Another Elite Category?
 

It's August and on practically every flight I have taken this year, Golds, Silvers, and
Bronzes fill up half the plane on the pre-boarding announcement. Except for the assigned seat, it's almost like getting on the Southwest Cattlecar with the first 30 boarding passes. The time has come for CO to create something above Gold and
reward those people with more incentives
and to allow boarding on an individual Elite
basis. Since CO probably does not want to copy the "Platinum" category, let's call it
the "Titanium" or "Uranium", because you gotta be hard-skinned and explosive to attain membership!

At times when they call only the first class passengers to board I have seen more people enter than the number of first class seats.

How about a category "rushinium" for those who rush to get in the plane, and a category called "rushoutium" for those who jump to get out of the plane before the pilot has turned off the fasten seat belt sign.

Recently on a flight the pilot even forgot to turn off the seat belt sign after docking at the gate and it made no difference. I was among the last to deboard (I was on standby for the flight and got the last row) and told the pilot that the seat belt sign was still turned on.

Phil... The same thing happened me on a flight on Delta to Atlanta. I was cramped in
the window seat and everyone wondered why I
was sitting there... I asked the flight attendant "the seat belt sign is still on!"
She said everything's Okie dokie! Everyone rushed off like the ticket deal at Southwest Jaws43 talked about.

The flights at JFK has a race to see how many
people can be knocked down boarding the plane. It's like boarding the NYC subways!

Remember Guys I suggested that they break up
the boarding sequence and maybe start boarding 20 minutes early. First: the seniors and parents with children. Then
work down the elite tiers with about 3-5 minute gaps between each boarding sequence.
Then board from the back every FIVE ROWS!

IT's up to the flight attendants to make sure
the people board at the right time. I always
show my membership card to the attendants
before I board early. Only a few times on
United they take a look at it.

Maybe ask for the membership cards to be shown so Mr. infrequent flyer with 25 miles doesn't board for coach and take all the overhead space.

ONce on Lufthansa my section was called next to last I get on the plane and most of the section was full. I almost had to check some very fragile beer steins because the people overloaded the overheads with baby strollers
and very big bags (more than two for some!)

The beer steins got home ok, I got home
frazzled because the person next to me stretched out and snored the whole trip.
CATMAN

JAWS 43 May I suggest MEGA-URANIUM-235 status
for Continental's most frequent flyers.

Don't know about your experiences at CO-EWK
(Newark) but just as I started to board all
of sudden 100 people charged on and NONE of
Them were ELITES (I don't remember them being
called... I was in the back of the plane and
they all ended up setting up front in coach.)

It was like walking on the NYC subway tracks
at rush hour. A very nice and pretty flight
attendant gently took my arm and moved me out
of the way so the "herd" could pass.

I'll have to face the train in two weeks.
I'm working out to be ready. CATMAN

Dear Catman - your LH-experience must have been a long time ago (not the snoaring - the more than one handbag). Nowadays LH is very very very strict: ONE handbag they really try to force trough for Inner-European-flights. Coming from an international one (2 handbags allowed) and doing the last segment FRA-ZRH, discussions about sense/nonsense of that one-bag-rule for connecting international-flights can be time-consuming and delay (my) boarding ... (and in add people around me laugh about my Schwyzerduetsch = Swiss german dialect).

Rudi... That Lufthansa flight happened about
two years ago. Then the flight attendant
smiled at me and said first in german then
in English "I can't wait for the new baggage
rules to take effect!"

My lesson from that... if I buy gifts they
get shipped. I'll pay a little more now to
avoid problems boarding.

I flew Lufthansa again about eight months ago
and I made sure everythign was shipped or
checked except my small backpack with
a change of clothes, toiletries and the cameras. I flew in business class but I saw
teh attendants made sure the two bag rule
for int'l was enforced. They were tougher
with my "commuter" flights around Germany.

THey also guessed I was from New York the
minute I opened my mouth! CATMAN

as gold elite member i enjoy the priority boarding. in fact on aug 3, 1998 a trip i took from boston to ewr the boarding of the flight they called first class and all 98 bronze sliver and gold elite staus which is good that way i know if i still have to make that last minute phone call i can still board early. not have to woory about the non elite staus.

nancy, I hope you mean the year 1998, when you say "all 98 Gold & Silver Elites".
We all enjoy the privilege of early boarding
so we can get the overhead space, etc. However, my comments, Catman's comments, and others are intended to help
alleviate the stampede. I have been on flights that when early boarding was called,
I could almost believe that 98 Elites boarded. Of course, it was not that many,
but it sure seemed like it.

Nancy, you probably were lucky everyone acted
"civilized."

I had to take an overnight flight EWR to O'Hare on United and the flight attendant took a deep breath and said "we are now offering early boarding for Premier..." and before he could get out his sentence 75 people showed up at the door and a few started charging in. I ended up having to
wait for the train to go through before I
could get on even though I had a first class
ticket!

United must be a popular program to have so
many Premier members. I had to get two friends who flight United 100 days out of the
year to finally sign up. Ditto COntinental
(though I believe it flying the EWR/Houston
link)

Told the flight attendant of my suggestion and wrote it to United. It makes sense, right guys?

I will NOT be trampled, whether it's business
or a very very very needed vacation in Maui
next month!

And NANCY, could you do me a favor and put
a few punctuation marks between each sentence? Your entries are hard on my eyes
to ready. CATMAN

to catman soory about punctuation and your eyes i'll do better next time i gave you my word.

nancy - I think I have to confess, that I love you - at least I don't feel alone anymore typing many errors and using a funny english.

WHOA!(As we say in TEXAS), rudi. What's this "love stuff" about you and nancy on English? nancy is from New Jersey and, in New Jersey, english is hard to understand. Just ask Catman.

Catman - it seems to be you (New Jersey) turn: ???

TO stick with the topic at hand -- another
thought -- maybe when they call each catagory
make everyone LINE UP first for each one and
then let them board. This may add a few more
minutes to teh boarding process but maybe
start it a litle earlier. Rudi -- you can answer this: I think Lufthansa does this on
some busy flights.

I will answer the "language question" next.

This is off the topic but please allow me to
respond because you guys make me laugh about the "language" thing and I need it sometimes!

New Jersey is actually several different
"countries" with different "languages" and
"cultures." I live in an URBAN area (J.C.'s
right across from NYC) so I speak NEW YAWK
as opposed to nancy who lives in a suburban
community and speaks differently from those
at beach towns who speak differently.

IT took a speech class at New YOrk University
to lose it. But I speak JERSEE when excited and talking too fast. My friends have learned
to like me for what I am.

Though I would rather have a Texan or German-
Swiss accent, more intereting to listen to.

But let's get to the topic at hand. If you
want to talk about the language thing -- please respond to my e-mail address.

One more thing -- JERSEE people are great friends like I hope we all can be. HAPPY FLYING! CATMAN.