Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Discontinued Programs/Partners > Continental OnePass (Pre-Merger)
Reload this Page >

Continental tests 'self-boarding' at Houston airport

Community
Wiki Posts
Search

Continental tests 'self-boarding' at Houston airport

 
Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 16, 2010, 2:10 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Platinum, Starbucks Gold, PF Chang's Warrior, Wine Century 100
Posts: 1,105
Originally Posted by sbm12
The impact of this approach on the boarding time would negate any benefits that the turnstiles offer in terms of efficiency.
Then add one more step to the automation and have the turnstile display say "Your credit card has been automatically charged $20 for early boarding. Welcome aboard!"
paule123 is offline  
Old Aug 16, 2010, 2:21 pm
  #47  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
Posts: 35,432
Originally Posted by CO DCA
My experience with the LH self boarding gates is all LH domestic at FRA. The scrum developed before boarding recent flights to ATH and BCN. I generally don't take LH from FRA to the U.S. That said, the gate agents were awful, apathetic, and did not reinforce German stereotypes, but that's a different post.
That was my experience with these LH gates, too. It was the same every time. I've used them a few times at FRA and MUC. There was no boarding order whatsoever. It was like the start of a race. Boarding was announced and everyone pushed up to the turnstile.
Xyzzy is offline  
Old Aug 24, 2010, 9:36 am
  #48  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Silver, IHG Plat AMB, Hertz Pres. Circle, Avis Presidents Club; Caesars Diamond Plus
Posts: 641
How is this going lately?

The IAH-LHR flights over the past few days have been leaving from E4. Anyone know how the self-boarding is going with the new turnstiles? Basic stampede or orderly cattle drive...?
I'll be trying it out on my LHR flight next week if the gate remains the same, so I'm just wondering...
lindaiah is offline  
Old Dec 15, 2010, 9:26 pm
  #49  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA .5M, Vistana 1-Star owner
Posts: 992
Perhaps the device should have a scale which trips a 2nd ticket purchase if the user weighs over w_0 lbs or is over w_1" wide?
Richard Chen is offline  
Old Dec 15, 2010, 9:30 pm
  #50  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL Diamond, B6 Mosaic, AS MPV Gold, UA Gold MM, Marriott Plat, SPG Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 16,679
I used the self-boarding system at E4 for the first time last week. It went pretty smoothly, although I was in the first group of people to board. I have no idea how it went once they got back to the non-elites.
ssullivan is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 12:13 am
  #51  
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,033
Originally Posted by ssullivan
I used the self-boarding system at E4 for the first time last week. It went pretty smoothly, although I was in the first group of people to board. I have no idea how it went once they got back to the non-elites.
I was wondering about this. I've been in that wing a few times in the past 2 weeks around 5pm and I have never seen a flight listed for the gate. I was beginning to wonder if they'd closed it down or something.
IAHtraveler is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 8:30 am
  #52  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: HKG
Programs: Priority Club Plat
Posts: 12,311
Originally Posted by IAHtraveler
I was wondering about this. I've been in that wing a few times in the past 2 weeks around 5pm and I have never seen a flight listed for the gate. I was beginning to wonder if they'd closed it down or something.
E4 is a widebody gate. In the afternoon, it should only handle one of the flights to London, and/or AMS, CDG or FRA.
rkkwan is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 8:45 am
  #53  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,222
Originally Posted by IAHtraveler
I was wondering about this. I've been in that wing a few times in the past 2 weeks around 5pm and I have never seen a flight listed for the gate. I was beginning to wonder if they'd closed it down or something.
I used it last month going to HNL - the system was nicely designed, but still caused too much confusion for customers and probably delayed the boarding process beyond what could have been accomplished with two GAs working together on their own scanners.

You'd think people were being asked to critique Newton's Third Law the way they stared at the machine during boarding - total 'deer in the headlights'.
bocastephen is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 11:08 am
  #54  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 571
Even at FRA I’ve been on intra-EU flights where no one used them. I don’t mind, it means there’s no line there. I recently flew FRA-DUB and my traveling companions were completely confused by the self-boarding gate and wanted to wait in the insanely long line for the GA. Even after I walked on through they still stood in line.

Granted, we were all from the US and so they hadn’t seen this kind of gate before.

I can’t imagine CO would adopt these if LH hadn’t had success with it though. Of course, airlines measure success differently than we do.
IAHRyan is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 1:43 pm
  #55  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Phoenix
Programs: AA-Gold, Hilton-Gold, Hyatt - Platinum
Posts: 227
If the software did try to recognize boarding priority, how could it handle travel companions. If you are platinum and your spouse has no status, they couldn't board with you? Or a parent with status traveling with a 7 year old child. Is the parent penalized and can't board as an elite because they are traveling with a child?
lisah101 is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 1:58 pm
  #56  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 571
Originally Posted by lisah101
If the software did try to recognize boarding priority, how could it handle travel companions. If you are platinum and your spouse has no status, they couldn't board with you? Or a parent with status traveling with a 7 year old child. Is the parent penalized and can't board as an elite because they are traveling with a child?
I imagine it’d be easy if everyone was on the same PNR. Other than that, not sure.
IAHRyan is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 2:32 pm
  #57  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,606
Originally Posted by IAHRyan
I imagine it’d be easy if everyone was on the same PNR. Other than that, not sure.
+1

I would think the 7 year old kid would be on the same PNR. Maybe the elite could press a button to indicate an extra pax with them..
FriendlySkies is offline  
Old Dec 16, 2010, 2:48 pm
  #58  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Originally Posted by lisah101
If the software did try to recognize boarding priority, how could it handle travel companions.
Or it just doesn't because that's too much work and would slow things down more than a couple folks accidentally boarding out of order.
sbm12 is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.