British Airways
Join Date: May 2005
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This is another example of the different departments within BA pulling in opposite directions. On one hand you have the Commercial team - more seats/HBO fares/confusing boarding procedures - all of which slow down boarding, and on the other hand, you have the Operations department who are constantly demanding quicker boarding times and improved punctuality. Lack of joined up thinking me thinks.
BA, Iberia, IAG call it what you will, has lost it's identity and has become too large. Too many management ideas from different cultures. It's certainly not British Airways anymore, that can be seen through the lack of real customer service. I used to love them, very sad.
Join Date: May 2017
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And with the RTG time reduced from -3 to -5 who in gods name came up with this crackpot idea. Just give up arsing about BA and just call your self a LCC. If it looks like an LCC smells like an LCC a d acts like an LCC gues what BA you are an LCC!
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Okay those at the back of the bus have to wait till everyone in front seated, or do they have to push and barge past in the ever narrowing corridor whilst annoying the business ticket holders folding their coats and storing their day cases and laptops whilst also hogging to limited overhead luggage space.!
Going to improve boarding times - Think not imho !
Going to improve boarding times - Think not imho !
If I have have put £10k+ of business BA's way on short haul trips in the past 12 months, I think it is fair that I am treated a little bit better than someone paying £59 on their only BA trip this year.
Join Date: Feb 2016
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The new system should be a vast improvement. Boarding BA flights is generally chaotic because many passengers don't understand the system (or take their chances) and on many flights as many, if not more, passengers are eligible for priority boarding as general boarding.
A numbered system is easy for passengers whose first language is not English to understand and group boarding works very well in the US.
Automated gates are also speeding up the boarding process.
A numbered system is easy for passengers whose first language is not English to understand and group boarding works very well in the US.
Automated gates are also speeding up the boarding process.
Join Date: Mar 2008
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its not going to change the number eligible for priority boarding due to BA and OW generous allowances who will all stand at the tensa barriers t-30 as they did before. Autobarriers are available at <1% of network gates.
Join Date: May 2005
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Automated gates are also speeding up the boarding process.
This board by cost idea is a joke. typical BA or any Brit company that comes up with an idea to try and gaina few more pounds (on next trip not current one)
However BA cannot manage the boarding process as it is and this will cause endless trouble as how do customers know where they are in the queue.
Easy jet is pretty straightforward here and BA will lose more customers to the big Orange over this.
I have always liked and supported BA but they are a disaster now , I just read an online trip report by an young frequent flyer and he just shredded BA Business Class on an A380 trip, terrible food , terrible attitude , terrible seats and bed, too cramped and crowded which has made my my up that for my anniversary trip wifey will get treated to QR or similar
Shame but you employ monkeys like Cruz and you get a second rate airline
However BA cannot manage the boarding process as it is and this will cause endless trouble as how do customers know where they are in the queue.
Easy jet is pretty straightforward here and BA will lose more customers to the big Orange over this.
I have always liked and supported BA but they are a disaster now , I just read an online trip report by an young frequent flyer and he just shredded BA Business Class on an A380 trip, terrible food , terrible attitude , terrible seats and bed, too cramped and crowded which has made my my up that for my anniversary trip wifey will get treated to QR or similar
Shame but you employ monkeys like Cruz and you get a second rate airline
I think many thought the Hand Baggage Only fares were a sort of reduction for not troubling the airline with the hoopla of checked baggage. In fact I believe it was presented like this. There wasn't any indication given that one would thereby be treated as a Bottom Class Citizen.
Meanwhile, for those paying the substantial front end fares, the last thing I would want is to be out of the lounge well in advance, to be first in the aircraft sat doing nothing. I would expect to be one of the last out of the lounge and into my seat. This seems counter-intuitive.
I know the whole approach comes from the USA where many pax have given up on checked baggage (doing so when they perceived the airlines had given up on prompt handling of it, plus high baggage mishandles at transfer hubs, generally through inadequate staffing). So they pile in and fill the lockers up with oversized rollaboards when the aircraft is only half boarded. This leads to all sorts of mob scenes in US aircraft, arguments between pax and such like, and premium pax boarding and finding the bag space has been all taken by those paying a fraction of their fare. But that's an operational thing to manage, and certainly on AA if the flight attendants would ensure the F lockers were for the F pax instead of filling them up with their own crew bags and then standing there chewing gum and staring into space during boarding (or gassing among themselves in the galley) things for all, but especially the premium pax, would be a lot better.
Meanwhile, for those paying the substantial front end fares, the last thing I would want is to be out of the lounge well in advance, to be first in the aircraft sat doing nothing. I would expect to be one of the last out of the lounge and into my seat. This seems counter-intuitive.
I know the whole approach comes from the USA where many pax have given up on checked baggage (doing so when they perceived the airlines had given up on prompt handling of it, plus high baggage mishandles at transfer hubs, generally through inadequate staffing). So they pile in and fill the lockers up with oversized rollaboards when the aircraft is only half boarded. This leads to all sorts of mob scenes in US aircraft, arguments between pax and such like, and premium pax boarding and finding the bag space has been all taken by those paying a fraction of their fare. But that's an operational thing to manage, and certainly on AA if the flight attendants would ensure the F lockers were for the F pax instead of filling them up with their own crew bags and then standing there chewing gum and staring into space during boarding (or gassing among themselves in the galley) things for all, but especially the premium pax, would be a lot better.
Join Date: Mar 2013
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I am all for this change as long as it is enforced as I have witnessed the awful boarding process at LHR too many times. Maybe all those people criticising BA's new policy could reflect on the fact that it is not too different from the often unenforced policy of today and present some ideas of their own?
Given that:
a) there is not always room for all carry-on bags to fit in the cabin
b) priority boarding is clearly something that people value/aspire to
c) passengers could have spent anywhere between £300 and £4000 for a seat on the same plane (long haul/different cabins)
d) some passengers spend huge sums with BA every year and could reasonably expect their loyalty to be reflected over and above less regular passengers
With this in mind, how should it be done?
Given that:
a) there is not always room for all carry-on bags to fit in the cabin
b) priority boarding is clearly something that people value/aspire to
c) passengers could have spent anywhere between £300 and £4000 for a seat on the same plane (long haul/different cabins)
d) some passengers spend huge sums with BA every year and could reasonably expect their loyalty to be reflected over and above less regular passengers
With this in mind, how should it be done?
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Re the new boarding process.
It will be fine on long haul services. However on many occasions the
Last few passengers to board are premium passengers who wait in the lounges to the very last minute.
On short haul services given the short turnaround times the Quickest way to get the passengers over the aircraft threshold is to strictly board by seat row number from back to front. The problem you have is not boarding passengers at the gate but getting the customers seated and hand baggage stowed.
It will be fine on long haul services. However on many occasions the
Last few passengers to board are premium passengers who wait in the lounges to the very last minute.
On short haul services given the short turnaround times the Quickest way to get the passengers over the aircraft threshold is to strictly board by seat row number from back to front. The problem you have is not boarding passengers at the gate but getting the customers seated and hand baggage stowed.
Join Date: Mar 2004
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I'm not sure if anyone else is flying BA regularly, but there is a definite trend developing of people (generally females travelling alone in business attire, if I am to run the risk of being perceived as judgmental) with bulging wheelie bags getting on very late in the boarding process, standing in the aisle and generally effecting a helpless look mid-cabin in the hope that the crew will assist to magic their bag into a stowage.
For those who travel relatively light and board early, it is hugely irritating, not least when the crew try to remove your bag out of the overhead locker and ask you to impede your space given the significantly reduced legroom on the A319s and A320s nowadays.
If left to me, I'd be opening the rear service door and wheeling the bags straight out onto the apron below, having checked that I wasn't going to take out a rampie by doing so.
The new BA boarding process will be a total mess, and I say that from pretty extensive experience as a customer. BA's only hope is to count the wheelie bags as Ryanair and easyJet do, and once you have passed the magic number, wheelie bags 98 (or whatever) onwards get checked into the hold at the gate. It works, it incentivises people to get to the gate early, it doesn't terminally p**s off those travelling with light hand baggage and I never see hand baggage dramas of the like witnessed on BA on flights with Ryanair or easyJet.
For those who travel relatively light and board early, it is hugely irritating, not least when the crew try to remove your bag out of the overhead locker and ask you to impede your space given the significantly reduced legroom on the A319s and A320s nowadays.
If left to me, I'd be opening the rear service door and wheeling the bags straight out onto the apron below, having checked that I wasn't going to take out a rampie by doing so.
The new BA boarding process will be a total mess, and I say that from pretty extensive experience as a customer. BA's only hope is to count the wheelie bags as Ryanair and easyJet do, and once you have passed the magic number, wheelie bags 98 (or whatever) onwards get checked into the hold at the gate. It works, it incentivises people to get to the gate early, it doesn't terminally p**s off those travelling with light hand baggage and I never see hand baggage dramas of the like witnessed on BA on flights with Ryanair or easyJet.
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Not that the group number will be of much use where remote stands are involved. Here the rule seems to be first on the bus, last off.
Of my twelve flights so far this year, five have involved being bussed (LHR, Santorini, Lisbon, Helsinki, Funchal), where on arrival at the aircraft there was a mad rush to the steps - people running, desperate to get their wheelies in the lockers. This phenomenon was at its worse inbound on the evening business flights (notably Helsinki where there was no attempt at the gate to seek volunteers to 'hold' their bags - resulting in a 20 minute delay), less so on the bucket and spade services.
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Have BA not been doing something similar for years, ie boarding those needing assistance first. Followed by Silver/Gold/Club, Premium economy then economy.
The main difference from December seems to be group numbers will be printed on the boarding pass indicating the order of boarding.
Cant see what all the fuss is about.
The main difference from December seems to be group numbers will be printed on the boarding pass indicating the order of boarding.
Cant see what all the fuss is about.
When I'm lucky enough to be flying first or business, I want to be boarding last, not first!
Surely there are two other boarding systems that are more efficient:
If boarding from the front door only, board from the highest row number first.
If boarding from both front and rear doors, board all window seats first, followed by middle, and then aisle.
Surely there are two other boarding systems that are more efficient:
If boarding from the front door only, board from the highest row number first.
If boarding from both front and rear doors, board all window seats first, followed by middle, and then aisle.
Not that the group number will be of much use where remote stands are involved. Here the rule seems to be first on the bus, last off.
Of my twelve flights so far this year, five have involved being bussed (LHR, Santorini, Lisbon, Helsinki, Funchal), where on arrival at the aircraft there was a mad rush to the steps - people running, desperate to get their wheelies in the lockers. This phenomenon was at its worse inbound on the evening business flights (notably Helsinki where there was no attempt at the gate to seek volunteers to 'hold' their bags - resulting in a 20 minute delay), less so on the bucket and spade services.
Of my twelve flights so far this year, five have involved being bussed (LHR, Santorini, Lisbon, Helsinki, Funchal), where on arrival at the aircraft there was a mad rush to the steps - people running, desperate to get their wheelies in the lockers. This phenomenon was at its worse inbound on the evening business flights (notably Helsinki where there was no attempt at the gate to seek volunteers to 'hold' their bags - resulting in a 20 minute delay), less so on the bucket and spade services.