EZY Online Check-In Now Group A

[fyrefli]

Sweet :)

Dunno how long this has been going on for (not much more than a month at most) but EZY Online Check-In originally put you in Group D, then after a while they changed it to C. It now puts you in Group A.

In other news, Speedy Boarding - idiot tax or what?!?! ;)

[Final 3 Greens]

Good to know this - many thanks fyrefli

[Vasto1M]

But speedy boarding gets you on before group A, so I guess it depends how desperate you are to get on first.

[GEAR_DOWN]

20 SPEEDY BOARDERS ARE ALLOWED. online check in put in to group A for 2 months now. only group A and B now. so 1st to board speedy boarders, then preboards, then online check in, then group a, and finally b

[fyrefli]

Only Speedy, A and B would make more financial sense of Speedy certainly. But with the main issue (lack of baggage space) dealt with by more stringent security (in particular one bag only rule), why would you bother? If you're on a bus gate in- or outbound it makes a mockery of any time advantage, at airports like AMS the positioning of security pre-gate means the tardy (half the flight) end up in an huge and effective group E anyway etc.

Speedy, A and B only is not in global operation anyway - coming through AMS on Thursday there were still Speedy (just the one sucker visibly questioning what on earth he'd paid for), A, B, C and D.

(Oh, it can't be quite two months - my last flight to the UK was 16/5 and I still have the self-printed Group C boarding pass here in my jacket pocket :) )

[GEAR_DOWN]

Speedy boarding is available on every route on the network. Online checkin is not - yet.

[fyrefli]

Yes, boarding at Bristol now theoretically Speedy, Pre-, A, B; also complete joke ;) I'm not sure I can adequately put into words the total and utter farce experienced yesterday evening (including speedy boarders c/w bus to gate as noted above); nil attempt to regulate scrum to the point that it would be much better if there were no groups - at least then you'd just have a free for all, not lots of pi$$ed off people in a free for all! :ugh:

[GW76]

With all the farce and admin, surely they could just allocate seats. It doesnt do any of the other airlines any harm- I cant possiblsy see how it saves time and is cheaper, especially if online checkin is completely rolled out.

[fyrefli]

I understand where you're coming from. What's it like at other airports? The current system at AMS is brilliant; that at BRS completely broken; Luton was always okay when I used that; also well regulated at Nice, Geneva and the couple of Spanish ones I've used.

[knobbygb]

They charge differing amounts for speedy boarding depending on the method used - most for airbridge (such as here in ATH), less for 'walk across tarmac' (like SXF) and lowest for bus. I'd never use it personally, but it's always a good way to check what the boarding arrangements are at a destination you've never used before (if you can really be bothered, that is).

As for seat allocation, or lack of - I always assumed it was a way to 'push' people to board more quickly and thus save time. After all, who'd bother to run (yes, people do) around the wing to the back door if they had their seat pre-assigned? In my experience, they seem to be able to get 150 odd peope onto an A319 just about as quickly as a reverse-evacuation! This MUST affect their on-time departure figures.

[Vasto1M]

At BRS when boarding onto a coach they are supposed to only open one set of doors on the coach and the coach driver is to advise you to walk to the other end of the coach, as the doors at that end should be opened first at the aircraft. I’m not sure what the reality of it is or why there is an apparent reluctance for the coaching staff to use the set procedure.

[fyrefli]

I still wonder what will happen if the majority on a flight uses on-line check-in now that it gives a Group A entitlement.

Presumably there will be around one hundred punters around the gate area all trying to be first out of the stalls after the assisted pax and speedy boarders have gone through.

That's precisely what happens now, 'cos the gate staff apparently don't give a to$$ any more ;) Obviously the complete lack of any space in the shopping emporium, er, sorry, departure lounge doesn't exactly help!

[SingleLensReflex]

EZY check in is fine. Boarding is shi'ite and preys on the insecurity of passengers (or pax as the high and mighty/ low and lowly of pprune insist on referring to their bread and butter!) who just want to get there/ home.

I feel a rant coming on but I'll save it and just start a weblog tomorrow instead.

[Rush2112]

A mate of mine who regularly does MUC - EDi says it makes little difference at EDI because it doesnt come into a gate, you need to get a 'wee bus' (sic).

[27mm]

That's the situation at MUC as well,; you have to climb on a bus to reach the jet - however, the main benefit of online check-in is avoiding all that queueing at the EZY desk - see my rant on the "Airport Security Fiasco " thread......

[fyrefli]

Just to confirm, AMS is also now Speedy, A, B. And I *still* think Speedy is a mug's game :D

[jack_essex]

I flew with EZY a few months ago STN - AMS - STN. The single gate agent at STN left to board the whole flight managed to do it very well, strictly enforcing the 'priority' system. Although she did have to shout at a few pax to 'get back and sit down!' In AMS things were so organized as there is no chance for pushing due to the metal queuing system.