Deadhead crew boarding as pre-boards?
 

ATL-JFK FL 202 today.
A half-dozen deadheading flight attendants board with the pre-boards. They even cut in front of a wheelchair pax. As if this didn't look bad enough, the gate agent gave an older man trying to board behind them the third degree about whether he was qualified to pre-board.

I can't think of any reason uniformed employees should board before their zone.

They generally stow a lot of bags in the back (hence why they board early). It happens on nearly every flight where there are commuters or deadheads.

Actually about the most pissed I have ever been at a flight crew is when they cut right directly in front of me. I don't care if they board early but there is common courtesy. They were surprised that I was pissed.

I agree that this happens all the time - crew board at the beginning as an unspoken courtesy rule between GAs and FAs, and there is also the stowing of the bags issue and ensuring they have space. That being said, I also agree it is bad to cut off other passengers trying to board - in wheelchairs or otherwise. I have no problem with them boarding with pre-boards, but there is still a “line.” Stand in it.

You would think that this wouldn't be an issue but some of the worst offenders of not following the carry on policy (in my experience) are crew members.

Does crew have the same carry on policy as passengers?

I would doubt they do, but the problem I would think is not "are they allowed to" but "what is the perception when they bring more than passengers?"

I have seen many foreign crew picking their bags up at baggage claim with a special crew bag tag. Seems that domestic airlines don't have a similar process in place (maybe it isn't logistically possible with how US carriers operate their schedules).

That said, the perception is certainly bad when an FA is boarding with a roller, duffel, tote, and shopping bag.

When a crew has to be somewhere else to work a flight, they "deadhead" (at airline expense). That part is no different from anyone else who travels on business to a different place by air. They're just doing it in uniform, so it's pretty obvious. Sometimes their work location happens to be the next gate over, or at least inside the same terminal. It would be very inefficient to require them to have to check bags, exit security at their connection just so that they can recheck and go back through. Every crewmember I know is able to pack what they need for the trip into an airline-compliant carryon.

And, like other businesses, airlines let their employees go on vacation, and sometimes they travel by air. When that happens, they are usually NOT traveling in uniform, they have a different ticket status, and they pack differently. So to answer your question, yes, they have the same carry on policy when they are passengers, but different when they are working.

OP, there's already a thread where this should have been posted

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delt...ain-about.html

crew members preboarding??? HEAVENS TO BETSY!

Come on, we've all seen diamonds boarding with multiple rollaboards.

I don't see how this could even remotely offend you. Airline crew often work 3-4 day (or longer) trips during which they have to have clothes to wear in their crew bags. What would happen if crew boarded last, had to gate check their bags, and then the bags were lost? This would be incredibly disruptive for the remaining portion of their trip.

Same here they usually board early and together with bags.

I've also seen a large number of crew members, deadheading or otherwise, bringing massively oversized bags on... In particular, I tend to notice when my jacket gets crushed when they try to ram their giant suitcases into the closet. There is absolutely no reason they can't gate check and have their bags brought out to the jetway after everyone deplanes (except for maybe unions :rolleyes:).

This.
+1