tommyleo

Yeah, but if there is clearly someone about to get a BP scanned at your gate, it is also clear that you are not about to miss your flight -- no matter how late you think you are. So why would you cut in front of another pax whose right in front of a working GA at that point?

burlax

Umm. . . Because they're not always 'right in front of a working GA'?

bkafrick

No, never. I dont want to stand in a line like cattle. WN is ridiculous. People always jockeying in line "are you 42? I'm 41. I'm in front of you." F that noise.

I'm just saying, make it simple. Board by zones. Dont go through a whole rigmarole with that awful speech about "staying comfortably seated". Thats what gets people all jazzed up and bum rushing the gate.

"Flight 1234 is ready to board. First class please." Boom. Done.

jr57

I'm with you. I think the assigned boarding spots get to be pretty demeaning, and the best solution is to simplify the announcements. The more layers you add to the process, the worse it gets.

Biggie Fries

Agree with OP that some people are just rude -- don't get me started on the drunk couple last week who referred (loudly) to me and at least one other person as a******* because we weren't interested in moving around to make them less unhappy in life. There are also plenty of people who aren't rude, but are just living the flying experience differently. I'm related to some of them. They move slowly; want to engage with fellow passengers at every turn; think of the GAs and FAs as gracious staff at an elite spa. Jerks exist. But you don't have to be a jerk to slow things down. Whatever -- we mostly adjust.

Also agree with simplification: That phrase, "Families with small children ..." does nothing but incite families with small children to press to the front; what normal person would expect the phrase to end with "... can board after Zone 2," especially when neither Zone 1 nor Zone 2 has been called yet. And how natural is it to think that Zone 1 comprises both F and a whole host of other people, from Chairman to Platinum to Gold to Silver to bulkhead seats to I don't know who else. Small wonder that folks get confused about "their turn." Not that it justifies rudely cutting in front of others, but I confess various stops and starts of the boarding process have turned me into a ruder person than I meant to be. The other day, for example, I show up after boarding has apparently started. The Preferred line is empty; folks are going in from the Kettle line. When this happens I do use the Preferred line, but don't "rudely" cut -- I wait to be called by the GA. Yet how the heck was I supposed to have known on this occasion that the F's were queuing in the Kettle line? I came across as a gate crasher of the first order, though I swear that was not my intention.

jackonferry

I don't know if the boarding process will ever get sorted out. Every airline does it slightly differently. I think that increases the incentive to hover around the gate -- unless you're a frequent traveler, you may not be sure how US does boarding. Second, a fair number of travelers don't speak English, so the announcements don't mean much to them.

GAs have to enforce boarding priority, and most give a lot of wiggle room. Even strict enforcing of boarding order would not have prevented the OP's issue.

BrienBear

I registered to say I was on this flight and saw this couple freak out. My partner and I were both dumbfounded. He hates when people "break the rules" and this couple flying up there like they were someone special made his head asplode.

Good on you OP (and your wife) for saying something. I was impressed that someone actually stood up to them. You missed the second couple though! After first, special assistance, etc were boarded, but BEFORE zone 1 (which my partner and I were) this couple FLIES up there, in the blue lane no less, and are talking about how all they can do is say "no you can't board yet" and does the same thing - starts to hand their BP to the gate agent. Like, really? You can't wait 5 minutes????

The gate agent goes, "well I haven't called zone 1 yet, but fine." and let's them through! We just shook our heads...

Thanks OP though - for being awesome!

Michael El

There are a lot of DYKWIAs flying these days.

etsmyers

Same thing happened to my family and I traveling phl to tpa in January. We were cued in the elite lane with another 4 or so passengers. Special assist was boarded and fc called when this bully bounded down the general lane to bypass the line. I was able to block him out, scan our bp, board my family and allow those behind us to be cued.

I purposefully chose the term bully,because that is what this is. There was an adequate fc line with elite passengers. If this guy was a super elite, us would have accommodated him

tommyleo

burlax, let's recap...

The OP and his wife were right in front of the GA, who was taking BPs. So again, how can any mistaken-lateness excuse be made for that guy who cut in front of the OP?

aztimm

Welcome to Flyertalk BrienBear, and thanks for joining! ^

Please feel free to post other experiences and ask questions.

BrienBear

Awww, cheers, thank you! I love reading here - you guys are knowledgeable. It's helpful for traveling, and I even work for an airline!

phlwookie

There are some self-boarding trials under way and I would hope that those could enforce boarding order, though it might make companions on different PNRs harder to get through.

LH has apparently implemented some at FRA, but as I try to avoid that airport as much as possible I haven't experienced it yet.

SpaceCoastBill

Thanks, its a built in response from my profession........ Im not going to sit by and watch something wrong happen. I was pretty amzed when he came up on my left and shoved tose boarding passes in the GAs face. I expected him to say something when I shifted left into that lane but I guess he knew I wasnt backing down. I guess I rubbed off on my wife because now she speaks out on stuff like this too.

Were you in first?

SpaceCoastBill

And add all the seats at the gate full of pax, an empty general lane and a full priority boarding lane.......

I was thinking of staying there until the priority boarding lane emptied!