CJKatl

A couple questions about that....

Boarding first means I'm not standing in the Jetway behind 100 other people waiting to board. Most GAs wouldn't likely take the time to monitor whether the Jetway is clear. How could you be sure you aren't forced to stand in the unheated unairconditioned Jetway under threat of losing your seat?

As things are, you have a choice of boarding first or last. Why make those of us who value being able to do work while waiting for takeoff change a system that works for us? Again, standing in the Jetway is wasted time. Sitting in the seat is often productive: answering emails, checking messages and making calls.

arlflyer

All those things you mention in the last sentence I generally do in the boarding area or lounge. If the boarding process were adjusted to have F board last, and I were flying F that day, then I would just continue to do them for a longer period of time. I generally prefer that setting for work as opposed to being on the plane.

No, I didn't intend to charge headlong onto the jetbridge while 200 Y pax were still there. Generally, GAs make at least a trip or two down the bridge before the door is closed. Ostensibly, they could see when the Y line had died down and then call F.

Neither system is perfect but I see less downside in one where F boards last in my opinion, given my preferences and habits.

CKDGM

Many airline systems are running on TPF on IBM mainframes, even today...so yes, they are using EBCDIC. I have no specific knowledge about DL.

GeorgeBurdell

Board F last? And take away the opportunity of the privileged few to enjoy an adult beverage while the unwashed masses trudge by to their proper place in the bowels of the aircraft? Really?

Seriously, the biggest complaint I have is how people jam up into the boarding area. If it's not some gate lice hovering around the SP lane like it was going to disappear and leave them before they boarded, its the lower boarding zones all hovering around the gate area in a swarm. Some of the worst is in ATL where you can't walk down the concourse without swerving around these swarms. I think they need to simply enforce the policy. The pre-board announcement needs to include the jargon that if you board before we call your zone, you will be asked to step aside and wait until we've cleared the other passengers (go to the end of the line so to speak). Then do it. Most of the line jumpers are people who didn't get upgraded and think they're still entitled to board early or those pretending to not understand the pre-boarding announcements or other people who just plain think the rules don't apply to them.

Maybe something so simple as asking people to line up by zone and having the gate area arranged to make it easy to understand. Three lines should cover it.

MSPeconomist

No lining up by zone even if I'm always in PREM or SKY. I pay to fly DL not Southwest.

sethb

I think Sky and Zone 1 should not use the Sky Priority lane; because they do, when Zone 1 is boarding and an F pax shows up, there's no priority access. By limiting the "bypass lane" to F (who go first anyway), or anyone from an earlier priority group than the one currently boarding, proper priority would be maintained.

This could also help keep the gate lice away from that lane.

MedPhys

I far prefer the Southwest method. Many of my flights are so Medallion-heavy that boarding in Sky Priority is basically a free-for-all with 60+ passengers pushing, snaking in and blocking to try to get to the front of the line. It's a ridiculous mess that makes flying so much more irritating, stressful and dysfunctional than it should ever be (like the old days of Southwest).

Now, however, I generally spend far less time standing in line with Southwest than I do with Delta "battling" the massive number of Medallions.

kitkat77

I totally agree as to the battle being irritating as he!!, but not sure what the solution is. Southwest and their numbering system seems to work well.

I also agree that on Medallion-heavy flights, it turns into a virtual mosh pit when getting on the plane. If you're upgraded, it requires almost pushing to get through, and if you're not, it's like the opening of Best Buy on Black Friday (although, I think they do numbers, now!).

They should really consider breaking the Medallion boarding into levels if Sky > 20.

CJKatl

When the UG list exceeds a certain number, let's say 40, the SKY boarding zone should be broken down into DM, PM and GM, to keep the crowding at a minimum. Why have zones if more than half the plane is boarding in SKY?

Last time I flew through NRT, they did line people up in boarding zones. It made a horribly disorganized process into a slightly disorganized process.

pbiflyer

When they merged with NW, many of the functions were taken over by the old NW system, which is a mainframe using IMS (archaic). Not sure about the check in process though.

fsuj25

20 minutes = one drink. increases my productivity

cfabar1

The strange thing is, the boarding process clearly doesn't work… at all.. There are so many more efficient ways they could be doing it, I think much like the award calendar, they just are not interested in fixing it. Which surprises me, because overall, I feel like Delta for all its various faults, provides better service and experience at the airport for the actual travel, than any other US airline. However, in this one part of the travel process… Boarding… its absolutely atrocious.

MSPeconomist

If DL doesn't want to fix the boarding process, why am I getting a survey link by email about the boarding process after almost every flight I take? At least, DL seems to care that GAs follow procedures, make good announcements, enforce existing rules, etc.

NotHamSarnie

It's true they ask these questions that check whether the GAs followed their system, but they don't ask whether the GAs enforce what they say is the system or whether the system actually works. The purpose of these surveys is a mystery to me given the cluster*&$( that is the boarding process.

MSPeconomist

My theory is that DL believes that asking about boarding might cause passengers not to complain about other stuff. It sounds like DL cares, and maybe we assume that other passengers get a different version of the feedback survey that focuses on something else.