Breezeway: The Definitive Thread
Mar 10, 2008 | 12:03 pm
#301
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Third planet from the Sun
Posts: 7,024
Have First Class board last and tell all coach passengers that any carry on placed in the F overhead bins by coach passengers will be sent to the cargo hold.
In airports where there is space behind the gate podium, have the breezeway line form there.
In airports where there is space behind the gate podium, have the breezeway line form there.
Mar 10, 2008 | 2:11 pm
#302
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Orleans (for now)
Programs: DL DM MM, WN, various other programs of lowly status
Posts: 1,700
Asked before but never really got answered:
You are a Medallion. You have a FC seat and a zone 1 BP. You have a 21" rollaboard for the overhead bin and a small bag which will go under the seat in front of you. You want to board before the bin hogs. You arrive at the gate early. Where do you line up?
The reason I ask is, the last time I was in the above scenario in ATL I chose the breezeway. The flight was delayed and 2 pax who were lined up in the front of the general boarding line kept looking at me and shaking their heads like I was a complete idiot. Another time it was similar but not so obvious.
You are a Medallion. You have a FC seat and a zone 1 BP. You have a 21" rollaboard for the overhead bin and a small bag which will go under the seat in front of you. You want to board before the bin hogs. You arrive at the gate early. Where do you line up?
The reason I ask is, the last time I was in the above scenario in ATL I chose the breezeway. The flight was delayed and 2 pax who were lined up in the front of the general boarding line kept looking at me and shaking their heads like I was a complete idiot. Another time it was similar but not so obvious.
Mar 10, 2008 | 2:42 pm
#303
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Kingdom of the Sun
Programs: DL GM/MM
Posts: 3,708
Asked before but never really got answered:
You are a Medallion. You have a FC seat and a zone 1 BP. You have a 21" rollaboard for the overhead bin and a small bag which will go under the seat in front of you. You want to board before the bin hogs. You arrive at the gate early. Where do you line up?
The reason I ask is, the last time I was in the above scenario in ATL I chose the breezeway. The flight was delayed and 2 pax who were lined up in the front of the general boarding line kept looking at me and shaking their heads like I was a complete idiot. Another time it was similar but not so obvious.
You are a Medallion. You have a FC seat and a zone 1 BP. You have a 21" rollaboard for the overhead bin and a small bag which will go under the seat in front of you. You want to board before the bin hogs. You arrive at the gate early. Where do you line up?
The reason I ask is, the last time I was in the above scenario in ATL I chose the breezeway. The flight was delayed and 2 pax who were lined up in the front of the general boarding line kept looking at me and shaking their heads like I was a complete idiot. Another time it was similar but not so obvious.
ATLANTA, Dec. 11, 2007 Elite customers flying Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) within the United States now have a dedicated lane at each airport gate allowing them priority boarding anytime during the process not just when their zone is called. The new lanes, called Breezeway, recognize Deltas best customers for their loyalty and give them priority boarding at airports across Deltas U.S. network.
Mar 10, 2008 | 5:45 pm
#304
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: DeltaLand, USA
Posts: 877
Ask & You Shall Receive...
-DL will go back to boarding First Class (Zone 1) first.
-After Zone 1 is boarded, Breezeway-eligible customers will be able to board from the Breezeway lane at any time.
-The Breezeway carpet will be located on the side farthest from the podium and parallel to the front of the podium. This allows the agent to see the premium customer in the Breezeway lane waiting for immediate boarding.
-The automated audio loop, which references Breezeway, will be eliminated 40 minutes before the flight.
-Pre-boarding Breezeway announcements will be 10 minutes prior to boarding and at the boarding announcements for Zones 3, 5 and 7. These announcements will be automated where possible.
-The word BREEZEWAY will be printed on the boarding passes of all Breezeway-eligible customers. Plus, GIDS will have a visual of the BREEZEWAY boarding pass during the boarding announcements.
The objective of these modifications is to ensure consistent
implementation of the Breezeway program at every station, on every flight and should be completed across the system by March 14th.
-After Zone 1 is boarded, Breezeway-eligible customers will be able to board from the Breezeway lane at any time.
-The Breezeway carpet will be located on the side farthest from the podium and parallel to the front of the podium. This allows the agent to see the premium customer in the Breezeway lane waiting for immediate boarding.
-The automated audio loop, which references Breezeway, will be eliminated 40 minutes before the flight.
-Pre-boarding Breezeway announcements will be 10 minutes prior to boarding and at the boarding announcements for Zones 3, 5 and 7. These announcements will be automated where possible.
-The word BREEZEWAY will be printed on the boarding passes of all Breezeway-eligible customers. Plus, GIDS will have a visual of the BREEZEWAY boarding pass during the boarding announcements.
The objective of these modifications is to ensure consistent
implementation of the Breezeway program at every station, on every flight and should be completed across the system by March 14th.
Mar 10, 2008 | 6:01 pm
#305
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
Programs: Delta DM/Amex Reserve 2 Million Miler
Posts: 402
The breezeway crowds and confuses a crowded area in the boarding process...get rid of that electronic breezeway gizmo...and go back to the way it was..if your a first class passenger and are standing by the breezeway you get ignored and pissed off by the gate agent..once they do let you through the rest of the passengers are now pissed at you and the gate agent...everybody loses....UNOFFICIAL DELTAHELPER...please look into doing something good for first class passengers like bringing back lite meal service on flights over 500 miles at time of day 7-9, 11-1 and 5-7.. you know like Continental...most people have a connection of 2 flights so it would be nice to get a meal if 1 of the 2 flights fell into a meal time...also ice cream sundae's from ATL-SLC on dinner flights would be a nice touch !
Mar 10, 2008 | 6:41 pm
#307
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Smyrna, GA, USA
Programs: DL DM1MM
Posts: 1,763
Excellent. The individual details are less important than consistency. I am optimistic that Delta groks this.
Mar 10, 2008 | 8:10 pm
#308
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: DL - Plat, Marriott - Plat, Hilton - Diamond, SPG- Plat, National- ES
Posts: 1,857
I vote for DUMP IT!
Sorry, but this goes down as a dumb delta idea.
I wasn't raised to think that flying more made me that special that I can't stand in that line. I just don't really enjoy having the other passengers make NASTY comments about me (and I have heard them do it while I was standing in the regular line watching Breezeway passengers go by) And by the way, it's really unattractive to watch a grown man jump up and down like a two year old because the gate agent did "jump to him" LOL!
Instead how about CLEARING out the gate area right in front of the boarding area so we can GET UP THERE when our boarding zone is called. I swear it's worse then the old cattle call lines on SW!
And of course yesterday on American's Sorriest Airlines (ASA) they agent only wanted to board EVERYONE via the Breezeway..... The whole scene was the typical ASA screwup. So maybe Delta could FIX what they already have before adding more things to screwup????
Sorry, but this goes down as a dumb delta idea.
I wasn't raised to think that flying more made me that special that I can't stand in that line. I just don't really enjoy having the other passengers make NASTY comments about me (and I have heard them do it while I was standing in the regular line watching Breezeway passengers go by) And by the way, it's really unattractive to watch a grown man jump up and down like a two year old because the gate agent did "jump to him" LOL!
Instead how about CLEARING out the gate area right in front of the boarding area so we can GET UP THERE when our boarding zone is called. I swear it's worse then the old cattle call lines on SW!
And of course yesterday on American's Sorriest Airlines (ASA) they agent only wanted to board EVERYONE via the Breezeway..... The whole scene was the typical ASA screwup. So maybe Delta could FIX what they already have before adding more things to screwup????
Mar 10, 2008 | 8:41 pm
#310
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, DC (DCA)
Programs: UA, AA, AS, SPG.
Posts: 3,464
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)
I love the Breezeway and I sure hope they keep it. I spend my extra time in the CRC and I like strolling up to the gate and skipping the line of zone 5-9 pax. They should tell Zone 1 and 2 pax to board using the breezeway. This ensures no elite who was boarding in the regular line will be cut in front of if the Breezeway is opened early.
Also, I think the Breezeway should be further from the boarding pass scanner. It makes it easier to board the majority of the plane that way!
I love the Breezeway and I sure hope they keep it. I spend my extra time in the CRC and I like strolling up to the gate and skipping the line of zone 5-9 pax. They should tell Zone 1 and 2 pax to board using the breezeway. This ensures no elite who was boarding in the regular line will be cut in front of if the Breezeway is opened early.
Also, I think the Breezeway should be further from the boarding pass scanner. It makes it easier to board the majority of the plane that way!
Mar 10, 2008 | 11:04 pm
#311
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SLC
Programs: DL DM,1MM
Posts: 692
I agree w/breezeway being quite a stagnant process. Even with out it, the boarding process seems alot messier as of late. I have trouble boarding zone 2 at the gate as all the other passengers crowd the entrance and you have to push through to get up to the gate. As soon as Zone 1 is called there is a rush to the area by the gate.
Then last eve, from LAS - SLC, the first boarding call for the 757 was for Zones 1,2, and 3, with no announcement prior explaining the boarding order - and the plane wasn't even running late.
I think the GA's need to take more responsibility and control their gates better, but I sense they've given up.
Then last eve, from LAS - SLC, the first boarding call for the 757 was for Zones 1,2, and 3, with no announcement prior explaining the boarding order - and the plane wasn't even running late.
I think the GA's need to take more responsibility and control their gates better, but I sense they've given up.
Mar 10, 2008 | 11:41 pm
#312
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Orange County and oftentimes London
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy, HH Diamond, AA EXP, VS Gold, BAEC Silver, Global Entry, UK RT
Posts: 539
Delta,
Come on. The Breezeway process needs to be fixed.
1. Make the breezeway line the line closest to the scanner, not farther away. Don't make medallions/first class passengers step in front of everyone else.
2. Make breezeway boarding start AFTER the first class (zone 1) and medallion (zones 2/3) zones board. Making it start at the beginning is anti your best customers (those that buy first class tickets--not upgrades). Instead of being able to go in a small zone, we are trampled by up to 2/3rds of the plane in zone 1.
3. Continue to teach the GAs how to do it. They are getting better, but sometimes do not act intelligently. Today, I went to board and was first to the gate in the "normal" boarding line. The breezeway line was empty. The GA stopped me to ask what zone I was in and when she heard I was first class she wanted me to go back out around the ropes and get into the Breezeway line. I refused. After this 20 second confrontation (by which time I could have been seated on the plane), the breezeway line was packed and she just started to ignore me. I finally just stood in front of both lines until she let me board. Way to treat those who pay first class when you are already giving so little. Note that this was in ATL, so a Delta employee. (Now, I know by how this is written, there are going to be skeptics and those that think I was acting inappropriately/selfish/whatever...so let me note that I wasn't.)
If others here have additional suggestions, please put them forth!
Come on. The Breezeway process needs to be fixed.
1. Make the breezeway line the line closest to the scanner, not farther away. Don't make medallions/first class passengers step in front of everyone else.
2. Make breezeway boarding start AFTER the first class (zone 1) and medallion (zones 2/3) zones board. Making it start at the beginning is anti your best customers (those that buy first class tickets--not upgrades). Instead of being able to go in a small zone, we are trampled by up to 2/3rds of the plane in zone 1.
3. Continue to teach the GAs how to do it. They are getting better, but sometimes do not act intelligently. Today, I went to board and was first to the gate in the "normal" boarding line. The breezeway line was empty. The GA stopped me to ask what zone I was in and when she heard I was first class she wanted me to go back out around the ropes and get into the Breezeway line. I refused. After this 20 second confrontation (by which time I could have been seated on the plane), the breezeway line was packed and she just started to ignore me. I finally just stood in front of both lines until she let me board. Way to treat those who pay first class when you are already giving so little. Note that this was in ATL, so a Delta employee. (Now, I know by how this is written, there are going to be skeptics and those that think I was acting inappropriately/selfish/whatever...so let me note that I wasn't.)
If others here have additional suggestions, please put them forth!
Mar 11, 2008 | 12:02 am
#313
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ATL
Programs: DL - PM + 1MM; Marriott - Gold
Posts: 5,290
Mar 11, 2008 | 4:20 pm
#314
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SEA - DL DM/3MM, *A Gold, SPG Lifetime Plat, some other car and hotel stuff
Posts: 5,648
The problem is not the idea. The problem is the implementation. NW and CO do it right. DL stole the idea, but not the implementation. Those of us who don't arrive before boarding starts really benefit from a well-executed Breezeway/Elite Access type setup.
Mar 11, 2008 | 4:50 pm
#315
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta 1MM, Gold, Peon
Posts: 6,392
I agree the DL screwed up the initial implementation bad, but in my last to segments they handdled it almost right.
They boarded zone 1 through the breez line.
Then they boarded 2/3 in the breezway line only.
Then the rest through the general line, while keeping breezway open for straglers.
This addresses the 2 real problems they had initially which were:
A) zone 1 being dumped in with rest
B) "line jumping" but using the wrong line to get ahead of other meddalions
BTW, I STRONGLY disagree with the OP's actions. While other breezeway pax were lining up, he slides into the not-to-be-used general boarding line and expects to go ahead of them. I will give him the benifit of doubt of "general confusion" (certainly the case prior to last month).
The one remaining action needed by DL is to put a rope across the general boarding line prior to zone 4 being called. That would avoid the problem with line jumpers who just act confused.
And lastly, the reader should be on the line they expect more pax to use. Alas, in todays world of status expolsion the answer is not clear.
They boarded zone 1 through the breez line.
Then they boarded 2/3 in the breezway line only.
Then the rest through the general line, while keeping breezway open for straglers.
This addresses the 2 real problems they had initially which were:
A) zone 1 being dumped in with rest
B) "line jumping" but using the wrong line to get ahead of other meddalions
BTW, I STRONGLY disagree with the OP's actions. While other breezeway pax were lining up, he slides into the not-to-be-used general boarding line and expects to go ahead of them. I will give him the benifit of doubt of "general confusion" (certainly the case prior to last month).
The one remaining action needed by DL is to put a rope across the general boarding line prior to zone 4 being called. That would avoid the problem with line jumpers who just act confused.
And lastly, the reader should be on the line they expect more pax to use. Alas, in todays world of status expolsion the answer is not clear.