Pre-Boarding ALL Elites at the same time.
May 28, 2013, 2:41 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: HA Platinum
Posts: 34
Pre-Boarding ALL Elites at the same time.
I get really bothered at Hawaiian's current practice of boarding all elites on their mainland flights at the same time. After wheelchair and those with small children are boarded, the announcer will then give the okay for "Platinum, Gold, and Premier Club holders" to board.
That last announcment triggers about 50-75 people to surge towards the boarding gate. More, if they bring on their allowed 2 companions. What makes more sense (and value) is to have each tier announced separately...Platinum; Gold; then Premier Club and have them board by attained FF level. This would cost Hawaiian nothing, would result in more orderly boarding and provide more value to the Platinum and Gold levels.
I e-mailed Hawaiian earlier this month and they said that they would discuss it internally. Has anyone seen any changes to the boarding process recently?
That last announcment triggers about 50-75 people to surge towards the boarding gate. More, if they bring on their allowed 2 companions. What makes more sense (and value) is to have each tier announced separately...Platinum; Gold; then Premier Club and have them board by attained FF level. This would cost Hawaiian nothing, would result in more orderly boarding and provide more value to the Platinum and Gold levels.
I e-mailed Hawaiian earlier this month and they said that they would discuss it internally. Has anyone seen any changes to the boarding process recently?
May 28, 2013, 10:44 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [+MKK4 EBBER R577 EDSEL R577 ELKEY EXERT]
Posts: 15,826
I get really bothered at Hawaiian's current practice of boarding all elites on their mainland flights at the same time. After wheelchair and those with small children are boarded, the announcer will then give the okay for "Platinum, Gold, and Premier Club holders" to board.
That last announcment triggers about 50-75 people to surge towards the boarding gate. More, if they bring on their allowed 2 companions. What makes more sense (and value) is to have each tier announced separately...Platinum; Gold; then Premier Club and have them board by attained FF level. This would cost Hawaiian nothing, would result in more orderly boarding and provide more value to the Platinum and Gold levels.
I e-mailed Hawaiian earlier this month and they said that they would discuss it internally. Has anyone seen any changes to the boarding process recently?
That last announcment triggers about 50-75 people to surge towards the boarding gate. More, if they bring on their allowed 2 companions. What makes more sense (and value) is to have each tier announced separately...Platinum; Gold; then Premier Club and have them board by attained FF level. This would cost Hawaiian nothing, would result in more orderly boarding and provide more value to the Platinum and Gold levels.
I e-mailed Hawaiian earlier this month and they said that they would discuss it internally. Has anyone seen any changes to the boarding process recently?
Otherwise, the lumping of all elites makes sense to me in HA's interisland business model. The turn around time for the flights with 20 minute boarding times is probably the reason why it is not spaced out. I'm ok with preboarding with half the other plane so long as I get overhead space when I need it. If I have no bags to put up, my preference is to board dead last. The entire plane is headed to the same place at the same time. No need to prolong it, imho.
May 29, 2013, 2:26 am
#3
Join Date: May 2008
Location: LIH, HNL, LAS, Bay Area
Programs: HA Pualani Platinum, National EC Executive, UA & AAdvantage
Posts: 178
I've been really bothered by this lately as well. Most of my HA flights lately have been pure utter boarding chaos. I actually filled out and mailed in one of their comment cards after commenting to the lead FA for the reason that Slippahs described. I concur, it is not an elitist thing, simply about overhead bin space in the 717 F cabin. I got a standard canned response via email a few days later:
March 26, 2013
Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer"
Email: XXXXXX
Contact Ref. #1303431878 XXXXX
Dear Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer":
Your comment card was received in our office on March 20.
On behalf of Hawaiian Airlines, we apologize for the inconveniences you
experienced during our boarding process and for the poor manner in which it
is being handled. In an effort to make certain that your suggestions are
not left unheard, we have forwarded your comments to our airport management for their internal review.
Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer", we thank you for your patronage as a valued Pualani Gold member. We appreciate your feedback in helping us to identify the areas in need of improvement, and we hope for an early opportunity to restore your confidence in our service.
Sincerely,
Kat Young
Resolution Coordinator
Hawaiian Airlines
Consumer Affairs Office
Blah blah blah is what I say, but at least they responded. Personally, I would like to see boarding go like this:
Wheelchair/disabled (pause) F class (pause) Pualani Platinum and Gold (Pause) Premier Club (Pause) General boarding all rows for interisland or general boarding by groups of rows for transpac.
I would like to see HA also discontinue early boarding parents with small children. Sorry, this is not an elitist thing, but merely an observation...I see some agents call for those with children "under 2 years of age" and others call for "small children". Most of these flyers that I see early board have children who are blatantly not "small" or "under 2"...more like 4 or 5 year olds who walk on their own without even holding their parents hands. Most of the time I see this, the agents let them board probably because they don't want to make a scene or situation out of it.
I would perhaps also like to see HA adopt AA's new boarding process of allowing passengers with no carry-ons (personal items OK) board in group 1 after elites and F class and before general boarding.
Bottom line, HA needs to do better. I for one have not been too happy overall with HA this year...boarding is a mess, ground service sucks, cabin service lacking and on and on. Interestingly I have gotten way better service on AA in Y and F class on my transpac flights lately than HA...and they have more issues than HA!
March 26, 2013
Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer"
Email: XXXXXX
Contact Ref. #1303431878 XXXXX
Dear Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer":
Your comment card was received in our office on March 20.
On behalf of Hawaiian Airlines, we apologize for the inconveniences you
experienced during our boarding process and for the poor manner in which it
is being handled. In an effort to make certain that your suggestions are
not left unheard, we have forwarded your comments to our airport management for their internal review.
Mr. "HA/UA_Flyer", we thank you for your patronage as a valued Pualani Gold member. We appreciate your feedback in helping us to identify the areas in need of improvement, and we hope for an early opportunity to restore your confidence in our service.
Sincerely,
Kat Young
Resolution Coordinator
Hawaiian Airlines
Consumer Affairs Office
Blah blah blah is what I say, but at least they responded. Personally, I would like to see boarding go like this:
Wheelchair/disabled (pause) F class (pause) Pualani Platinum and Gold (Pause) Premier Club (Pause) General boarding all rows for interisland or general boarding by groups of rows for transpac.
I would like to see HA also discontinue early boarding parents with small children. Sorry, this is not an elitist thing, but merely an observation...I see some agents call for those with children "under 2 years of age" and others call for "small children". Most of these flyers that I see early board have children who are blatantly not "small" or "under 2"...more like 4 or 5 year olds who walk on their own without even holding their parents hands. Most of the time I see this, the agents let them board probably because they don't want to make a scene or situation out of it.
I would perhaps also like to see HA adopt AA's new boarding process of allowing passengers with no carry-ons (personal items OK) board in group 1 after elites and F class and before general boarding.
Bottom line, HA needs to do better. I for one have not been too happy overall with HA this year...boarding is a mess, ground service sucks, cabin service lacking and on and on. Interestingly I have gotten way better service on AA in Y and F class on my transpac flights lately than HA...and they have more issues than HA!
May 29, 2013, 12:45 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: HA Platinum
Posts: 34
I agree with both Slippahs and HA/UA_Flyer on the boarding for interisland flights but I'm specifically talking about the mainland flights that use the Airbus 330 or the Boeing 767, leaving from the international terminal.
I, too, agree that getting bin space is one of the few perks Hawaiian provides with early boarding. I usually have only 1 roll-on but I've seen passengers with way more than they should be allowed to take on. I can only hope that HA improves their boarding process. Maybe Southwest coming into the market will spur some competition and improvements. I saw an article that said, it is not a matter of if they enter the Hawaii market but when.
I, too, agree that getting bin space is one of the few perks Hawaiian provides with early boarding. I usually have only 1 roll-on but I've seen passengers with way more than they should be allowed to take on. I can only hope that HA improves their boarding process. Maybe Southwest coming into the market will spur some competition and improvements. I saw an article that said, it is not a matter of if they enter the Hawaii market but when.
May 29, 2013, 7:17 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 187
My experiences at LAS is that they consistently employ this process as well ^ (with an additional pause between Plat/Gold).
May 29, 2013, 8:00 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: hawaii
Programs: HA PUALANI GOLD
Posts: 95
I agree with HA/UA discontinue parents with small children I lost count of many times I have seen 5to6 people board with the parents with small children. I would go along with just the parents but not all the others
May 30, 2013, 3:08 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 53
I agree boarding sucks on HA. The idea about small kids is a great idea specifying 2 years or younger.
"I would perhaps also like to see HA adopt AA's new boarding process of allowing passengers with no carry-ons (personal items OK) board in group 1 after elites and F class and before general boarding."
I dont think this is a good idea as I've seen many times where people have multiple personal items and they store them in the overhead, taking up valuable space just so they can have more space for their feet.
too bad airlines didnt make enough overhead bins and assign them to the seat, so it wont matter when you board.
"I would perhaps also like to see HA adopt AA's new boarding process of allowing passengers with no carry-ons (personal items OK) board in group 1 after elites and F class and before general boarding."
I dont think this is a good idea as I've seen many times where people have multiple personal items and they store them in the overhead, taking up valuable space just so they can have more space for their feet.
too bad airlines didnt make enough overhead bins and assign them to the seat, so it wont matter when you board.