Any plans for BA to change boarding process?
 

I read this on the BBC web site:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50214631

In summary, it is a trial with EasyJet to board passengers at LGW window seats first, or perhaps by row for families or groups. Also in the trial is an app which will inform passengers when to line up at the gate.

Does anyone know if BA are also looking at these kinds of new boarding processes? Personally, I can't see it working well for the passenger.

Can’t see it being popular here. Essentially if you’re a status passenger & therefore at the front/exit row you would board last. Now I don’t have a problem with being penultimate passenger on board (why spend time wedged in next to strangers when you could be in the lounge) but I know I’m in the minority (albeit with CWS).

The main issue would be BA’s inability to manage hand baggage allowances so the lockers would be full way before those forward of row 15 boarded (ie. the seats status passengers would normally occupy). Now if BA could somehow enforce the limits by perhaps tagging bags that were allowed in lockers like Ryanair then I would cautiously welcome trialing this.

How will they charge for speedy boarding??

The theoretically best way of boarding a plane is by random row, window first. There are some videos about it on YouTube.

Won't work in practice, as families will tend to be sitting together and will want to board together.

It won’t make it better for passengers, just the airlines. They’ll still have you waiting at the gate, on the jetway, or in a room at the gate area as suits the airline and airport. Airports are all hurry up and wait.

It makes it better in that quicker boarding means faster turnaround and hence better recovery from delays (plus I guess lower costs at the airport for occupying a stand) That's the price you pay for cheap tickets.

Air Asia have this down to a fine art. They can turn a plane round in 20 minutes,

The first bit is no worse than being first on a bus that they then let all and sundry onto....

I like to be near the front of boarding to (a) stash my bag above me (b) status benefit that I will utilise

Never seen Ryanair tag bags for the lockers. Only yellow tags are when people are charged £25/£50 at the gate for bringing a cabin bag when non-priority, too large a bag, or too many bags. Those bags then go into the hold (unless of course the tag "falls off" down the stairs, or they sneak it on board).

BA can barely manage group 1,2,3,4 and 5 in that order so anything beyond that, would take them into the realms of what a 1yo might have issues with ;)

Ryanair have a 25 min turnaround time (less if the plane arrives late) and quite often can be done in say 16 mins. It's just that the gate staff then have to wait until the last minute for a couple of people who came through security 3 hours earlier to slowly waltz up to the gate without a care in the world.
Not saying that if everyone turned up early that the plane could leave earlier, but there's nearly always someone who turns up last second (possibly with a checked bag) when everyone boarded 10 mins ago.

The article said 10% gain so all this fuss for 2 minutes gained on a 20-minute process.
Requiring people to be at the gate and ready to board in the correct order.

Group boarding it tricky enough.

Looks like a slow news day or anything but the B-word

CGP Grey has a great video -

Do Southwest still do the queue system where you line up in order? i.e. A1, A2.....A20, B1 etc.
Seems to work for them up to a point.

Not sure if this is true, but FR for example charge ground handling something like £50+/minute for any delays beyond their departure time.
Don't the crews only get paid from the time the doors are closed? Not sure about EZY.
If the plane is sitting idle, it's not making money.

They do, but Southwest don't allocate seats. Last on, guaranteed middle seat near the back :)

Why would BA change their boarding process just because EasyJet and Gatwick are trialling something that’s been tried and abandoned elsewhere?

At the end of the day, everything is down to:

Baggage. Too much being taken in the cabin which causes hold ups.
Humans being unable to read; follow simple instructions; their own self-worth; lack of consistency.

It really doesn't matter how perfect a system is. One thing changes and the whole system fails.

This isn't just about speeding up the time. It allows the boarding process to be managed more by IT so theres a staff cost saving of people needed to staff and police the process.

The same reason why AA follows DL and United on any change they make.. even though it makes no sense what so ever..