lotalota

As I said before, I am just speaking my own opinion. And I know that what I think is not what NWA policy allows. I'll do what I feel is right and I'm not criticizing you for doing what you think is right. I personally don't think the "jump in line" red carpet boarding is a good thing. And if I were making the decision for the industry, I'd do away with the whole thing. But I'm not in that position, nor will I ever be.

KtownTraveler

And for that some of us are eternally grateful!

artemis021

Double post.

artemis021

"I know that as an elite member I've earned the right to jump in front of the line, and while many non-elites may not understand this, I shouldn't have to rely on their generosity to allow me to break in front. That's the GA's job."


You might have earned the right to board first, you might have earned the right to sit in first class, you might have earned the right for extra miles, but you didn't earn the right to be a jerk. But you had an opportunity to board first. When they called for elite boarding.
You should have gone to the back of the line. It's bad form to pull rank AFTER priority boarding has passed.
And yes, you were technically right, but there are a lot of things that are legal and yet still rude.

yogimax

NW should just admit that this red carpet thing does not work. Whether it is due to poor training, lack of incentive or whatever is not the point.

Remove the carpets and sell them on ebay to recoup part of the cost.

fromYXU

The perk, beside first boarding, is the chance to board at your leisure. When you make it to the gate the perk is to be able to board without waiting in line. Works for screening, and other places.

Xyzzy

It would work fine if the employees at the gate followed the rules. On CO they always take me as the *next* person, no waiting, when I show up at the elite lane during general boarding. Why can't NW do that?

For those who don't want to walk on the fancy carpet, understand that you certainly don't have to. But please, step aside as those of us who choose to do so use the perquisites of elite status to their fullest.

SAT Lawyer

It works perfectly on CO. NW can make it work just as well if its gate agents are trained properly.

For those who don't like the elite lane, by all means, don't use it. But for some of us, myself included, it is a critical and welcome perk that allows us to get a shot at overhead space when we arrive at the gate after general boarding has started. ^

Did I just repeat what xyzzy said? Great minds think alike, I guess. Either that or I should have read the entire thread before hitting the reply button.

railroadtycoon

^ ^

slippahs

Agree with points above. Just wanted to add my insights that I think these carpets create an awkward situation for when FC boarding is called and everything crowds up to the regular line, then someone decides to cut against everyone and use the Elite Carpet line...

florin

Bad form? Rude? No. Look, similar business practices are ubiquitous. A person who goes to the same restaurant/bar ALL the time gets served right away because he/she is a regular. Examples are all around you. This is not cutting people in line, it is exercising a privilege granted by NWA as gratitude for throwing so much business their way.

Another way to look at this: take a grocery store with an express lane for 10 items or less. Following your logic (if I can call it that), using that lane would be rude. I disagree. It is a lane that the store has explicitly made available for people meeting certain conditions. It is not rude for people meeting the criteria to use the express lane, just as it is not rude for Elites to use the Elite line.

All this talk about not being rude... yet you're the only one in this thread calling people names.

avidflyer

Absolutely. This is what the "perk" is for (cutting the line) and it is how it is used at UA and elsewhere. The "lane" is 100% useless UNTIL boarding has begun. Folks here should understand what it is before they condemn the proper use of the perk. Again I say; what good is an "elite line" when they there is ONLY elites boarding!

lotalota

Again, my opinion and no offense is meant.

The grocery store analogy doesn't really work. Unless, of course, people with <10 items would be allowed to jump to the head of the line vs. those who have >10 items.

Perhaps it is the midwesterner in me, but the whole idea of jumping ahead in line due to status really rubs me the wrong way. This is the way the airlines have chosen to operate and so be it. But it just strikes me as wrong. I personally won't take advantage of this "perk" because it would make me feel like I was being rude to everyone in line.

dmitzel

I witnessed the same confusion and awkwardness at the podium. FC is called and 16 bodies queue up at the regular line... then Elite pre-board is called and we follow FC. There is always a few elites that try to cut the pre-board line using the "Elite" line. Come on, if only FC and Elite has been called, who do you think you're trying to cut in front of? Usually it's started by one or two that line up in the Elite Access line 15-20 mins before the first boarding call.

Somehow CO gets it right everytime, NW needs to polish up their approach a bit before it becomes anywhere near institutionalized. That, and certain other FF'ers need to get some common sense and common courtesy re-training.

avidflyer

Elite Boarding Lanes
WorldPerks Elite members may board with First Class/World Business Class passengers at any time during general boarding by using our dedicated Elite boarding lanes designated at the gate. Late arriving WorldPerks Elite members may bypass the general boarding line by using Elite boarding lanes at any time after the pre-boarding of passengers with special needs. Elite boarding lanes are available at all cities with flights operated by Northwest Airlines unless otherwise prohibited by the local airport authority.