Originally Posted by BA Trade

Passengers to board in allocated groups

From this December, we’ll be changing things to simplify boarding, reduce congestion at the departure gate and make things easier for your customers to get away on their travels.

We’ve made two important changes to our boarding pass We’ve added a ‘Group’ number, which will be automatically allocated to each passenger and reflects their boarding priority. The groups will be called to board in number order, reducing congestion and queuing at the gate. We’ve changed the ‘Gate closes’ time to a ‘Board at’ time, which is when your customers need to be at their departure gate. These changes are designed to help your customers get to the gate on time and board the aircraft more easily.

Executive Club priority boarding
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.

Originally Posted by markle

I think the point is that it is much, much easier to understand, especially if English isn't your first language or if you don't fly BA enough to know that Club World / Club Europe is business class.

What is simpler?

"Now boarding: First, Gold, One World Emerald"
"Now boarding: Group 1" (clearly printed on boarding pass)

Originally Posted by HIDDY

Not strictly true but yes considering the vast majority of my 50 years plus of air travel has been in the economy cabin the boarding procedure is not something that I sweat over. Of course there was no such thing as airline status to upset the boarding procedure when I was young. No air bridges either come to think of it so you'd all have to wait and be marched across the tarmac to the aircraft steps anyway....and head lice rather than gate lice were of far more concern.

That's how boarding was done until they started to board from the back first which I thought seemed to work okay. This group method sounds a bit too complicated to me but we'll have to wait and see how it goes. As long as I reach my seat before departure I'll be happy.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

BA have now told commercially important customers of this change. They also included a table of groupings, but it aligns with the information already provided, other than it doesn't directly specify that Group 5 is status-free Basic fare holders (though it does mention the existence of Group 5). The Reps are also making phone calls to keep us sweet about this.

Originally Posted by EsherFlyer

I don't see how this helps with the congested access to priority boarding though. Whether its Tier (G/S/B) or Group (1/2/3 ) those further down the order can still block the entrance, unless it's a separate line for each and they are processes one by one until empty. Something like Gate 6 (IIRC) @ EDI will still be in a narrow corner with lots of milling around.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

"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."

Originally Posted by aardvarkdave

This looks like a change- whole party can use priority boarding? I'm looking forwards to trying to benefit from that at GVA!

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

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.

Originally Posted by xenole

I'm looking forward to picking, say 7 group 5 people from the queue / mob, and letting them board with me in front of other status passengers

Originally Posted by xenole

I'm looking forward to picking, say 7 group 5 people from the queue / mob, and letting them board with me in front of other status passengers

Originally Posted by EsherFlyer

We could have a guesting thread to arrange late TCP requests ...