Zorak

People are going to stand around when they don't need to anyway, which is where there is a 121-page thread on gate lice I haven't been at a gate that uses the pillars yet, but it seems like at least with those you stand some chance of not having to fight your way through for PREM or SKY boarding.

I think you left out a "doesn't" in here somewhere

teddybear99

You need to learn how to change your settings so you can see the maximum 40 posts per page. This is only page 46 in my browser.

Zorak

I don't want all those zone 1 and zone 2 posts clogging up my reading lanes while I'm still working my way through the PREM and SKY posts

ACCDraw

Just finished LAX based trip.
The posts have arrived.
Post - Premium
Post - Priority Sky
Post - Zone 1
Posts - Zone et al

NOW Delta needs to coordinate the announced cacophany with lighted sign announcements.

Lots of newbie flyer Priority Passengers standing in front at Premium (Amex Card holders?)
4 or 5 Priority passengers “mis-heard” announcement and tried to board with Premium,
no biggie. But then they didn’t move to let Prem Pax board.

DLDiamond2013

Hate hate hate the boarding pillars. It’s total Southwest style. But beyond that, everyone just stands even more needlessly now, and if you don’t stand, you’ll be at the end of the line and really have no chance at overhead bin space (Premium and Sky zones exempt from worrying). If you are tired and want to sit before the flight, you’re screwed as the pillar line is full and you’ll be at the end of boarding. In ATL they are horrific as the boarding process spills into the main concourse walkway so passengers trying to walk beyond a gate that is boarding have to wind through a ridiculous maze of people. They’re awful and I’ve found them awful since they were introduced. I cannot find how they help boarding at all and do several things to seriously downgrade the entire process. As if that weren’t enough, the gate chairs in ATL are being replaced with hard plastic likely under the assumption that people are going to stand at the pillars (or the hard chairs will force people to stand at the pillars).

Loadmaster

Interesting. As an ATL based traveler, I've rarely seen any gate that didn't spill out into the concourse; it's also been my experience that the pillars actually reduce gate-to-concourse spillover.

DLDiamond2013

Loadmaster

True enough, and I agree on that aspect, but since the other lanes tend to keep a good portion of folks within the gate area and out of the concourse, I suppose I've automatically labeled it as a degree of progress.

And trust me, I also loathe having to try to squeeze by in a concourse that is 3.5 million feet wide just because a flight is about to board and every single person feels the need to line up to jockey for position

defrosted

Nice one this morning, no boarding started, this woman barges past me and stands right in front of me. I am standing at the edge of the crowd. I can see her boarding pass clearly says Zone 3. They call pre boards she gets closer, they call Premium, she is even closer as is now basically at the "rope" divider thing. They call sky and now most of the people waiting have to walk around her.

I got about half a chapter in my book and I notice her boarding. I think by golly she was the FIRST zone 3 to board.

pvn

I'm not really sure why this bothers you. If you're a DM and you worried about overhead space you're still going to be able to board before all these people so there's no need for you personally to stand around, boarding has been spilling into the hallway forever and in fact is probably better-controlled with these since most of the lines are parallel to the hallway instead of perpendicular as they were before.

pvn

This will soon be a thing of the past as the DM ranks get thinned out by the waiver modification etc and fewer DYKWIA's are in premium line.

defrosted

I hate the look/idea of them for this reason, but do think that psychologically I think it makes it harder for people to claim "I didn't know what zone was boarding".

However you can't fix stupid, so overall I am apathetic to the pillars.

pvn

I'm not really sure how the pillars make it "southwest style" any more than assigning zones already did.

defrosted

Changed my mind this Sky Priority lone is blocking the entire gate area. People have to barge through to get to the GA or seats.

vincentharris

This was impressive especially since PRE BOARDING had NOT even begun yet.

Needless to say I waited until the VERY VERY end to board (to the point where the GA called my name) I was not even going to attempt to fight that mess.....