Shouldnt we all be checking boarding cards?

[sukigirl]

I won't mention the name of the airline for fear of causing an uproar in the forum from its offended employees, but this happened on a certain low cost carrier out stanstead.

When boarding a flight to Austria the cabin crew member at the boarding door was chatting and laughing on the phone to another colleague at another door station. At least 15 pax got on with out her so much as looking at them let alone check their boarding cards. Maybe it is just our airlines policy to check boarding cards but i know for a fact that i or any crew i work with would dare let anyone on with out seeing ID or a boarding pass. Surely this should be the same for all airlines? Its easy for anyone wondering around (be it staff or a pax bound for another flight) to stray on the tarmac and head for any aircraft they like if these checks are not being done. I remember once on one of my flights we were boarding from the jetway when an indian lady speaking not much english tried to board our flight to JFK when she was supposed to go to DEL. She had somehow slipped past the ground staff, but if we had the attitude of the crew on this certain airline and just chatted to our collegues on the phone and ignored all our pax then she would have found herself landing in new york instead of india with her family.

Surely apart from just being plain rude and ignorant isnt this a real safety issue or am i just over reacting?

[Eddy]

I guess it might be airline policy. Where I work, we have to check flight numbers, dates and even times. Check the names (Mr/Mrs etc) and finally seat numbers so we can direct the passengers.

It still scares me how many people don't check all of these details and simply glance at the seat number. If I'm at the door boarding and the checks aren't being done properly by someone else, it's still my arse that will get it.

[SkySista]

In this day and age you can't be too careful.

As wel las you say it would have looked shockingly rude and unhelpful. Perhaps a letter or phone call to the relevant department of the airline concerned should sort it out, if it was a one-off occurence...

[slingsby]

I think I know which airline you are on about, this would be the one who don't put seat numbers on boarding cards, but board you by security/check-in number, let you pick your seat.

Several times I have been extremely surprised by the CC not checking the Bcards at the door, especially as there was no aircraft security guard there either.

.

[tiggerific_69]

erm hello security!!!!!!!!god if terrorists are reading this we know who's planes theyr gonna be boarding soon with their boarding pass with a destination of "paradise" jeez its a simple little task,why is it so hard to check???when boarding pax,i look at everyone,their boarding cards,and their luggage!!!!think this airline needs some procedures either changed or put in place!

[flyblue]

I found it very strange too, because It seems an elementary security check, but some airlines don't have that policy. I often fly as a pax (not in France) with an airline who doesn't do it, and know from fellow CC from other airlines and countries that some of them don't do it.
Personally it has already happened to me at a particularly messy airport to find people who should have been on another flight ("Sorry Madam, we are not going to Toronto, we are going to Paris, we'd be in trouble on a 321 if we did!)

[NordicJetSet]

I work as ground crew, very often at boarding gate. At the airport where I work I´ve never seen any cc checking pax boarding cards. And this is for all kinds of airlines, including some big carriers. I've always thought it was my job to check the boarding cards, and the crew trust me :D . We never have people walking themselves to the plane, so that might be of course one reason.

[Getoutofmygalley]

I think I know which airline you are on about, this would be the one who don't put seat numbers on boarding cards, but board you by security/check-in number, let you pick your seat.

Hmmm not the best of descriptions to identify a particular low-cost carrier as there are several based at STN that do not allocate seats.

Still, at least I can say that it is NOT easyJet as we do not fly to Austria :p

[flybywire]

Our policy is to check ALL boarding passes as pax board the plane.
Just as well as more than once I've had passengers showing me a LHR I/B boarding card when instead we were going to LGW.
The two planes in my airline's livery were parked close to each other and had similar departure times in all the occasions and nobody (ground crew/passenger) spotted the error. Passengers happily walked to one random aircraft of their choice ;)


We introduced this policy as a result of increased security measures after 9/11, and it still amazes me how many of those people (i.e.Americans) who kept saying that "The world changed on 9/11" are rude to us when we ask them to show us their boarding pass upon boarding (clearly they have already hidden it inside one of their massive bags) :E

Once I was paxing on another airline from STN to GOA and after pushing back we had to return to stand as there was a group of people who were meant to fly to TRN instead!!!
Funny.................NOT!!

FBW:}

[Maude Charlee]

Almost certainly Ryanair.

The DUB crews who fly into NCL have a very lax attitude to safety and security. They too never check boarding cards, nor do they wait until steps are in place before opening doors, nor do they wait until signalled that it is safe to disembark before pax out the door, nor do they do anything more than the most cursory of security checks before boarding, which the ground crew are cleared to do the second the last inbound pap is off.

However, the BGY crews are totally different and are several degrees higher in their professionalism. I suspect this means that company policy on a number of matters is vastly different to the operation as demonstrated by DUB crew.

I guess some bases are just cursed with cowboy crews, who have little or no interest in anybody's safety or security, not even their own.

[Tudor]

Did the cabin crew do a headcount? If so this would usually highlight any discrepancy. However, with all the goodwill in the world, mistakes can and do still happen.

I agree though, incredibly rude behaviour!

[sukigirl]

What can i say maude charlee? i wont comment as to whether your wrong but i defenately wont correct you either if you know what i mean.
Thanks everyone for your replys, i have spoken to other crew about this also and have been told that this is common in this particular airline as many other people have experienced the same problem. I did feel like making a complaint but wasnt sure if i was in the right or overreacting as i said in my previous post.
I dont remember if they did a head count but you are right tudor when you say its easy to make a mistake plus someone could hide themsleves easily not to be counted, and if there numbers didnt tally they would have to count again, then again perhaps to be sure, when all the time this is delaying take off. Surely this is not cost effective to such a low budget airline. I think its a primitive way of doing things. Incidentally the same thing happened on the way back.

[philip2004uk]

I know of a sensible smart girl who checked every bording card looking at the passport and the pax faces completely in the correct way and i cant believe she was only there about a month and she did the job more properly than anyone i have ever seen.
I think most people just pretend to look, whereas this girl i saw looked at them properly.

[SkySista]

I'm just waiting to hear of someone complaining that the 'smart girl' was holding upthe plane by checking everyone - but I sure as hell would rather be 5 mins late than to have someone get on my plane that wasn't supposed to - especially a 'someone' who isn't just a lost passenger!! :}

Suki, if you feel it's a security risk then report it. If they say it's no big deal then fine, but if anything happens later because they didn't do anything the report (should have) been logged and they will have to make a response to that. (Plus you will feel better that at least you said something if you decide to do so.)

I figure it's best to err on the side of caution - better to explain why you were 'overreacting' than to explain that "Oh yes i saw that but I didn't think it was important enough" - hmmm not very solid ground to be on after a major incident I think!! :D

[feet dry]

Afternoon all,

I thought it was just me......four flights ex LGW last month on business with another Lo-Co which goes to Belfast city (should narrow it down for you!!).

On each of the four flights (i.e. four return trips so eight times) my boarding card was not checked once at the door. Six of the eight due to animated conversations (hair/makeup/personal hygiene - who knows?) The other two were solo meet and greet and were just finishing off the final touches to the aforementioned hair/makeup/personal hygiene - perhaps employing the tips learnt from before?

I know not all CC are the same - as with all, the good deeds of the many are inevitably overshadowed by the deeds of the few.

[tea_or_coffee?]

could be that they could not read english yet on account of a certain lo co pleasure in recruiting eastern europeans who have a much lower salary expectation.

osama is probably on the web now booking up a block booking for his friends.................................

[jettesen]

has to be ryanair as easyjet don't fly to austria


Anyways - at my airline, they are very thorough on security and boarding cards. I had a lady pax who got all the was past checkin, airport security, the gate, and nearly me on the plane with a mans boarding card!!! The checkin agent made a mistake as the previous pax to check in was called russel ( first name) and she was Russell ( last name). She even had her passport checked at airport security and they never picked it up. She was quite alarmed by this too.

[redfield]

Maude Charlee: Those that you mention: aren't they on a bonus for early departures?? Most if not all boarding cards are checked at my airport by the c/c and I'm amazed that NordicJetSet says that this doesn't happen where he works. :ooh:

[AtlanticAngel]

Hi Guys

This is an interesting topic and the inconsistency amongst airlines is undoubtedly the reason many pax get irritated at having to show us their boarding cards. It still amazes me that even our most regular passengers assume we are checking their seat number and not the flight number and date. Just last week I spotted three wrong boarding cards on one flight - it was just that pax had handed over the incorrect one ie. their outbound card or one from a previous date to same destination. I have heard that the CAA come on and check we are adhering to this procedure. After a while it just becomes second nature.

Thats my 10p's worth!! :)

Take Care Everyone x

[flyblue]

Atlantic Angel,
whe it happens I explain we MUST do it is for security reasons, and that we are checking flight number and date and why. Usually there are no more complaints: playing the security card does the trick :ok:

[tetzuo]

must be an british thing, here over in germany cc don´t have to check bording cards, therfore we have the staff at the gates.

[757girl]

I can't believe there are some airlines who don't check the boarding cards! We cannot trust the ground staff to always check them properly-there have been instances where they have failed us. For our pre-flight questions, we sometimes get asked what we need to check on the cards- esp important for the person on the boarding door. It's going to be their ass that gets booted if we carry someone who shouldn't be on board- if the ground staff don't check and subsequently we also don't check properly, then there is a serious safety issue. It's also not ok to resolve this by finding the discrepancy from the head count- it just shouldn't get that far. It annoys me when pax get angry when asked for their card and act like it's the biggest inconvienience ever, just cause they have to dig into a bag for it. I wouldn't be happy travelling as a passenger if halfway through a flight, the crew discovered they had an extra passenger (s). I treat ever passenger with suspicion and monitor pax behavior as they board and during the flight. You can't take chances nowadays.

[Tudor]

I treat ever passenger with suspicion and monitor pax behavior as they board and during the flight.

I'm sure your intentions are admirable but I think you ought to lighten up a little bit, you're cabin crew not MI5! As important as safety and security is, you are in the hospitality business and you need to treat your passengers with respect and courtesy not suspicion. I remember on my training course we were told not to 'police the cabin' and I think that's something a few crew ought to take on board!

[sunshine40]

Are you serious? Check my boarding pass, look at my face, I absolutely want you to do that.

If you can't take your job, and your own security seriously, you shouldn't be in the business. Hospitality is only part of the business you are in, safety and security is surely the main issue.

It's what most of these forum subjects cover, one way or another.

[757girl]

Tudor-

I didn't mean that I don't treat pax with courtesy, it's just that if someone is behaving strangely when they board or during the flight, we would report it to the senior and check it out if we needed to. We were actually taught to go through criteria in our heads when meeting pax- I don't assume that all pax are totally harmless individuals, because the events of 9/11 have sadly forced us to be extra vigilant. I agree that we aren't exactly MI5 but we are the passengers protection to some extent.

[Empty Cruise]

Simple answer...

...one very well known LCC out of STN don't use ground staff @ the gate - they use one of the CC to man the gate :rolleyes:

Just try & be last off the plane next time, & you will be chased by one of the main crew to the gate.

So - the CC actually does the checking of boarding cards - but not as we know it... :}

Empty

[El Grifo]

Prior to 9/11 (sic) some elderly relations of my wife, boarded an aircraft in Seattle thinking they were heading for a visit to blighty.

25 mins into the flight, they were welcomed to flight blah blah blah to somewhere in Canada.

Screwed up their whole plan. Never did make it to blighty.

WTF happened there, can anyone explain ??



:{ :oh: :{

[Farmer 1]

Well, speaking personally, I think they probably got on the wrong aeroplane.

[derekl]

. . . which of course leads to the famous American CC announcement of "Welcome aboard Blahair flight 123 to San Francisco. If you're aboard flight 123 and your destination is not San Francisco, this is a pretty good time to unboard".:D

[El Grifo]

Mmm. Check that Farmer !!

But HTF do an elderly couple with a ticket for London Heathrow end up on a flight to friggin Canada, in country that figures that it has got everything running just patsy.

Or is that how the dodgy boys got aboard the 9/11 (sic) flights.

ie. total friggin complacency !!

[Farmer 1]

Perhaps the check-in person was a bit off-colour that day. You know, a bit il(sic).

[tea_or_coffee?]

sorry to say its a regular occurence at LHR. not enough ground staff, similar flight numbers, confused (stupid) pax etc.

Got one the other day.

Getting fed up with the yanks though, they are the only ones that really give us grief at being asked to produce their boarding cards at the door. How dare us little europeans hinder an American! perish the thought.

Tea or Coffee Sir..........or optrex?

[Tudor]

I've even been accused of racism for daring to ask to see someone's boarding card although that says more about them than it does me...

[Ckin Gal]

At our station they check the boarding cards at security. we also check the boarding cards and ID at the gate as they enter as we have closed gate policy, the boarding cards are checked as they leave the gate to direct them to the correct steps and cc check at the door as well. to make our lives easy we put to same sized a/c in same livery next door to each other so we can change gates easily when load sheets need producing. doesn't always help t pax tho. hee hee

[striparella]

Of course they should!

Luckily on my airline people are refused on board if they don't have their stub.

But no flight goes by without a passenger losing theirs and not understanding the gravity of the security issues!!

Passengers, god bless them!

[GLAcabincrew]

I usually joke that we're making sure they don't go to MAN or LGW by mistake! Especially downroute where the gate staff are not always as vigilant as they could be! It has happened that someone tried to get on the wrong aircraft and we've had to get ground staff to escort pax back to the terminal!!!!!

I usually joke that we\'re making sure they don\'t go to MAN or LGW by mistake! Especially downrouite where the gate staff are not always as vigilant as they could be! It has happened that someone tried to get on the wrong aircraft and we\'ve had to get ground staff to escort pax back to the terminal!!!!!