"Express" boarding?
 

Yesterday on 976 MKE-LGA (an A319) we boarded:

1. Preboards
2. Stretch seating
3. "Express" boarding for any passengers who did not have carryons for the overhead bins.
4. Everybody else (not sure if they did this by row or not since I was onboard).

Anybody else experience this? I'm not sure if this made for better boarding or not on this particular flight, but it's an interesting idea.

They've done it on most of my flights, recently. It really seems to speed the boarding process because you don't have so many people standing in the aisles waiting for people to stow their overhead luggage.

I've seen it taken a step further. I was on a completely full flight and the gate agent solicited people to give up their roller bags in exchange to "express" board.

She must have got 25 people to give up their huge roller bag. The flight boarded in a flash, no one who kept their bag had to search very hard to find bin room, even the very last person on the plane found room for their bag and sat right down.

Seems like a good tool if used proactively like the lady who worked my flight. She was all alone and the door closed 5 minutes early. I like it! More airlines should pay attention.

Yeah I really like it, I find the upgrade to stretch seating of huge value for me, most of my Flying is from Denver to Florida Airports.

Slightly confused
 

If I'm traveling with just a briefcase, it will mean I get to board before people with rollerboards. It doesn't mean a free upgrade to Stretch Seating if it's still open does it?

Correct.

Since my original post I've seen the "express boarding" twice more...both on full Ejets, and it seemed to make boarding go surprisingly fast. They might be on to somethjing.

Knope, you are violating the TOS by posting the same message in Both forums.

I hope the TB takes note. :D:D

Thanks.

I have yet to explicitly see "express" boarding, but on a recent connection in Denver, the gate agent did ask for passengers to come up, check the size of their luggage against the cage and then check it if it was too big. She said this was due to passengers who've paid for their luggage to be stowed are getting upset due to people trying to get on with oversized bags.

Frankly, while I like the concept of express boarding, as it has been explained above, it seems to me that people could use it simply to get their luggage checked for free. Gate checking should be used for things that are required to get to the gate (wheelchairs, strollers, etc..) or carry-on sized baggage for which there's no room (all bins full or a regional jet, for example). Allowing a horde of passengers to gate check on a flight that could otherwise handle the bags seems contradictory to the policy of charging for checking luggage.

Does frontier tag gate checks through to final destination and return them on the belt, or are they picked up at the jetbridge? If they just come back to the jetbridge, I don't see a problem. After all, the passenger did most of the bag toting, and it's not like you can get a bag much larger than carryon size through security (the tsa doesn't enforce size rules, but the portal on the xray scanner does ;))

It seems that most people who check bags do so because they have either 3+ ounces of liquids or more stuff than can fit in a personal item+carryon-size bag. Being able to gate check for free won't save those people any bag fees.

Gate checked bags come out on the belt unless you are flying on a regional jet where most of the time they will have them on the tarmac for you.

Mods do not answer to TB nor is TB permitted to meddle in moderation matters.

As for knope2001's transgression, we'll look the other way for another week or so. ;)

That problem should be solved next Thursday. :D:D

Just witnessed "express" boarding twice this past week in SEA and DEN. It was a cluster on both legs. Passengers don't listen and gate agents didn't police it. People are so anxious to board that it creates crowds hovering around the podium. Please stay seated until your row is called.