gfunkdave

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.206 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Just got on UX 5936 AUS-ORD. I was running a little late so they were boarding seating 2 when I got to the gate. Since I had my upgrade, I walked up to the red carpet lane - and was promptly ignored by the GA, who kept letting people in zones 2 and 3 on. This continued until I said "should I just use the other line?". Without a word, she unclipped the rope, scanned my bp, and I was off. Was I in the wrong?

MayorMcKnife

Too wait so long? Yes. To use the red carpet? Absolutely not.

I was recently late for a flight and walked up the red carpet and waited like you. The GA finally acknowledged me and said I needed to be first class to use the that line. I told her I wasn't and that I was more important than first class. I opened the strap myself and gave her my BP, which she took.

Trulyblues

There have been various discussions about this on here, but personally I don't think you were in the wrong. The red carpet lane is for F/GS/1K/C boarding, and nothing published says you have to board with the first seating group to be allowed to use it.

UAX_Brasilia

That is the entire purpose of the RC lane. It wasn't implemented simply to have 1K's et al board over a red carpet

mauiUAflyer

It is supposed to be so that you can board at your convenience...

You did no wrong, AFAIC

MatthewLAX

Repeat: You did no wrong!

The only person out of line was the agent for ignoring you.

And I must say that since the red carpet scheme was introduced, this has never happened to me.

I trust it was a very isolated incident.

fastair

The design of it is all wrong. There needs to be a turnstyle that opens when you scan your boarding pass.
Currently, most agents shut it after the initial group (before 1P/*G) because many non-red carpet people feel that as long as it is open, it is for them. People whose english is not strong tend to do so more than others (the sign is up high at written in both english, and airline jargon, so I understand it.) To reopen it, then re-close it is so contrary to UA's (and the rest of the world's) attempt to become as efficient and labor minimizing as possible. It disrupts the flow and increases boarding time.

Now, UA MUST know this, yet UA is willing to lose some efficiency points to cater to high status/high fare. There has got to be a better engineered approach that caters to both the red carpet as well as boarding efficiency. In a world of single agent boarding, the present system lacks the efficiency that the management consultants and LEAN 6 sigma black belts recommend.

EsquireFlyer

This would cause the non-qualifying attempted users that you describe later in your post (e.g. not reading English) to repeatedly try to scan their BPs when the turnstile doesn't open, not understanding why it doesn't work, and creating a traffic jam that blocks that qualifying red carpet users behind them.

fastair

Never had a bunch of red carpet people board after initial. Most often they are modest enough to board with the mortals. Never a traffic jam there except the red carpet lice (FT term, not mine) prior to boarding.

Many doors have scanners that will open for some, but not for others. In my experience, those that can't get it, when there is a clear alternative do not repeatedly try to the point where there is a backup. Most people give up and take the common alternative (other entrance) or just go away. Either way, a traffic jam seems hardly likely to one who watches this process every day*many flights each day.

Anyway, the point is still the same, no matter how it is engineered. UA pays millions for efficiency experts to analyze boarding (among other things.) They have failed to do as good of a job as they could with this process. UA has re-written many procedures to make a gate a 1 man job. It leaves little room for any error or tangents once boarding has started. Given the fact that this is the stated future of UA gate staffing, a better system that still achieves the same goal cannot be difficult to come up with.

flyin´ruddl

Now I was shocked when recently travelling through LAS, and there wasn´t even a RC .

F.R.

anc-ord772

I have had this happen maybe three times. If I am ignored on the red carpet, I calmly remove the rope and proceed forward. That seems to fix the glitch.

A bigger annoyance IMO are the agents operating UX flights out of the C/D concourse at IAD who brush the boarding procedures aside, especially if the aircraft is late.

sdbonez

Not sure about 'a bunch of people', but I often do this. Usually when I'm flying C or F because I'd rather hang in the RCC rather than sit on a congested plane.

I've only not got attention once and a polite 'excuse me maam; should I use the general boarding lane?' was all it took.

JetAway

I've never understood why FC boards first and why that is considered a "perk." You have to sit there while a 100+ people struggle past you. I think being able to board right before the door shuts is the ultimate perk---the less time on the plane the better.

Derek

Simple answer: it's all about overhead space.

fastair

aye...that and not having to wait for the people that backup on the jetbridge. You can usually get to your seat and sit without standing around in the aisle for others to sit down.