using the available aisle space as much as possible. Boarding by seat row only creates queues and slows things down.

This new system has been described as the last preserve of the Bristish class system !
A lot of airlines use this kind of system. I don't see the relevance of the British class system here.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 1:27 am
  #291  
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Originally Posted by allturnleft
...
This new system has been described as the last preserve of the British class system !
Having said that I think it works very well on AA !
I cant wait for the next BA Advert.

I presume it will be a rendition of 'I look up to him, because...'

M
travellingwigbury likes this.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 4:23 am
  #292  
 
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Originally Posted by 710 77345
there will be 5 groups (exc pre-boarding!).
This is a total trigger for me. Why on earth can't airlines do this right? Just have a straight order for EVERYONE, including people that get "pre-boarding". Essentially, just add a group for pre-boarding and assign it to the people that should be boarded first. Instead, the fools create a nice ordered system and break it at once by introducing exceptions... That is the sort of thing that causes confusion in the end.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 8:37 am
  #293  
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As already alluded to up-thread, there are some farcical pre-boarding scenarios on Caribbean routes. One person in wheelchairor or hobbling on 2 sticks, and then the extended family of 10 (3-4 generations) following. Unsurprisingly, they all end up standing on the airbridge as the unfortunate individual struggles aboard, and the recently-released "Group 1" boarders stand on the airbridge behind them!!
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 8:46 am
  #294  
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Originally Posted by McCoy
It's sort of ironic that "hand-baggage only" passengers are likely to be the ones having their hand luggage taken off them and loaded in the hold...
Not if it convinces them to buy a Plus fare next time.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 10:24 am
  #295  
 
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Originally Posted by agehall
This is a total trigger for me. Why on earth can't airlines do this right? Just have a straight order for EVERYONE, including people that get "pre-boarding". Essentially, just add a group for pre-boarding and assign it to the people that should be boarded first. Instead, the fools create a nice ordered system and break it at once by introducing exceptions... That is the sort of thing that causes confusion in the end.
How do you know you're going to be disabled between ticket purchase and time of boarding?
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 10:28 am
  #296  
 
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Originally Posted by caburrito
How do you know you're going to be disabled between ticket purchase and time of boarding?
You don't, but you request assistance using manage my booking prior to departure. Hence my surprise there wasn't a group 0 on boarding passes, consisting of families with kids under 10 and those with assistance requests.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 1:40 pm
  #297  
 
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deleted

Last edited by markle; May 25, 2023 at 7:05 am
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 2:06 pm
  #298  
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Oh yes so it does, City flights too.

corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Nov 21, 2017, 2:23 pm
  #299  
 
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The new app even puts the group X on historical boarding passes :-)
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 3:05 pm
  #300  
 
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Originally Posted by highexpectations
thats exactly what the staff do at Glasgow. They never invite CE, Gold and Emerald. They always group CE, Gold, Emerald with Silver and Bronze, even though ALL the signs at ALL the boarding gates clearly state that the aircraft will be boarded in strict order starting with CE, Gold and Emerald (SH obviously).
I really hope that the BA staff dont just fob this off and get lazy and revert to just saying, We are now calling forward Groups 1,2&3 to board via the priority lane!

Totally agree with the experience in Glasgow - it's a real rarity that they do it properly. I fear that on short haul they will basically announce 1,2 and 3 at pretty much the same time . On most short haul I wouldn't have a problem with 1&2 at the same time so long as there is reasonable gap before 3 (as that's where the real lack of priority hits). I am hoping they will still have proper fast track lanes so that those of us in 1 or 2 who arrive later don't get stuck at the back. Selfish - a bit - but that's what we pay for.
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