Boarding lounge queue protocol for UC?

[fozzyo]

I think we can safely say boarding is the one thing we can rely on VS to consistently not get right! Its not that difficult surely? And you don't even need any signs for priority lanes, though it is always better when used!

Call 1: All Upper Class pax and Gold Card holders to board and those who require special assistance
Call 2: All Premium Economy pax
Call 3: Those in the back half of Economy to board
Call 4: Anyone left at the gate.

Then a suitably timed call in the Clubhouse for anyone there to head for immediate boarding.

When travelling in Upper I do have a habit of presenting myself to the front of the queue for boarding.

Mat

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by fozzyo
I think we can safely say boarding is the one thing we can rely on VS to consistently not get right! Its not that difficult surely? And you don't even need any signs for priority lanes, though it is always better when used!

Call 1: All Upper Class pax and Gold Card holders to board and those who require special assistance
Call 2: All Premium Economy pax
Call 3: Those in the back half of Economy to board
Call 4: Anyone left at the gate.

Then a suitably timed call in the Clubhouse for anyone there to head for immediate boarding.

When travelling in Upper I do have a habit of presenting myself to the front of the queue for boarding.

Mat

Mat, you need to factor in stupidity and humiliation to the plan. So if you call rows 50-60, and some fool rocks up who is in row 30 you need to shout loudly at them 'Are you f*cking stupid? We are not boarding row 30' and then send them to sit down again. Stupidity doesn't count as special assistance. Anyone that requires special assistance shoudl be boarded last.

Originally posted by frangipan
Any one of us could rearrange things and provide the training in a few days that would sort this out, so why can't they? This is a bit worrying.

If you could achieve this then good on you......

Whilst I have my own views on the queueing thing..... I dont say this to defend VS at all, but there are quite a lot of variables at LHR compared to some other airports in the world who manage to deal with priority boarding a little better (and there are many worse).

Quite a few of the gates at LHR are gate 'rooms' where your boarding card is taken from you/checked as you enter the 'room' .... you therefore end up with hoards of people all in one area normally
trying to board at the same time once called. You also essentially end up with 2 choke points, the queue to get in the room and the queue going down the airbridge.

I also think the use of only one airbridge has an impact for obvious reasons, I dont believe this is just a VS issue though it seems to be the norm at LHR.

When 'open plan' gates are used where you give up your boarding cards as you enter the airbridge in my experience these tend to work a little better as there is sufficient space to have a proper priority boarding line and the queue in the airbridge tends to get filtered a little.

To sum up, the geography of the airport has a lot to do with the problem and im sure that security and passenger flow is considered high on the list when designing them and dare I say J & F passengers a little further down.

I have encountered many similar scenarios and worse with other carriers so its not just a VS problem.

I will report back and let you know how the I get on with the priority boarding at Hyderabad in the morning and at Delhi in the afternoon [;)]

Cheers

Mark[:D]

Just to add my 2c worth in.........On all my UC out of LHR is has been a total scrum, I view it as a my right to be able to jump the queue if in UC, there doesn't need to be any pushing or shoving but I always make my way to the front. Condidering I have paid a fair few thousand pounds for my ticket, and some Y pax has paid £200! I think I have every right to get to the front. In SYD/JFK/NBO it all seemed to work a dream........[y]

Originally posted by DMetters-Bone
I view it as a my right to be able to jump the queue if in UC,

Its a facility that VS offer for you to take advantage of when available.... I'd hardly call it a 'right' !

Originally posted by DMetters-Bone
and some Y pax has paid £200! I think I have every right to get to the front.

Oh those inferior Y pax .... does how much you paid for your ticket really come into it ?


Mark

On both of our last two UC flights there has been no priority boarding and it has been a scrum. Whilst I agree there is no added bonus in getting to your suite 5 minutes earlier, it would be an advantage to board calmly, rather than in a melee of bodies and backpacks.

Originally posted by fozzyo


Call 1: All Upper Class pax and Gold Card holders to board and those who require special assistance
Call 2: All Premium Economy pax
Call 3: Those in the back half of Economy to board
Call 4: Anyone left at the gate.

IME this is generally what is announced, the problem arises when the sheep hear 'call 1' they all rush up there. They know they will be called next and just cant wait to board.

When I am in PE I tend to board as late as possible without holding things up, as I find it easier for me to do this than make my way through the crowd. As has been stated, there is always enough overhead room and your seat is assigned, so the melee to get onbaord early is unecessary.

Maybe, just maybe, if an announcement was made for everybody to remain seated until their row is called, things would work a little better. Although I doubt it.

[HighFlyer]

Originally posted by nevadakaz
Maybe, just maybe, if an announcement was made for everybody to remain seated until their row is called, things would work a little better. Although I doubt it.

I guess the onus is on the staff to enforce the policy. I recall flying AA once, who were boarding by row, and there was a delightful woman there actively sending people away (in a loud shouting voice i might add) for coming up to the queue when their seats was clearly nowhere near the section she was calling for. If all airlines enforced this then it would lessen the crowd - and actually allow people to board quickly and not worry about all of the overhead space being taken.

Thanks,
Sarah

OMG I sm so terrified now!!!!!
I am one of the cattle or sheep (usually) so i am fighting tooth and nail for locker space (overhead) and getting stressed about who will st next to me (DH always jumps, nay ..... positively leaps over anyone earby into the window seat)
You kind people have 'allowed' me to look forward with dread to my first UC flight!!!!!
ooh er will i sit in the CH or not? Will I wait for the call to board or push, shove whilst not forgetting to wave my UC ticket above my head to the front of the boarding queue???
Will I even remember to turn right.. oops see LEFT (Fool)
I think I will keep my head down and not make a prat of myself even before I board.
As a lot of you have mentioned its a long time in the 'metal tube'
so who cares who gets on first last or 57th, Unless you get a free gift for being the 57th!!!!
I am still looking forward to it but now just have more decisions to make LOL