jsg143

I'm a US CP and lately I've found it is getting increasingly difficult to board without running the gantlet.

It has been my recent experience that many gate agents now call First Class, CP, *G, US Silver and US DM credit card holders all at once. It creates an absolute stampede, particularly as those who don't know better and those who do crunch to the front to make sure they get to board early, too.

Coming back from Puerto Rico two weeks ago, this was compounded by large groups of old folks (cruise passengers) who feigned not understanding English to just come to the front of the line and board as they pleased.

Seems to me that FC and CP should board first - there should be a small pause to give a chance for us to board and get situated - then there should be some orderly progression down the pecking order. The way United has a separate set of ropes for their highest elites is downright civilized and seems to me to be an industry best practice.

I know it has been discussed before, but it is particularly galling to have people who paid $89 for a US credit card pushing to come to the front. I spent $50k+ with US last year and would appreciate having 2 minutes to put my bags up without being run over.

What ever happened to having more than 4 boarding zones to bring some order this chaos?

What is it going to take to get some control over the boarding process? Is anyone from US listening?

TINPA

Yes I am finding it more frequent and it is very frustrating. I don't push my way to the front of the crowd before boarding -- I shouldn't have to in FC, or even if in the back, as a CP.

But I cannot stand when they do waht you said -- they mention every possible category to cover 90% of the people on the flight. It happened to me a couple times this week alone.

What I don't understand is why they do this. Isn't it easier for a GA to deal with smaller groups at once, rather than mobs of people pushing to get through??

dcpatti

Have you reported it to US? there are some US employees who participate on this forum but none, that I know of, in an official capacity. This is a training issue, and my take on it is some GA's don't enforce the rules because they're less likely to get screamed at that way--- and I have seen GA's be shouted at when requesting someone to wait for their proper boarding zone.

But US can't fix it if they don't know it's broken. So, OP, if you've not reported it to US yet, I'd recommend you do so.

Dan6681

I really like the way UA boards as well. Premium Cabins/1K first, *G second, then their equivalent of silver, which in US's case would also include credit card members.

I would be happy if US would board this way and I would be very happy if there was also a dedicated lane for preferred and premium class passengers.

HBart

Caused by 2 issues - 1st at times there's no pause between FC and zone 1, and 2nd because people who are in zone 1 (which I guess also includes credit card holders ) crowd into the FC line and the GA doesn't say anything. I laugh sometimes when they do announce correctly FC only, 40 people line up, and they don't say anything. Even with the new math 40 people don't fit in 12 FC seats!!

bcard519

It also bugs me that since ppl want to save $20 for baggage they bring 2 massive carry-ons and try to jam them into the overheads. Is it just me or does it create chaos in the aisles and make the boarding process take way longer then it should. Some people just don't get it.

Often1

If US cared about customer loyalty, there are many things it could do which could increase that loyalty without spending money, delaying departures or otherwsie making operations more difficult.

Charging for checked luggage has turned early boarding into a nightmare when GA don't enforce it. Becs. overhead space is more and more valuable, early boarding has a greater demand (if I had no carry-on which needed overhead storage I would board last!) Thus, people not entitled to some form of priority boarding rush the gate and GA under pressure for ontime departure, won't control it. Of course, the boarding disarray actually makes it take longer and flights are delayed anyway.

Solution is for all BP to be numbered from Zone 1 to Zone whatever. No special designations for F, GS, 1K (or whatever premium designations there are for the carrier). If the carrier wants F to board first, F boarding passes get a "1." Then, enforce, enforce and enforce. It will cause a bit of pain at first, but in the end more flights will leave on time and US will actually gain some customer loyalty.

mrredskin

if they waited longer between zones there would be less of a bull rush. it's hard to keep zone3, 4 or 5 folk from bombarding the path tho. just crank some ludacris: "move b****, get out the way"

cwe84

We have had baggage issues well before we started charging for luggage. We may get a few more gate checked bags. People will take only what they can for free. So instead of having two 50lbs checked bags and 2 packed to the gills carryons they bring the 2 carryons. I can remember us having weight restrictions and having to remove passengers on certain flights just because we had 150 bags in the cargo bin and the overheads completely full with 10 or so gate checked bags. Now we have 30 bags in the cargo bin and maybe 10 to 15 gate checked bags.

Regardless of what an airline does the inexperienced traveler will always hold up boarding.

The Zone system is exactly like what you describe. Pre boarding for elderly and families with kids under 5 then Zone 1 is for F, CP, G, *G, some exit rows and bulkhead. Zone 2 is S, CC holders, and the other exit rows. Zone 3 is Web Check-in and Zones 4 and 5 are for everyone else. As dcpatti said it is up to the GA to make the correct announcement and enforce the policy.

A big problem that I have been seeing is elites and club members staying in the club until a few minutes before final call and then getting there at the last second and board with no space available. I had a CP rip me a new one two days ago because I didn't save him space. Like I know who you are and what your status is (BTW express doesn't get this info before the flight and rarely after the flight has closed). I try to hold the first two bins for the bulkhead but I can't hold it for the whole boarding since there are DYKWIA's elsewhere in the cabin.

I have also been on flights where the whole plane was Zone 1 and 2. It happens quite often out of DCA.

SS255

I was one of those cruise ship passengers last Sunday. (I'm not old, though.)

I found SJU to be absolutely dreadful -- 6,000 cruise ship passengers all trying to get onto the afternoon flights with not enough seating capacity in the gate area -- and the lack of any form of priority boarding lane makes the experience that much more unbearable.

I LOVE CO's boarding procedure:

1) Active military traveling in uniform.
2) First Class/Business First
3) Elite Access
4) Special needs/families with children under 5.
5) Everyone else, from the back to the front.

There is a blue carpet on the left for Elite Access, and once Elite Access is called, you may board at your leisure. If you get to the gate while the masses are boarding, you can use the blue carpet and bypass the long line.

UA's boarding procedure works just fine if you are in F or a 1K. But for all other elites, it basically sucks.

DCAorBust

I think this one is what I'd like to see on US. These folks come first right now, and while I believe that's a nice courtesy, it does interject some confusion b/c the F PAX and elites are mostly on their feet, having arrived at the gate just moments before the cattle call, which leaves no place for them to stand but semi-adjacent the podium. Meanwhile all of the families and folks who need assistance are seated and need to make their way thru the jungle of elites. If they went ahead and called F and then elites, the standing room only crowd would be out of the way, and the people needing assistance could actually get to the gate without having to weave thru a jungle of humanity.

A red/blue carpet lane would help too b/c I'd be less worried about getting to the gate before Zone 2 was called, at which point all is lost as far as overhead space is concerned on most of my flights.

FlyerAl

I think they should load up the wheelchair pax followed by boarding First Class, skipping the family & "special needs" preboarding nonsense. That would speed up the boarding process while giving First Class a chance to settle in first. Even WN makes the families wait until all the Group A pax have boarded the plane.

samgvb

This isn't the BIG problem....

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just follow the zones and gives us a chance to get inline. That's the problem.

Seriously, you never know when they will announce FC, CP, etc or if it will be all at once. I spend in excess of $60K a year as well, and would like a bit of space just to check in and find a home on the aircraft.

US Air is just allowing EVERYONE is stand around near the gate and I literally need to elbow and fight my way to the gate when FC is called.

So Frustrating.

GaryZ

Combine 1 + 2 and this obviously is the smart way to board. Too bad there is seemingly no way to communicate this to US.

rxralph

You forgot me. I am the old guy shuffling down the tunnel on a cane hugging the right side while you other passengers rush past.

We, the lame and infirm really do need the advaNCED TIME!


ralph