AllanJ

>>> ... run over...

Someone from the high school football team should have been there to yank the rollaboard loose, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it saying over and over again loudly, "Bad suitcase! Bad suitcase!". (As if it were the offender, as opposed anyone pulling it)

justhere

I was flying out of SLC yesterday. The zone 1 announcement was made and there really wasn't a gate rush, just people lining up on the non-breezeway side in an orderly fashion. 3 or 4 people had already had their BP scanned when some guy decides he's more important than all the FC pax and not only goes down the breezeway lane but scans his own BP on the not-yet-being-used breezeway BP scanner and heads off down the jetway. The GA has to stop everything to retrieve the guy. The guy wasn't even in FC. I'm not sure if he had zone 1 or not but the GA didn't make him go to the back of the line. He just scanned his BP and let him on.

LarryATL

Good thread and discussion!

Since we're listing boarding-related pet peeves, especially those that are inconsiderate, here's one of my "favorites".

Your sitting in your aisle seat (F or Y, happens in both, but it's worse in Y). And another 100-150 people walk down the aisle past you to get to their seats. Many of them have laptop bags, large purses, whatever, strung over their shoulders. And you proceed to get whacked in the shoulder or head with these strung-over-the-shoulder items, repeatedly, as the people walk by. So much so that you just give in and lean over to the window to avoid the next head-whack.

Oh and of course, no apologies, no excuse me, no nothing. Sigh......

Larry

pbjag

Guess you haven't experienced the Atl gate agent who won't let even Zone 1 paid FC's board unless they are in the Breezeway lane. Lets at least 30 Zone 2 and Zone 3 passengers board before Zone 1 because "I don't care whether you are in first class or not, we are only boarding Breezeway right now."

Amen to that

FlySkyTeam

The same thing happens to me all the time and I throw the PM back at them!

El Boocho

He hasn't been married very long. Ben great post. I'd be cheering you on.

"Karma, .....es!", lol

flylinda

Is the prize the same for the first one off the plane????

seoulmanjr

Yeah - I've been married almost 3 years -- long enough to know that even when I win arguments, I'll probably regret doing so. This is just a case where it was totally worth it.

^^^ (golf clap)

I second the motion to hire Terry Tate, Office Linebacker as a Gate Agent. (BAM) "You kill the Joe, you make some mo'!" could become (BAM) "Crowd da gate, I make you late!"

peace,
~Ben~

motytrah

This seems to be a classic example of what you get when you have too many premium customers. I'm sure many of them are used to other premium programs where there is a lane, carpet, area, whatever, where they can just walk up any time they please. They assume that they should walk up whenever. DL has to have split zones to handle the bloated ranks.

In the USA it seems that no matter what airline you're on the GAs more often then not do not enforce the policy. In Asia it seems the rules are strictly enforced no matter what airline you're on. On thing I've noticed in Asia is almost every gate has two distinct lines. One for F/J/Premium, the other for the rest. I do think that works better.

ATLTraveler2

Zone 1 can also include coach when the seats are bulkhead or exit row.

MikeyZBT

I definitely agree with the "subway approach". I wish I could let people know they are holding me up in a very "direct" manor.

The problem is, you open your mouth in an airport/jetway/airplane and they are going to remove you from the plane and call you a terrorist.

God forbid you disagree with the flight attendants. Ridiculous. They are there to "ATTEND" to us, nothing else. Stop acting like you work for Homeland Security.

CJKatl

DL did not train their employees how to implement the Breezeway boarding. The former gate agent thread confirms this. The result is for the first couple months, many GAs announced that "Medallions could use the Breezeway throughout the boarding process" instead of "after Zone 3" like most announce now.

At TPA last week, the agent clearly announced that after Zones 1-3, the Breezeway would be available. She clearly announced that if you are in Zone 2 or 3, you need to wait for your Zone to be called. I went up to the gate and thanked her, telling her it was my pet peeve. She said despite the detailed warning, there would still be people trying to get on the flight before the correct Zone. Her words are she can tell them, but can't make them listen. Sure enough, Zone 1 was called, the wavers shoved boarding passes from the Breezeway, and anyone not in Zone 1 was turned away. "But I'm FO!" "Yeah, but you're Zone 3." This again leaves one wondering what goes through the heads of people standing in the line, hearing the announcement, being told they're wrong, and still fighting to get on a plane?

Many people saw the original implementation, due to DL's inability to train employees, as an opportunity to board before their Zones were called. DL is having trouble unringing the bell on this. DL's lack of training clearly caused this problem. The problem does not exist on Continental, because they rolled the program out correctly.

The PAX are to blame, too. Those that board early are not heeding what is now announced. Just because a police officer motioned you through a red light once doesn't give carte blanche to run all red lights going forward. Somehow the Zone 3'ers who crowd the gate and shove their way to the front of the line think it's their right to board early. Common sense tells you DL did not intend to both keep the Zone 2 and Zone 3 designations for PM/GM/FO not in F, but still have them all board at once.

I didn't realize a problem could only have one cause. If a house burns because an arsonist sets the fire and the fire department doesn't respond to the alarm, do we let either the arsonist of the fire department off the hook? Or do we throw the arsonist in jail and roll heads at the FD?

LK1

The problem with confronting rude passengers is that they are rude because they are entitled, difficult people. If forced to engage multiple times a day you either become one of them or begin to develop a psychiatric anxiety disorder that is best treated with medication that is no longer on Delta's prescription drug formulary.

boeingATL

I'm with you!!! The plane is going nowhere until everyone gets on. How soon I get home depends on how soon I get off! I like Continental's policy of blocking coach for first when deplaning from 2L (when I'm up front) even if it's a little high falutin' . I'd rather get off first than on first.

np

I saw a person in coach trying to get a family member up into an open FC seat because she would be more comfortable. The FA refused but the person was so adamant it cracked me up. People's sense of entitlement really amazes me.