People Board Wrong Ezy Plane At Ema
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: UK
Think that some of the posters here are being a little rude to SLF who don't fly regularly. However, I do think that the story itself is a little overdramatic and I am now rethinking my position on my local rag after seeing such a long and boring statement about nothing in the Nottingham Evening Post. If they HAD ended up in Rome it might have spiced it up a bit and warranted a few lines.
In the end, yes the staff should have checked the boarding cards (or the system should have been clearer), and yes the pax could have showed more initiative, but its a bit of a non-event. It is easy in any industry to not see flaws in a system you work with every day, but remember for your customers it will almost certainly not be as simple using the system as it is for you, and I think that in Britain people are less likely to ask for help.
I Remember many moons ago 2 pax arrived at PIK from STN and asked how they got in to central Cork! (Now this was nearly 10 years ago before any FR bashers come out of the woodwork.) At least this Midlands family realised the error at an early enough stage.
XSB
In the end, yes the staff should have checked the boarding cards (or the system should have been clearer), and yes the pax could have showed more initiative, but its a bit of a non-event. It is easy in any industry to not see flaws in a system you work with every day, but remember for your customers it will almost certainly not be as simple using the system as it is for you, and I think that in Britain people are less likely to ask for help.
I Remember many moons ago 2 pax arrived at PIK from STN and asked how they got in to central Cork! (Now this was nearly 10 years ago before any FR bashers come out of the woodwork.) At least this Midlands family realised the error at an early enough stage.
XSB
Brunel to Concorde
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,283
Likes: 0
From: Virtute et Industria, et Sumorsaete Ealle
However, things are relative.
BRS's terminal building, although only six years old, is already too small and it can be as crowded within the smaller space available as larger airports.
Add in the fact that around eleven easyJet departures occur most mornings within a two-hour time span, along with as many, if not more, other airline departures and even in a place like BRS the unwary, or perhaps the unwordly, passenger could easily be confused.
Riding the Euro Gravy Plane
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 455
Likes: 0
From: Strasbourg
MerchantVenturer
Thanks for the information. By continental European standards 5.6 million per year makes Bristol a fair size airport, significantly bigger than my local airport, SXB, which runs at about 1.6 million pax per year I think.
The airport in Lyon, which I think is probably the second largest city here in France, carries about 6.5 million pax per year and is considered to be a large international airport, though I suspect those numbers are fairly equally split between national and international travellers.
Thanks for the information. By continental European standards 5.6 million per year makes Bristol a fair size airport, significantly bigger than my local airport, SXB, which runs at about 1.6 million pax per year I think.
The airport in Lyon, which I think is probably the second largest city here in France, carries about 6.5 million pax per year and is considered to be a large international airport, though I suspect those numbers are fairly equally split between national and international travellers.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 3
From: UK
Sorry, but I haven't read all the responses because i couldn't believe that on the first page there is someone telling us how difficult it is to read 150 boarding cards correctly!!! WTF!!!!!!!!
If you cannot stay focused for the 20 or so minutes it takes to board a flight then go get another job, because frankly you shouldn't be in the one you're in!! Before anyone bleats that I don't know what it is like, I started off many years ago when the info on a boarding card was a lot less clear.
Is the pay with handling agents now so bad that they cannot attract reasonably literate and switched on staff? Granted that the airlines squeeze the handling agents ability to pay decent wages by paying as little as they can for their handling, but jeez I've heard it all when someone claims that reading boarding passes at a gate isn't easy!!
If you cannot stay focused for the 20 or so minutes it takes to board a flight then go get another job, because frankly you shouldn't be in the one you're in!! Before anyone bleats that I don't know what it is like, I started off many years ago when the info on a boarding card was a lot less clear.
Is the pay with handling agents now so bad that they cannot attract reasonably literate and switched on staff? Granted that the airlines squeeze the handling agents ability to pay decent wages by paying as little as they can for their handling, but jeez I've heard it all when someone claims that reading boarding passes at a gate isn't easy!!
Lady Lexxington
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 0
From: The Manor House
20 minutes for boarding? I think not. Usually about 15mins is more like it. It is nothing to do with being "switched on" it is human error. Mistakes happen. Sometimes you see what you are expecting to see, especially if this is your 300 pax that day, and mistakes then occur.
Obviously you never, ever made an error when boarding a flight Surely not.
Obviously you never, ever made an error when boarding a flight Surely not.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
From: RSA
Never ever turn your back on SLF thinking everything will be fine or that “it” will never happen. Always be alert during boarding and always think the “impossible” can happen…will happen…! 
SLF “switch off” and will do absolutely the “dumbest” things possible at the worst times causing stress levels going mad……! 
Boarding has become easier with new technology...SLF stayed almost unchanged......
.........remember the old style boarding card & “red back” coupons at the gate, 250 + pax to board, 20 minutes to go while balancing flight coupons……seat changes……upgrades……denied boarding……pax removing the flight coupon from the boarding card, safely storing it "some place" deep inside their hand luggage.....operation control reminding you about "on time departures"........good old times! 
SLF “switch off” and will do absolutely the “dumbest” things possible at the worst times causing stress levels going mad……! Boarding has become easier with new technology...SLF stayed almost unchanged......
.........remember the old style boarding card & “red back” coupons at the gate, 250 + pax to board, 20 minutes to go while balancing flight coupons……seat changes……upgrades……denied boarding……pax removing the flight coupon from the boarding card, safely storing it "some place" deep inside their hand luggage.....operation control reminding you about "on time departures"........good old times!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 3
From: UK
Lexxity I can say that I never made an error that delayed a flight whilst boarding a flight. Yes I made errors but you know how it is when you are concentrating, you get that feeling where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and warn you that something not quite right just happened.
When I first started we had to check tickets for unpulled coupons as well as pull the boarding cards. Not just point to point tickets, but concertina round the world, middle of the trip, jeez why are you doing so many flights concertina tickets. Woe betide if you missed an unpulled coupon no matter how human you were when making the error. We didn't have fancy gate computer systems telling us if we had made a mistake, nor on most gates was there even a decent desk near the boarding door. On the South American flights we filled out a manual SOM whilst boarding the pax, again because it was not computerised back then. First class and economy and 150 pax.
I understand your point that humans make errors, and I fully accept that there are many good staff out there, but I get the feeling that nowadays we are too quick to accept the error when in fact the mistake was made because the staff member is sloppy in their work and safe in the knowledge that they will claim pressure of work and everyone will nod sagely and blame the management.
I used a similar version when I commuted to work via the M25. If I was late leaving the house I knew all I had to do when arriving late for work was look stressed and blame the M25. Never failed, always got the sympathy.
When I first started we had to check tickets for unpulled coupons as well as pull the boarding cards. Not just point to point tickets, but concertina round the world, middle of the trip, jeez why are you doing so many flights concertina tickets. Woe betide if you missed an unpulled coupon no matter how human you were when making the error. We didn't have fancy gate computer systems telling us if we had made a mistake, nor on most gates was there even a decent desk near the boarding door. On the South American flights we filled out a manual SOM whilst boarding the pax, again because it was not computerised back then. First class and economy and 150 pax.
I understand your point that humans make errors, and I fully accept that there are many good staff out there, but I get the feeling that nowadays we are too quick to accept the error when in fact the mistake was made because the staff member is sloppy in their work and safe in the knowledge that they will claim pressure of work and everyone will nod sagely and blame the management.
I used a similar version when I commuted to work via the M25. If I was late leaving the house I knew all I had to do when arriving late for work was look stressed and blame the M25. Never failed, always got the sympathy.
Lady Lexxington
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 0
From: The Manor House
Ah the good old days, all this automation has come in since I've been in the industry. The number of times I have had pax tipping their luggage out infront of the gate searching for the ticket they "didn't think you needed" or the ones who use it as a bookmark, happy days.
The new gate readers are so much better though for catching pax trying to go to the wrong destination or sneak onto an earlier flight. Now there's a problem, several services a day to the capital and you always get people who try and sneak onto the earlier service, that's easy to miss because you don't always see the incorrect flight number because you're seeing the correct destination. Like I said, thank heaven for gate readers for that reason alone.
The new gate readers are so much better though for catching pax trying to go to the wrong destination or sneak onto an earlier flight. Now there's a problem, several services a day to the capital and you always get people who try and sneak onto the earlier service, that's easy to miss because you don't always see the incorrect flight number because you're seeing the correct destination. Like I said, thank heaven for gate readers for that reason alone.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Ruritania
But when you show your boarding card and passport in the boarding lounge the boarding card gets barcoded doesn't it? I think EJ need to invest in some better software to link boarding cards to actual flights, not just numbers turning up at the gate.
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart
I saw one similar case live. Apparently at Rome Ciampino. A lady got on to our HLX flight to stuttgart where as she was supposed to go to hamburg or so. Ofcourse the lady in case seemed to be more stupid.
Whats more stunning is, she is supposed to fly Air Berlin but she ended up in Hapagloyd Express, with full yellow colours. Atleast this colour differences didnt help.
I heard her chat with the ppl sitting next to her about their home at the destination and then they figured out that both are going to different destinations. Its then she recognised that she was on a wrong flight and she jumped and picked her baggage and started running out of the flight.
Whats more stunning is, she is supposed to fly Air Berlin but she ended up in Hapagloyd Express, with full yellow colours. Atleast this colour differences didnt help.
I heard her chat with the ppl sitting next to her about their home at the destination and then they figured out that both are going to different destinations. Its then she recognised that she was on a wrong flight and she jumped and picked her baggage and started running out of the flight.
