The Medallion line butters still alive & well at Breezeway
 

I just have to laugh, shake my head and step right in front of em.

Flying ATL to TPA this past Friday. Caught an earlier flight with same day confirmation. Got the bulk head aisle just behind FC. I stepped into the Breezeway line after FC was called and all had passed through. Wanted to board as early as possible to ensure an overhead (due to bulkhead).

As I'm waiting for Zone 2 to be called, this guy walks right past me and pulls his bag in front of me, avoids eye contact and is holding his BP. I ask, "are you in First?". "No", he says. So I pulled myself and my bag right around in front of him. Even before Breezeway, I've had jerks pull these same maneuvers. Never ceases to amaze me the nerve some Medallions have.

Travel safe! :cool:

Anyone know if they officially also allow Flying Colonels to use it? I don't fly DL much these days, but I have the card from a while ago and it doesn't expire. It got me early boarding BOS/PBI/BOS last month, but that wasn't Breezeway. (I suspect it would work even without an official policy; just wondering if there's anything written about it.)

BTW, I've seen this system work extremely well on Japan Airlines. Perhaps their customers are more disciplined than Delta's, though.

So, if you qualify for the breezeway you still have to wait for your zone to be called if you're not in zone 1?
:confused:

Breezeway isn't meant to be used during Zones 1-3, since the only people in these zones (generally; Row 10 on 737s and MD-80s I know are Zone 1) are first class and elites. The real purpose of Breezeway is to cut the lines during Zones 4-9, which are non-elite zones.

Concourse E (CRJ/prop city!) in SLC has a Breezeway in front of every desk, making for an awful lot of signs down the row!! Have never seen anyone use them there.

Seems a little silly as the boarding of a full CRJ takes 10 minutes tops and there is always plenty of overhead because most of us relinguish our carry-on at plane side.

No, but you should wait until after Zone 1 has boarded. If you are in FC, you don't need Breezeway until they start calling other zones. And if you are in coach, you should not be pushing ahead of other Medallions (Zones 2,3).

My personal feeling is this.

Class of Travel Which Lane to Use
F Regular lane if only Zone 1 is boarding.
F Breezeway OK if zones other than 1 are boarding.
Y Regular lane if Zone 2 or 3 are boarding.
Y Breezeway OK once Zone 4 or above has been called.

Breezeway is not intended to get you on board BEFORE you would normally be allowed to board; it is there to expedite your boarding if you missed your normal boarding time, like if you are running late or stayed in the CRC.

Yesterday in ATL, I was boarding my flight and noticed that the Breezway carpeting was to the right of the regular boarding lane, but the Breezeway sign indicated that the left lane was the Breezeway lane. No one was using Breezeway, anyway. I pointed out the discrepancy to the GA as a point of information. He was clueless.

I have been flying 5-6 DL flights a week lately and haven't seen the Breezeway used yet. It doesn't do much for me as a perk.

On the other hand, since I get stuck flying a lot of RJs out of CVG and other cities, I hate when the gate agents announce boarding for a flight "all zomes may board now". They don't board by zones or allow medallions to board first.

Ah. Makes sense but it would make more sense if they would clarify it like you did. Case in point, I was flying out of ATL a couple of weeks ago and both lines were forming while the plane was being cleaned. I really didn't know which line to get in since I was flying F in zone 1.

There were 2 gate agents discussing the breezeway loud enough for most of us to hear. One said that he hated it, thought it was a stupid idea, all passengers were "special", blah blah, that when he's doing the boarding he just ignores it and will continue to do so until...

I didn't hear the last part but I'm assuming he meant until he got in trouble for it.

I thought it was a silly idea before I even saw it in action. Now, after seeing it in action a few times, I am completely baffled. Half of the time, it isn't being used correctly, or at all. I have always wondered why so many people like to get on the plane as early as possible. Why is it a luxury to be the first on the plane? Who wants to sit there for 30 min longer than you have to?
Jaas

I agree with you 90% of the time. The only time I get antsy about getting on board is when I've got a carry-on that I know won't fit under the seat or if I have the bulkhead. Normally in F it's not a problem but I like to have my "stuff" close by me.

I hope I don't run into this Gate Agent, cause I would have the concourse supervisor come down so that this gate agent could be re-educated on the policies.

The rules state that Medallions and First Class passengers can use the boarding lines to bypass the general boarding line. Yes, some might see it as elitist. However, the folks on Virginia Avenue have decided to make this a perk for those that have earned/payed for it. It's not up to the gate agents to decide whether or not Delta's corporate policies are unethical, and if they do they can bring it up the chain of command to try and get it changed. They are not to deviate from a policy though if they don't think it's fair. Delta is Southwest - not all passengers are equal - there's a reason that some passengers get priority boarding, free upgrades, priority check-in, etc.

This is what I have found: that the GAs don't like it, do it doesn't get used. You'd have to push people out of the way the way the line forms, to use it.

Sounds like it's time to grant his wish - please report this GA to customer care so he can be properly educated about the appropriate use of the Breezeway and reminded of his *mandatory* commitment to customer service delivery and Delta policy.

I could care less if he likes it or not - it's not in his job description to use personal thoughts or feelings to modify Delta customer policy.

While waiting for a flight in Atlanta last week, the GA at least twice made an announcement that the breezeway was only to be used beginning with Zone 4. Zones 1-3 would be boarded from the general boarding line.

I used the Breezeway and it was great. I liked being able to cut in front of a bunch of people when they were boarding Zone 7. The only downside is that the GA asked me some questions thinking that I didn't know what I was doing. Just because I was wearing t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, doesn't mean I'm non-medallion.

The GA's use of Breezeway in Atlanta on last Friday's flight to RSW irked me to no end. We haven't flown Delta since the Breezeway concept was introduced. The GA announced FC boarding and we were first in the non-Breezeway line with our FC boarding passes in hand. But the GA refused to take our boarding passes, and instead let about 15 pax rush past us using the Breezeway. I complained and she stated that BW pax would be taken ahead of us, even tho there was no prior announcement to that effect.

:mad:

who's supposed to feel good about this?!
 

used the breezeway on 11/19 in ATL only because announcement for Zone 1 was made and about 5 nanoseconds later, the announcement for the next Zone (1, 2 and 3) was made. By the time a senior FO gets out of his/her seat and grabs their carryon bag, all the young strapping flyers are in queue! So, we did use the breezeway and thought it was a great concept... in theory! (That feeling lasted as long as the walk from my seat to the red carpet! :mad: )

However, after waiting for the GA to process a few "regular" flyers, the GA had to step from the behind the boarding machine in front of the regular line then over to the red carpet to retrieve our BPs then step back in front of the regular line and then back over to the boarding machine to swipe our BPs then repeat the process again to hand us our BPs. (Unfortunately, she had to rip the BP because we checked in online and she only handed back one BP receipt so I delayed the line even more by asking for DH's BP receipt - more ripping!)

Personally, I felt like it was a flop because I was waiting in the BW for the GA to decide she had allowed enough regular flyers through that she could halt that process and process our BPs. I'm sure the regular flyers thought we were cutting the line (but that's their problem).

I sincerely hope you are right. I absolutely hate the way people crowd the gate before boarding is called. If this fixes it, I'm for it. ^

I've used the Breezeway several times and I love it. I typically like to hang out in the CRC until about 20 or 25 minutes before departure - downloading email, charging my laptop, etc. With the Breezeway, my delay getting on the plane is lessened just that much. After experiencing it several times in ATL earlier this year, they've now have it in Tampa, where I used it about 3 weeks ago.

The first time I used it in ATL, I did make the mistake of using it to inadvertently butt in front of other elites. I walked up to the gate about 15 to 20 minutes before scheduled departure, and went straight to the Breezeway line, not realizing that there was a slight delay and they were still boarding zones 2 and 3. Since then I've been a little more careful about this. This is the one drawback to the way DL is rolling out this service. Since they (often) don't use the Breezeway during the first 3 zones, a newly-arriving elite / FC pax can make this mistake.

I have had great experiences with the concept at NW and CO. Give DL a bit of time to get used to it (both pax and staff). It really is very sensible.

I certainly like the breezeway. Often, I make it to the gate late because I'd rather spend the time in the CRC rather than try to find a seat among the masses waiting at the gate.

I like to get on the plane fast when I'm in business class. Pop out the notebook and get some work done while sipping Apple Juice.

Concept limited by Delta's mastery of gate geometry
 

I'm most familiar with the "gate bypass" concept at UA. One major difference, the Red Carpet Lane (=== Breezeway in UA eze) is limited to top FF tiers. This permits use of barriers across the entranceway to minimize "false approaches", but would be impractical in a system like Delta's that's open to all medallions.
I don't know why DL wouldn't use a single ticket scanner between the breezeway and regular lanes with double GA's working the shared scanner, if needed or available. The GA then controls who gets the next access for line up in the jet bridge ;). This would allow the GA to prevent Medallions jumping other Madallions:p, or permit the GA to load zones 1 and 2 through the breezeway only if so desired. It also deletes the awkward "reach across" to take BP's from breezeway Medallions.
Got to say that unlike a lot of what I've seen DL roll out recently, this change wasn't adequately communicated or trained on. Probably, the significance of this change was not sufficiently understood.

I've used it in ATL going to PHX, at JFK headed to SVO, and loved it. It allowed me to the front of a line at JFK with a Russia typical 100+ pushing people in it.

However, for the first time yesterday, I felt the ire of my fellow passengers. I and my wife along with our 4 kids (great travelers btw) walk out of the CRC at DFW and stroll to E15 where about 30 people are in line. We Breezeway it up to the front where the GA stopped processing the other passengers and hopped over to us instead. The ire came because dummy me failed to get a gate check tag for the stroller and car seat before going to the front of the line. That was not right and I apologized once I remembered my fub-up. Still though it probably took 90-120 seconds to process the 6 of us. Shame on me:td:.

Other than that I've never felt the glares of other passengers though I am sure they are there. I tend to look straight ahead and get in my big blue seat as soon as I can.

So far, I LOVE the Breezeway concept!

I hear people say 'Skymiles' and get in the breezeway just because they're in the program.

Agreed. I made my first use of BW a few days ago. I had a seat request card and I was waiting at the desk for my seat to be allocated. Once I had the boarding card I turned to join the general boarding line. One guy started grumbling about me joining the line ahead of him so I said "excuse me", crossed the line to the BW, turned right and walked down a little and then in front of the general boarding line. The GA actually smiled and said "That will teach him" as she took my card. ;)

Right approach :cool: except that I'd recommend saying "excuse me" instead of just clearing my throat.

We did make use of the Breezeway at STL yesterday (I was busy trying to post on FT during the preboards :p ).

I don't care what the people in line are thinking. They can read the signs, and they already know that several zones are ahead of them.

I was at TPA a few days back and when I got in the BW line, the agent told me that they weren't using the BW because the 2nd scanner wasn't working. This doesn't comport with my experience regarding how other airports use the BW, but I just got in the long line. The second scanner def. adds a wrinkle of confusion to the equation. At other airports with one scanner the reach across works fine, but with 2 scanners and one used for BW, there is bound to be confusion.

Breezeway Etiquette?
 

Ok - I experienced something this evening on DL1276 ATL-RDU and wanted to see if anyone else has seen this behavior...

So, the GA opens up boarding for Zones 1-3. I mosey on up to the gate along with ~20 or so folks and I'm right about in the middle of the pack. The GA is doing her job, but there were four people that jetted right by everyone in the BW line and proceeded to shove their boarding passes to the GA. The GA was visibly irritated by their behavior and even noted "Some people in first class think they can just shove everyone out of the way." (Not quite sure that this was appropriate by the GA, but again, she was clearly alarmed by how cavalier these four folks were) Now, I understand the whole breezeway thing, but pretty much everyone standing in that line could have used the breezeway since only Zones 1-3 were called. I'm a PM and was fortunate enough to win in the gate lottery, so I certainly could have used breezeway - but what's the point when Zone 1-3 is being called? Sure use it when Zone 4-9 is boarding, but why should anyone be able to use BW when essentially everyone else could use it as well? Was this an error by the GA? From the previous posts on this thread, it seems like the FT community seems to agree that BW only makes sense for 4-9, but what is DL's official stance?

Has anyone else noticed this type of behavior? It's really not that big of a deal, I guess I just don't care whether I'm the first or 15th person on the plane, I'm still boarding in the first wave and will still have plenty of time to snag some overhead bin space.

/end rant

I can't believe Illinois is in the Rose Bowl - Go Illini!

That's when I cut block those people with my oversized rollaboard. :D:D

Okay, this is a little off topic, but this sparked my memory. I was flying CDG-FCO on AF (yes, on the AF deal). They were boarding all pax and a man forced his way to the front of the line. The GA asked him what he was doing. He responded in English, but with a French accent, "business class". The GA responded "everyone boards together" (It was an Airbus 320 so I have no clue what the boarding procedure is). The man responds back "not possible" and walks past the GA right down the jet bridge. The GA looked shocked and dumbfounded at the same time, the look on her face was priceless. :D

The whole problem is that BW should be close until zone 3 called.
 

It should be CLEARLY and ABSOLUTLEY closed until zone 3 boarding.

The actual signage and marketing PR says that I can go through the BW when zone 1 is boarding. This is obviously wrong, but am I supposed to just wait while dozens pass me by?

By allowing this bogus usage of the BW, they are creating a problem. Yes, they should just tell the early pax to f** off :-) (OK, I know they can't do that).

SO, they must have an OPEN/CLOSE sign over the BW to stop meddalions skipping over others in zone 1/2.

Other than that issue, I have no problem with the concept.

Concur. This is becoming more and more of a problem. The GA's could just be proactive and tell the BWers that they can get in the main line or wait until after she/he has processed all the main line zone 1-3 passengers.

Totally concur as well. Well put.

As an alternative, they could use the process that CO uses:
In DL's case, change the EliteAccess to BreezeWay and use the BW for the entire boarding process.

Also I wouldn't mind doing it the UA way where tensabarriers are used - keep both closed at first. For zones 1-3, open up the Breezeway barrier only. For zones 4-9, open up General Boarding while keeping Breezeway line open.

The staff in Atlanta needs to learn how to use the Breezeway.

For my last flight, they called Zone 1 and half the people went in the Breezeway because they regular line was "too long" and she actually stopped the Zone 1 line and let those other people in first. She did the same thing for Zone 2!!

Someone needs to explain to the GA's that the "Breezeway" only opens up after Zone 3 has boarded.

Should work, but UA red carpet is only open to 1K, the Plat equivalent (and the tiny numbers of UGS). The numbers difference may make the different approaches non-transferrable, although blocking off the Breezeway until zone 3 boarding starts would have to be an improvement. UA switches from red carpet lane to general boarding, and blocks off the red carpet lane once general boarding is open with a black tape "crowd control" barrier. The line is then opened indivdually for top tier elites not particularly interested in extending their on plane time. From what I've seen of BP scanner placement in ATL, the potential for UA type solutions is quite limited.

Also, had a GA in ATL yesterday, reach so roughly across an older lady during zone 5 boarding, to get my BP as I waited in the Breezeway, that I felt the need to apologize and say "excuse me" for the reach past the other pax.
Seems that the physical act of having to go over and remove the barrier from the bypass lane, the way UA does it, allows more measured appproaches. and time is not a factor, except for the first lucky few:rolleyes: we'll all end up waiting in the jetway, anyhow. :):)

You DL fliers are just not used to it yet. It takes awhile for the mentality to go away. At CO with the EliteAccess lanes (EA), when the call FC and Elites, we automatically queue in the EA lane, not the General Boarding (GB) lane.

Now, if there are Zone 1 people lining up in the GA lane and a Breezeway customer happens to read the signs, walking up and "cutting" others Zone 1's is not rude, it's just reading the signs.

You guys will get the hang of it, after a year, the majority of you will be wondering how you lived without it.

My fiancee who WAS non-elite (just earned Silver on CO) and who was not a seasoned traveler was a little aghast when I "cut" the line to use the EA lanes. I explained that I give a lot of money to CO to get this benefit. After the 3rd time she shut up and now enjoys cutting the line (especially now without me being present).

Also, if there is only 1 GA at CO, she just takes the next EA passenger while the GA line waits.

I call it jealousy marketing. After getting "cut" in front of the line as a GA, I am sure some passenger figured out right quick how to get the "access".

BTW, took my first DL flight in years last week (DL 72 to IST) and used Breezeway as a ST Elite, very happy it was there. Also the BE check-in at Term 2 in JFK is nice also, much less crazy than Term 3. Overall I was impressed with DL service on the flight, even though the 1 overhead screen with 1 movie selection is quite lacking. However, I did like that between movies they showed the Map/Airshow up to give you an idea of where in the world you were for at least a half hour.

- HF