PPS Solitaire Boarding
 

I'm curious...I just noticed two people board at LHR through the First line and neither sat in First. This was as soon as First boarding was announced. Perhaps there are other reasons, but I suspect they are TPPS. Wondering if this is a thing that people do? It's technically not a TPPS perk and of course SQ boarding is pretty quick anyways. However, it's a free perk that SQ could easily add...seems a little silly that you can use First check in but not First boarding. And where there is only J class they could allow priority boarding.

Interesting question. In my experience this has been an inconsistent informal perk -- mainly on outstations, tho I have had this happen on occasion at home base.

When it does happen at outstation, it is because staff know you, like at FRA, LHR, ZRH, or JFK. Yet it is very inconsistent.

At the very same FRA my mom who I have given my partner TPPS card to was in PEY but denied boarding with J and told to wait with PEY.

It does seem like an easy benefit to make explicit (so TPPS pax can choose to partake or not).

I think the inconsistent application may stem from the time when TPPS was taken for granted by SQ.

I should also add, some pax designated as VIP (unclear if this is correlated to premium spend on SQ), may get this service as par for the course, which I have witnessed a few times at outstations -- this seems to hold for when they arrive in SIN (effectively a LH HON style service at both ends)

Hi, bringing this question up again. Does anyone else have any data points on this?

I seem to remember from a few years back that it was more "established" (maybe even have been in writing, somewhere) that Solitaires board in the First Class lane, when available. This is what I seem to recall, but I could be mistaken.

What is the current experience of Solitaires? Do you get to board in the First Class lane? It is convenient when the Business Class lane is very long and crowded.

For check-in, it is clearer that you can use the First Class counter, whether in Singapore or overseas, correct?

Wait till boarding is nearly complete, then you can use any lane you want! 🤣

But seriously, was refused F boarding and ushered to the end of the J line at LHR as a TPPS flying in J.

And yes, FC check in (where available) is a published TPPS benefit

Nothing has changed from when I last posted on this. Very inconsistent. It may matter less on wide bodies as you don’t need to fight for overhead space. But I would like to see TPPS board short haul first when flying on the 737s on busy routes.

Indeed. I would consider boarding last all things being equal.

Flying out of FRA, I have had more luck boarding even before F when in J — largely instigated by the local PPS office (this invariably includes LH HON style service on the ground, minus the lounge. They have been great at extending this benefit to my parents when they fly on their own due to my mom having my TPPS partner card).

Funnily enough, SIN appears to be particularly restrictive here as the many airport staff stick to the rules at boarding — no doubt as TPPS are not unicorns there (unlike outstations in the US or continental Europe).

Yeah, same old, same old...I know it's not a big deal but like I said before, it would seem that it's an easy cost free perk that SQ could add.

Good ‘ol ‘ol’ SQ. let’s see how the new F class stacks up 😂 Honi soit qui mal y pense as they used to say under British rule 😉

Ha! I may have to take a punt with my final upgrade voucher on a SIN-LHR flight next year to experience it! Otherwise, with my flying habits these days I don't think I'll be seeing SQ F!

Last feb, they denied me boarding with J to EWR when I was in PEY with PPS on my boarding pass (and the gold sticker), was crazy. They then sent me an apology, saying I was right to board with J.

Surprised that SQ, who's always a stickler for the "rules" doesn't make this clear...

That is indeed ridiculous. Good to get an apology...but I really don't understand how they make such a simple mistake. If you are going to run a status program get the staff to understand it.

Happened to my parents too ex-FRA as I mentioned up thread as they were booked in PEY. My mom had TPPS no less. There were also some rude check-in staff in the F counter. I WhatsApp’d the DACH Head of PPS relations that they should stick to the rules when I heard about this.

I was told afterwards that the FRA station manager and the PPS manager had a meeting with all their staff (SQ and third party) to “remind” them of the rules.

I cannot say for certain if this was connected but my parents received a courtesy upgrade to J on their return journey. Since then everything has been working smoothly.

The problem is with some of the third party staff who service other airlines as well. From what I have been told SQ gives them extra training but it evidently sometimes doesn’t work.

I thought of mentioning the contract staff as well...it is indeed the issue. However, there is usually an SQ employed station manager that should ensure that these things don't happen.

You are correct. Unfortunately, they can't be everywhere (say, being at baggage handling or somewhere else). Indeed, this was the case for when my parents were there.

My denial of boarding happened at SIN which was crazy, I've sent the letter before but this is the apology they sent:

"Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience with us. We sincerely regret that your recent boarding experience was not up to the standard you rightfully expect, and we deeply apologise for any embarrassment or frustration this may have caused.

We have conducted a full review of the incident with our team and found that there was a miscommunication regarding the boarding instructions. While our gate officer had intended to ensure a smooth boarding process and prevent congestion on the aerobridge, the staff member misinterpreted this directive and mistakenly restricted boarding to business class passengers only. This was not in line with our standard boarding procedure, which includes PPS Club members in the priority boarding group.

We truly regret any discomfort this situation may have caused, especially given that this happened at our home airport. Please be assured that we have since addressed this with our team, reinforced the correct boarding procedures, and emphasised the importance of clear communication and professionalism in all passenger interactions. The staff member involved is deeply apologetic and has committed to being more attentive moving forward.

Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve, and we truly appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Once again, we sincerely apologise for the misunderstanding and any inconvenience it caused. We hope to welcome you on board again soon and provide you with a seamless and pleasant experience."