Do DM get to jump the priority queue?
 

Was on KA from a Mainland port to HK about 2 weeks ago, and was waiting at the very front of the priority line since I had quite a bit of carry-on.:D

The priority line itself had 30+ people (which I guess is the norm nowadays, not sure how many were in J and how many MP members).

Anyway, 2 gentlemen decided to approach one of the ground staff at the counter and demanded that they are allowed to the front of the queue, saying that it is a DM benefit. This was about 3 to 5 minutes before boarding started.

This poor ground staff (in KA uniform) explained (and really did try, given that they were not communicating in her mother tounge) that she is not aware of this benefit and asked these 2 gentlemen to take a seat and wait. The DM (not sure whether the other was a DM) wasn't too happy and asked why they are to take a seat, the ground staff explained that the priority line is for all J passengers and MP members, including DM.

The DM asked the ground staff to call her supervisor and ask, for which she did with her walkie. The response from her supervisor was that they are to queue like the rest of us. The DM ended up writing her name down on a bit of paper and advised her that he will be in touch with MP club regarding this issue. The ground staff held her name badge up politely ^ so that he can clearly read it.

For completeness, boarding then commenced and I was walking down the bridge when these 2 gentlemen were standing next to the counter.

My questions are:
1 - Do DMs get to jump the priority queue?
2 - Are people really that desperate to get onto a plane, given that he has/they have spent many hours on planes to achieve DM? (they were travelling light and didn't have much carry on so wasn't in a fight for space in the overhead lockers, maybe they wanted their choice of newspaper:rolleyes:)

DM certainly does not have that priority (though I am also a DM:)) & need to queue up like other MPC members, One world elites and business class passengers

The KA ground staff did a great job

No written privilege.
However, at HKG and some airports, when an aircraft has a first class, gate agents occasionally make 3rd queue for F and DM(and OWE?), then check statuses of passengers in J queue and move passengers of F and DM to the 3rd queue. Passengers in the 3rd queue board first.

Rumors say this operation is also applied when J queue is longer than Y queue :)

My experience reflects that of Wasabi Tofu's (that is, flights with F have a third line also incorporating DM/OWE members).

Was on HKG-HND in J earlier this week with my CX GO# on my BP. The agent checking BPs actually noted my AA EXP bag tag and directed me & family to the F line.

Those demanding special DM privileges probably didn't get it by flying like the rest of you proper DM members who would know the proper drill !

Just as the other members said, it is not a DM benefit - neither published nor unpublished. If there is a separate F queue, then DMs can queue up there. Otherwise, DMs should stay in the J queue.

Years ago when there were only a F/J queue and a Y queue, the gate staff will sometimes lead F passengers and DMs traveling in J to the head of the F/J queue, but that was only "by invitation only".

They might also be new DMs. They might see passengers in separate queues when they were GOs, and misunderstood that is a DM benefit.

No such benefits. I dislike these people. I always call them out and shame them. It's not like they're the only DMs traveling.

How to shame them?

I don;t travel as much as some of the others here. I have come across CX inviting F and DMs travelling in J to a separate shorter line. I have also come across CX agents leading their own VIPs separately. I suppose people with special needs are sometimes given special treatment too. I am fine with that.

As CXfan1960 so rightly put it, his description was of an "invitation only" scenario. It is up to CX to run their own business and of course those who do not like it don;t need to fly with them. It is totally different for others who feel "entitled" because they are DM or whatever and make demands and make a scene. That is stupid and wrong.

My HKG - SYD last week had the J line marked OWE/DM, there was then a OWS/GO line behind this roped off to hold back the 'inferior' elites. I hadn't seen this before but it makes sense.

Either way if you are at the gate prior to boarding then you can pretty much guarantee boarding before anyone in Y as they clear these lines first before general boarding which is nice.

Have never seen anyone so brazenly try to cut the line based on status but have certainly stopped others from cutting in front, people will try anything on and it's always nice to see CX rules firmly applied to cut these fools down to size.

No DM has no such benefit. Just a couple of clowns. However, I've usually seen people with F/J tickets cut in front of the line and the staff, after seeing their BP, don't bother to correct them but just check them in. And I frequently hear people with F/J tickets complain to ground staff why they have to get in line behind people with Y tickets but with status.

That's because any MPC member can line up with any J flyer. It's not the fault of those J passengers, it's a design problem of CX's.

Well, DM in lots of Y is another story :D

While I wouldn't suggest anyone to cut the line, although it feels a little silly to get DMs to line up behind the likes of GRs.

Unless all CX KA boarding gates enforce a 4-line approach regardless of how many products are offered on board this problem will never resolve

But if a 4-line approach is in full force, I think DM can use F queue, GO can use J queue, GR can use PEY queue, but can't tell should SL be allowed to use J or not...

TPE don't use this system. Last time 3 J fliers cut in line, finally by the 3rd J flier some complain, and the J flier loudly said: "I'm J, I paid more, I don't get behind you", and the gate staff did nothing.

Sounds like a charming person.

I think CX should bite the bullet and remove the queueing benefit for Green or alternately rigorously enforce that this is cardholder only at that level

SL can use the PEY queue. OWR generally does not receive priority boarding.

At check-in counters that have all Y, PEY, J, F, MPC lines, are GO members allowed to use the J line?

A little something like this....

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"

Pardon my ignorance.... If you fly on premium cabin, why you want to rush into the plane?

I can understand if you want to rush into the plane if you are flying economy, as sometimes the overhead storage bean will be "taken" by other with "extra" carry on.

I never really care to rush to the plane anyway......

Can someone enlighten me why someone want to rush into the plane?

I never understood the rationale for offering queuing benefits for Green (check in and boarding)

lingua101: me neither. I usually am the last to board.

I am usually one of the last to board - whether I am in a premium cabin or not.

One time at JFK one of the gate agent (she saw my BP as I had previously went to her to ask a question) offered to bring me to the front of the line (I wasn't in line, I was at the window plane watching), I politely declined and just stayed at the window continuing to plane watch until most of passengers had already boarded.

CB should really try to shame them :mad:

That was just classless!

Precisely!

If long haul then no, I don't rush to board if I'm already flying in J. However, be careful if you fly PEY, those overhead gets filled up by people can't find space in Y and the cabin crew just put them in PEY overhead instead, regardless if PEY people have boarded or not. I've seem PEY that boarded late with no space overhead (of course the last recourse is put them in empty J overheads by the cabin crew)

I have to say that if flying F I do try to board first so that I can get a couple of glasses of Krug on the ground (Krug being so much better than the stuff they serve in the lounge).

I have been moved in Hong Kong from the Business queue to the First queue as an Emerald member traveling in Business.

But that's only because there is a F queue. :)

Recently took a flight out of PVG.

There was only a J and Y queue, so I joined the J queue like a normal person; at this point I'm pretty much in the front, so it's all good for me. After the line started to get long, but the boarding process did not start yet (it was slightly delayed), this late arriving DYKWIA guy comes up and decides he's going to start creating his own line. I'm looking at him like are you on standby and the GA comes over and before she can say anything, he pulls the, "I'm a DM" card and she basically just backs off. Now you can imagine all the J passengers are trying to move to the new line, because they think that's the new J line. More confusion when they're told DMs have priority for them (paying premium passengers), thus forcing the GA to put out new signs that read "First Class and Diamond."

Anyways all this time, I'm still standing in the original J queue like ... assert your rights as GAs! But sadly there are are now some 35 DMs (!!) in the new queue.

In the end, the DYKWIA DM won. :(

My HKG-ORD last week had (rigidly enforced ^ ) 4 lane boarding.

F, Diam, OWE
J, Gold, OWS
PE
Eco

Technically F pax and DM can be pull by GA to go to the front of the line. But so far they are only pulling F pax, and not DMs. Mind you this is unpublished benefit and most CX staff ignores it. But I guess if some DM wants to pull DYKWIA, yeah, CX staff is known to back off to characters....

I haven't encountered that yet since they have the 3/4-line scheme. In my case if there is a F cabin, there is always a line for F/DM/OWE. Did you encounter this in EWR?

Only one time in EWR, and only 3 times in HKG, but not much lately. I asked an agent is this something new, and she said its something given in communiques but not a strict policy. F/DM, if identified, can get pulled out of the line and escorted to the front during boarding.

When I was still flying out of JFK I've seem this a few times in HKG-JFK flights, F would get identified and pulled to the side up front, but I haven't fly JFK-HKG-JFK anymore so don't know if they still do that now.

The thing is, your flight has four classes of service.

My flight out of PVG only had two!

The DYWIA DM took it upon himself to create a new queue after seeing how long the standard priority line was.

Joins ICAC Man and 40,000 chef as examples of aggression wins.

I'm guessing SL and OWR in PEY line?