mctaste

Therein lies the issue. You have no way to know anyone’s health problems based on an ocular patdown.

ethernal

Ahhh.. how lovely that you assume that DMs are usually sitting in C+!

I had an all Diamond row 36 a few weeks back on a 739.

cre95

It doesn’t matter where they are sitting... as long as they are DM, they could be sitting in the middle seats at the back of the bus.

FBplatinum

It did not annoy me (as a Diamond who sit most of the time in Y)

FBplatinum

I support this 100%.

About the pre-boarding peoples, It is very hard to tell who "fake" and who are in their right to use it.
Why not have a rules to solves this issue.
Most REAL pre-boarding always wait at the end to deplane (many wait for the wheelchair). In this case use a First in, last out.
I think we will see a "drop" in the pre-boarding line...

Pip Carlson

The amount of seemingly healthy people pre-boarding has steadily gone up. I had a flight late last year where 20+ people "pre-boarded", almost all appearing healthy. I think to reduce the number of pre-boards, you should have to have something added to your ticket prior to departure or better yet when booking. Pre-boards should be placed at the back of the plane when possible, especially if they book BE. If it takes longer for board, in theory you will take longer to deplane and should be last to go.

RobertS975

Right, many DMs would rather be in any aisle seat vs. a C+ middle or window.

FBplatinum

The point is DM always board with first class (or business). They are not the one who try to board before their time...

MSPeconomist

How would you enforce this? Handcuff preorders to their seats?

pmarrsouth

which is promptly ignored by the majority of gate agents and the offender progresses onto the plane unimpeded

film_girl

I think this is the truth. The shaming won’t stop people, especially those that fly once a year. But sending people to the back and doing that consistently, it might take a long time, but that can become a learned behavior where people won’t board when it isn’t their zone because they know it won’t matter and they’ll get sent to the back. I’m a fan of that.

Of course, part of the reason this happens (in addition to people just not caring/wanting to get on the plane early for bin space) is that airlines change the boarding procedures so frequently and give so many different types of flyers some type of “priority” boarding, without explaining what it is. Priority boarding from an employer (putting you in a higher boarding group regardless of fare class) is different than Sky Priority, which is different than whatever boarding they now offer with SkyMiles Select. And people also think if they have Main Cabin 1, they are in the first boarding group (and not the sixth or seventh).

I’m not defending people that scam into earlier boarding zones (although I have to be honest and admit that when I traveled less, I was certainly guilty of this myself. Not boarding first or even second, but I definitely didn’t always board with my assigned group), but a big problem is how overly complicated the process is — and that’s at least in part because of how airlines try to sell early boarding as a bonus without actually being clear about what that means.

As for needs extra time passengers, I’m sure plenty of people take advantage of that, but I’m not going to judge people based on what I can see. If I’m honest, I’m much more bothered by families who don’t have car seats or strollers, boarding with families with young children, even though the kids are 8 or 9 years old and carrying their own bags.

MSPeconomist

I think it would help a lot if the gate monitors were to consistently display the current boarding group, ideally in a standard format also indicating the next group or the entire prioritized sequence with the current group highlighted.

OTOH I fear that rigorous and consistent of boarding groups will just cause more people to scam pre-boarding. This includes the entire extended families boarding with kids long past the stroller/car seat stage, where IMO part of the problem is the failure to clearly and consistently define what a small child it--I think the answer is that one has purchased a seat in which a car seat will be installed.

FBplatinum

No...

When you pre-board it is very easy to have a list (they must scan their boarding pass before all).
When it is only the remaining pre-board passenger left, you can see who have left.
You can take action on their next flight, (black list them to pre-board).

MSPeconomist

If these are FOTSG people, their next flight will be next year, on Southwest or Frontier.

FBplatinum

Other suggestion...

You put their carry on in the last overhead bin (or even in a close cabinet).

Also the FA can collect their boarding pass (and give them only when they are deplaning), you can always say it is a question of security.

Next year they will not use the same "trick"... With time, we will reduce this pre-boarding lineup.