Boarding After 5/1/2021
#91
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,776
Four flight last week. (1) A220, (1) E175, (2) CR9. On the two flights with larger bins, both filled up before boarding was completed. We're not even to the busy summer travel season yet.
Everyone just needs to keep complaining to DL. I've been told by a good friend who works at DL HQ that they are aware of the issue.
Everyone just needs to keep complaining to DL. I've been told by a good friend who works at DL HQ that they are aware of the issue.
#92
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,324
Four flight last week. (1) A220, (1) E175, (2) CR9. On the two flights with larger bins, both filled up before boarding was completed. We're not even to the busy summer travel season yet.
Everyone just needs to keep complaining to DL. I've been told by a good friend who works at DL HQ that they are aware of the issue.
Everyone just needs to keep complaining to DL. I've been told by a good friend who works at DL HQ that they are aware of the issue.
#93
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,885
Yesterday's boarding process was interesting. Oh my how times have changed! They announced that due to the light load, boarding would be two zones. First class would board first, and then everyone else. Formerly a route with heavy business traffic where an upgrade to C+ would have been difficult. I was the only medallion on the flight. F cabin had 1 medallion upgrade (me), 2 paid pax, and 4 non revs. There were only two checked bags on the flight.
#94
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,776
If they are aware of an issue and aren’t doing anything about it than I wouldn’t count on anything being done about it anytime soon. All they have to do is send out a company wide e-mail telling the GAs to go back to zoned boarding and voila this issue would be solved. Ironically on DL.com, there is no longer any mention that they are still boarding back to front as it was listed in with their seat blocking policy page and now that this is no longer active, there’s no way to find out that this is how they still board.
One interesting note, when I went through JFK last week they still have the Sky and general boarding lanes setup. They didn’t use separate lanes, but this is the first airport I’ve seen this. DCA, ATL, DTW, SEA have all removed these. (In my experience over the past two months)
#95
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I can’t say specifically, but my guess from what I’ve been told is the wheels are in motion. I just can’t figure out what is taking so long or what could possibly make DL think business travelers will put up with this.
One interesting note, when I went through JFK last week they still have the Sky and general boarding lanes setup. They didn’t use separate lanes, but this is the first airport I’ve seen this. DCA, ATL, DTW, SEA have all removed these. (In my experience over the past two months)
One interesting note, when I went through JFK last week they still have the Sky and general boarding lanes setup. They didn’t use separate lanes, but this is the first airport I’ve seen this. DCA, ATL, DTW, SEA have all removed these. (In my experience over the past two months)
#96
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,776
Update 5/18.
I dropped a friend off at DCA this morning. He said they boarded by normal zones. Morning flight to MSP. Normal boarding announcement.
I dropped a friend off at DCA this morning. He said they boarded by normal zones. Morning flight to MSP. Normal boarding announcement.
#98
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Programs: DL Platinum, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 139
Flew JFK-LAX and back over this past weekend. In both cases, the process was: pre-boarding, then F, then C+, and then general boarding (back to front).
At JFK, they called C+ and the back rows of Main Cabin within 30 seconds of each other, but the GAs were directing C+ to the Sky Priority lane.
At JFK, they called C+ and the back rows of Main Cabin within 30 seconds of each other, but the GAs were directing C+ to the Sky Priority lane.
#99
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I predict that boarding procedures will be inconsistent throughout the summer.
#100
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 890
I can’t say specifically, but my guess from what I’ve been told is the wheels are in motion. I just can’t figure out what is taking so long or what could possibly make DL think business travelers will put up with this.
One interesting note, when I went through JFK last week they still have the Sky and general boarding lanes setup. They didn’t use separate lanes, but this is the first airport I’ve seen this. DCA, ATL, DTW, SEA have all removed these. (In my experience over the past two months)
One interesting note, when I went through JFK last week they still have the Sky and general boarding lanes setup. They didn’t use separate lanes, but this is the first airport I’ve seen this. DCA, ATL, DTW, SEA have all removed these. (In my experience over the past two months)
#101
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,776
Also said 100% full flight, many people not properly wearing masks while boarding.
Leave it to DL to make things inconsistent, which is nuts since they literally give FA's and gate agents a script to read these days. Flying out of JFK last week they had a script to read about the JD Power award. They've been reading a script for weeks about the new onboard beverages.
#102
#103
Join Date: May 2016
Location: ATL
Programs: DL GM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,242
I suspect it'll be inconsistent. I flew OAK-LAX, and they went First/Diamond, then back to front (though of course OAK is a pretty small outstation for DL). Interestingly enough, they called the back 2-3 rows at the same time as F (though on a regional plane it doesn't make much of a difference). I did overhear a C+ passenger talking to their seatmate on the plane though that they thought the C+ came with priority boarding, as it says on the website.
#104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
I got up to gate right when they started boarding for F dtw/bna last week and the agent announced First and Diamonds, not sure how they boarded after that since I wanted to make sure I had bin space and it was a full flight.
I was on a flight in april and they announced all Medallions could board with First.
My issue with boarding from back to front is that medallions who are carrying on and sitting in C+ could get screwed out of bin space since people sitting in the back tend to put their bags in the first available bin and a lot of FA's either don't care and don't enforce it or don't have the time to patrol it.
I was on a flight in april and they announced all Medallions could board with First.
My issue with boarding from back to front is that medallions who are carrying on and sitting in C+ could get screwed out of bin space since people sitting in the back tend to put their bags in the first available bin and a lot of FA's either don't care and don't enforce it or don't have the time to patrol it.
#105
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAS, MPL
Programs: DL Platinum, 1 MM
Posts: 1,322