The Gate Lice are coming... the GATE LICE are coming
Oct 29, 2017, 5:00 pm
#1786
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
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the basic definition of Gate Lice is the gaggles who congregate by the boarding lanes ... all the pillars seem to do is convert an amorphous gaggle into three or four sort-of-linear gaggles, and possibly discourage some out-of-sequence boarding (line-cutting) 
Oct 29, 2017, 7:06 pm
#1787
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: TYS
Programs: Delta, AA, Hilton
Posts: 149
I think one of the biggest problems is some of the gate areas are tiny. I flew out of A10 in ATL and I think there were a total of 25 seats between A10 and A8. For a full CR9 that leaves 50+ people standing, and if people are going to have to stand, they'll naturally do it in the boarding area. The pillars do seem to make the gaggle a bit more organized in those situations.
Oct 29, 2017, 7:16 pm
#1788
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: MSN
Programs: Delta DM, Bonvoy LT Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,987
I don't have enough experience with it but the few times I've had it Z1-3 were almost perpendicular to SP/Prem and did clear it up a bit but honestly a lot of gates are small so I'm not sure it's going to be a permanent thing.
Oct 29, 2017, 7:16 pm
#1789
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How do the pillars "encourage gate lice"??? They're set back from the podium and away from the door, the people who line up there early are the same people that are going to be gate lice anyway, only now they're away from the door.
I just don't see any scenario where the gate lice problem is worse with pillars than without.
I just don't see any scenario where the gate lice problem is worse with pillars than without.
Oct 29, 2017, 10:00 pm
#1790
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,265
I think one of the biggest problems is some of the gate areas are tiny. I flew out of A10 in ATL and I think there were a total of 25 seats between A10 and A8. For a full CR9 that leaves 50+ people standing, and if people are going to have to stand, they'll naturally do it in the boarding area. The pillars do seem to make the gaggle a bit more organized in those situations.
Oct 30, 2017, 5:46 am
#1791
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 1,400
People see the pillars and think they're flying Southwest or at least flying a LCC or some airline that doesn't assign seats. Then they feel even more need to rush to board as early as possible so as to get a better seat. They might even just drop into the first good seat they see, rather than their assigned seat.
Oct 30, 2017, 6:21 am
#1792
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: At the moment? ...
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 377
People see the pillars and think they're flying Southwest or at least flying a LCC or some airline that doesn't assign seats. Then they feel even more need to rush to board as early as possible so as to get a better seat. They might even just drop into the first good seat they see, rather than their assigned seat.
Oct 30, 2017, 6:54 am
#1793
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: DL PM, 1MM, DL SC, Kimpton Inner Circle
Posts: 2,416
How do the pillars "encourage gate lice"??? They're set back from the podium and away from the door, the people who line up there early are the same people that are going to be gate lice anyway, only now they're away from the door.
I just don't see any scenario where the gate lice problem is worse with pillars than without.
I just don't see any scenario where the gate lice problem is worse with pillars than without.
Oct 30, 2017, 3:51 pm
#1794
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Texas
Programs: AA Plat, DL Gold
Posts: 101
Where do you want these people to go, exactly? The pillars are set back from the actual boarding lane. They seem to work at keeping the lane clear.
Oct 30, 2017, 3:52 pm
#1795
Suspended
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Location: Texas
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Posts: 101
Oct 30, 2017, 4:02 pm
#1796
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,451
People see the pillars and think they're flying Southwest or at least flying a LCC or some airline that doesn't assign seats. Then they feel even more need to rush to board as early as possible so as to get a better seat. They might even just drop into the first good seat they see, rather than their assigned seat.
Oct 30, 2017, 4:04 pm
#1797
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I've said it before: If I want to fly Southwest (or Southwest style), I would buy tickets on WN. I do not want to fly Southwest.
Oct 30, 2017, 4:05 pm
#1798
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: LON, PDX
Programs: DL PM, AS MVP 75K, HH/SPG/MR Gold, Amex Plat, PRG, CSR
Posts: 2,064
But WN assigns Boarding Line Numbers. And believe me, that is self-policed by the people in line. Southwest, despite your assumptions, has the most orderly boarding system out there. And might I add, they accomplish this with probably the least experienced passenger demo out there. If you want orderly boarding, every airline ought to employ boarding line numbers, driven by status and seat assignment if those pertain. If you have Boarding Line Numbers, the posts simply guide people where to line up.
The cattle call is primary among the many reasons that I've completely sworn off WN for life.
Oct 30, 2017, 4:39 pm
#1799
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DCA, LEX
Programs: DL Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Caesars Diamond, K Fund
Posts: 375
The hatred you have for WN is bizarre. You have been asked for evidence supporting your claims, and all you can do is babble about how bad WN is.
Oct 30, 2017, 4:54 pm
#1800
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: LON, PDX
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Maybe we just have personal aversions to the way WN does some things, especially the boarding, but there are few business and no airlines that I dislike more than them. It really is a miserable way to be treated and their worse than Spirit on-time performance doesn't help much either.