For goodness sake, stop queuing!
Jun 25, 2019, 5:45 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 474
Jun 25, 2019, 5:59 am
#17
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Programs: BA Exec Gold
Posts: 31
Over the years I have flown to and from Palma Mallorca on many airlines. This happens a lot from Palma.
The moment a ground crew turns up at the gate, some busybody has to go and ask something, in many cases irrelevant (I have listened in a few times) then hangs around the desk, prompting others to join them in a queue.
Fortunately, I have travelled with an elderly relative over the last few years, so bypass all the nonsense as we are boarded first. But have had the occasionally dirty look as we walk past the forming queue. I always smile at them.
The moment a ground crew turns up at the gate, some busybody has to go and ask something, in many cases irrelevant (I have listened in a few times) then hangs around the desk, prompting others to join them in a queue.
Fortunately, I have travelled with an elderly relative over the last few years, so bypass all the nonsense as we are boarded first. But have had the occasionally dirty look as we walk past the forming queue. I always smile at them.
Jun 25, 2019, 6:37 am
#20
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 251
I agree that boarding, particularly for short haul is a problem. Ideally we’re last to board, but on a busy flight a bag under the seat eats into legroom; a bag a few rows away can be annoying if you’re battling e.g the BoB trolley to access it during the flight; and forced checking is a real pain.
It must come down to enforcement. Whatever they are, passengers have their own reasons for boarding early, so hardly surprising people will (rightly or wrongly) chance it if it repeatedly works for them.
At T5 automated gates there’s no human interaction so you get passengers from groups 1-5 going through the group 1 line because it’s shorter.
And at gates where an agent scans, IME the chances of enforcing groups is not much higher then an automated gate.
It’s true that if you’re organised and chilled out then it doesn’t really matter when you board, but for the other occasions passengers are entitled to expect BA to manage their processes properly, which I think would reduce the issues raised here.
Another issue is that messy boarding encourages more people to turn up 21 mins before departure to try to avoid it. On my most recent long haul the gate agent commented that they’d been waiting for us and they’d been hoping to complete boarding early. Simply not going to happen if the alternative is waiting to join an enormous group 1-3 queue for a 747!
It must come down to enforcement. Whatever they are, passengers have their own reasons for boarding early, so hardly surprising people will (rightly or wrongly) chance it if it repeatedly works for them.
At T5 automated gates there’s no human interaction so you get passengers from groups 1-5 going through the group 1 line because it’s shorter.
And at gates where an agent scans, IME the chances of enforcing groups is not much higher then an automated gate.
It’s true that if you’re organised and chilled out then it doesn’t really matter when you board, but for the other occasions passengers are entitled to expect BA to manage their processes properly, which I think would reduce the issues raised here.
Another issue is that messy boarding encourages more people to turn up 21 mins before departure to try to avoid it. On my most recent long haul the gate agent commented that they’d been waiting for us and they’d been hoping to complete boarding early. Simply not going to happen if the alternative is waiting to join an enormous group 1-3 queue for a 747!
Jun 25, 2019, 6:39 am
#21
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: Bonvoy LTTitanium, BAEC Silver
Posts: 591
Personally I would like to see the boarding pass scanners issue electric shocks to anyone boarding before their group is called or for them to be reallocated to a middle seat at the back of the plane.
Jun 25, 2019, 6:43 am
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,444
I’ve developed a wholly un-British approach to this - if a queue is forming incorrectly I’ll ignore it and walk right on past. Most refreshing!
Last edited by Swanhunter; Jun 25, 2019 at 8:25 am
Jun 25, 2019, 6:47 am
#23
Join Date: Jun 2013
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One has to ask.. has this been brought upon us passengers by most if not all airlines charging to check bags (elites in this case dont apply)
and for those like myself who never checks a bag, unless I am forced to by some over zealous agent at check in..
After all , everyone is going to the same place, and trying to get on board early can only mean we have space for our carry on.
Although my memory with age has well according to my wife, been missing for a while, I dont remember the mess in front of a gate for boarding prior to airlines charging for checked bags
and for those like myself who never checks a bag, unless I am forced to by some over zealous agent at check in..
After all , everyone is going to the same place, and trying to get on board early can only mean we have space for our carry on.
Although my memory with age has well according to my wife, been missing for a while, I dont remember the mess in front of a gate for boarding prior to airlines charging for checked bags
Jun 25, 2019, 6:53 am
#24
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: UK - Hampshire & London
Programs: Mucci de Guardian des Celliers des Grands Crus 1e Classé, plus BAEC.
Posts: 2,736
Plucking some figures out of thin air, I think it’s 60:40 passengers to staff. The airline can have a great system and try to enforce it, but if passengers continue to flout and ignore then it won’t get very far.
Jun 25, 2019, 7:01 am
#25
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: BMA
Programs: SAS Eurobonus Gold Card
Posts: 324
I've found the system at LHR T2 very good. They have the queuing maze at one side of the gate for Economy passengers and the the fast track line directly in front. Flying with SAS I've seen the gate staff refuse many people for being in the wrong group.
The electronic gates are ok. They can set them to only let through certain groups at the time so I've seen the ones in ZRH refuse passengers because it wasn't their group yet.
The electronic gates are ok. They can set them to only let through certain groups at the time so I've seen the ones in ZRH refuse passengers because it wasn't their group yet.
Jun 25, 2019, 7:12 am
#26
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
One has to ask.. has this been brought upon us passengers by most if not all airlines charging to check bags (elites in this case dont apply)
and for those like myself who never checks a bag, unless I am forced to by some over zealous agent at check in..
After all , everyone is going to the same place, and trying to get on board early can only mean we have space for our carry on.
Although my memory with age has well according to my wife, been missing for a while, I dont remember the mess in front of a gate for boarding prior to airlines charging for checked bags
and for those like myself who never checks a bag, unless I am forced to by some over zealous agent at check in..
After all , everyone is going to the same place, and trying to get on board early can only mean we have space for our carry on.
Although my memory with age has well according to my wife, been missing for a while, I dont remember the mess in front of a gate for boarding prior to airlines charging for checked bags
Jun 25, 2019, 7:30 am
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
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But if passengers do not work with your system, this surely is a sign that your system is not good as you think it is (i.e. is not a "great system") and does not take into account how people actually behave in the real world as distinct to how you would like them to behave in an ideal world.
Jun 25, 2019, 7:51 am
#28
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Systems can easily be disrupted by the public, as we all know. What IS needed is a degree of assertiveness by those who are supposedly in charge of boarding procedures. However:
However, sometimes the public are constructive. This from my CPT18 Trip Report last year (LGW long-haul 777) ...
- Any instructions are frequently inaudible due to inadequate hardware or poor microphone technique.
- Gate layouts are not always compatible with either multiple queues or simply the number of pax.
However, sometimes the public are constructive. This from my CPT18 Trip Report last year (LGW long-haul 777) ...
At 1840 Gate 27 was declared … probably the longest walk available at LGW(S), and so we obediently trotted in that direction. On reaching our destination, we grabbed a couple of seats close to the impending action, and noted with surprise that there were no Tensa barriers or signage deployed. The only sign for a priority queue was abandoned forlornly against the wall. Even more surprising was the way everyone politely stayed well back from the desks, leaving at least 15 ft of clear space!! Where were the notorious Gate Lice we read about on FT?
Jun 25, 2019, 7:56 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2009
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Posts: 113
Jun 25, 2019, 7:59 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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But if passengers do not work with your system, this surely is a sign that your system is not good as you think it is (i.e. is not a "great system") and does not take into account how people actually behave in the real world as distinct to how you would like them to behave in an ideal world.
Besides, culturally, one might argue that the behaviour here is one of ‘first come first served’ ignoring both prioritisation and flight differentiation, ie any system conforming to that intuition would defeat the notion of check in time limits and priority boarding both of which are presumably legitimate.
so I agree in an ideal world but with existing constraints I do think that a bit of self-awareness/openness on the part of passengers would help the process quite significantly.