"Wait In Lounge" vs. "Go To Gate" At Stansted

[angels]

Ops - Interesting isn't it. You have confirmed that I'm right in what I do.

I knew crap information was put on the screens and this thread, along with your comments has proved it.

Afraid I'm one of those that has learnt to ignore what the damn screens say. They're wrong most of the time -- not all of the time but most of the time.

I've never delayed a flight yet by being last to the gate but I've wandered up many a time well after the 'final boarding' has appeared to find people who have been there for 30 or 40 minutes because they believed what the screens said.

[davidjohnson6]

It's fairly obvious at the departure loung in STN when all the FR flights show either 'Wait' or 'Final Call' with nothing in between that the information is not correct.

I am rather surprised that BAA don't want to do anything about this - particularly as it encourages people to spend less time shopping and much more time waiting by gates where there are very few shops

While 5 years ago, the average FR passenger might have arrived at STN an hour or more in advance to allow for checkin, the fact that so many now checkin online means less need to arrive so long in advance. If having cleared security 35 mins before a flight one sees 'Final Call' on a screen (but 10 mins before the aircraft gets to the gate !) - where's the time to spend cash in the shops ?

I believe BAA take a cut of the *turnover* of shops, not just a simple rental, thus they are incentivised to increase sales at stores. Seems that BAA are missing a revenue opportunity here by not cracking down on dispatchers.

[OpsSix]

Yep, you're correct in saying that the information is crap, because at STN for instance they are calling for the pax to be at the gate before the aircraft has even touched down. They just want you there on time that's all, and if displaying final call ensures that you get to the gate on time then that is what they will do. Whilst 99 out of 100 pax may get to the gate when requested, it's always that last one that will have to be offloaded, and of course they're bound to have bags which need to be found before the aircraft can depart. This all takes time which we simply don't have.

At LCY, it's rare that the flight is called before the aircraft is on stand as the stands are only allocated when the aircraft is on finals or once it has landed.

You'd be surprised at the amount of people that do ignore the requests whether it be getting to the gate on time, sitting where they are asked to sit onboard or turning a mobile phone off. Only last night I asked a passenger travelling to LUX to switch his phone off as he waited on the ramp. His response was "no, I'm going to continue my conversation"
Another example from a week or two ago were 2 pax that arrived at the gate after I had offloaded them. When I asked where they had been the answer was simple.... "sitting down".

I agree with you about the size of the gates.... totally useless for the purpose. If I'm dispatching an RJ, I don't even go back into the gate until we're boarded, it's too much of a battle to get to the desk!!
We don't call the flights early at LCY though. Boarding commences at -15 and the flight is called at -30. We need those 15 mins to get all the pax in, boarding cards scanned etc and then at -10, anyone who has yet to show is offloaded.

Re the shops at LCY, well there are 4 to choose from airside, one of which sells watches for up to £18.5k.... what more could you want

WHBM, you'll have to introduce yourself one day dear chap, I'm the one with no hair
I may well see you on your outbound and inbound flights if I'm working a double shift as many of us do.

[Final 3 Greens]

Nothing hostile about it. I have a job to do and only have 30 mins to do it in. When all bar one passenger is sitting on the aircraft and I can't offload the remaining one until -10, to then see them stroll in fully loaded with bags from the tax free shop, it's quite frustrating.

You are paid to deal with the frustration, get over it, you are in a customer service business and some customers are irritating.

[OpsSix]

I am over it, I don't get stressed, I enjoy my job. If anyone is stressed, it seems you are. I'm just saying about what goes on and the reason why the screens display such info.

You have my permission to climb back into your pram.

[Final 3 Greens]

I'm not stressed, sitting here in the southern med, 17 degrees and glorious sunshine, just about to finish my working day in my home office and go for a glass of wine on the sun terrace. How is it at your end?

If you don't like receiving direct feedback, I'd suggest dropping the macho comments like "Most passengers leave their common sense outside as soon as the enter the terminal."

[urdy gurdy]

back to the original point of the thread, the airport i work at doesn't allow us to have gate numbers on the boarding cards or call flights to the gate until -45 std for charter flights and -30 std for schedule flights. This keeps the passengers spending money in the "shopping mall" for as long as possible. The airport has targets as to how much money, on average, per head that people must spend. That is the bottom line, Money.
We can only call them early with the permission of the terminal duty manager in exceptional circumstances.

[Dropline]

F3G

Unfortunately the reality today is that an increasing number of passengers appear to have forgotten (or have never been taught) how to behave in public, and are seemingly unable to follow simple instructions such as "Board Gate 15" or "Wait in Lounge". Then when things go wrong, they blame everyone but themselves! While I have no doubt that you are most certainly NOT one of these people, more and more airport staff are being subjected to abusive behaviour while at work. Yes it is a customer service environment, but how would you react if one of your clients openly urinated during one of your seminars, like a Ryanair passenger did on the apron recently? (presumably he thought he might have to pay if he waited until he got on board!) How would you like to be screamed at and called a f**king c**t because you followed Ryanair procedures and offloaded a passenger who failed to show at the gate in time? All this while trying to turn a 737-800 safely in 25 minutes!!! Please don't blame us if we occasionally get frustrated at the way some people behave!

Enjoy your wine and sunshine! I don't blame you for leaving these shores!

[Final 3 Greens]

Dropline

I can empathise with your situation, the behaviours you mention are unacceptable and since I work with managers or execs, normally they don't do these things, although they do have equally obnoxious and different behaviours. try dealing with a Saudi prince, if you don't believe me

Let me just post a quote from someone outside the UK on another thread....

I am trying to say, that the loud people seem to get ahead in Brittain as opposed to the inteligent once. But that could be the trend elsewhere. I am also trying to say, that english airports became very unpleasant to go through. Where are all the english gentleman gone? If I can avoid London airports to go anywhere, I will do it. Amsterdam seem to be a good example, that rules can be applied tastefully, without annoying passengers.

Ops6, unfortunately, comes across as a 'loud person', whereas you do not.

[OpsSix]

Well my apologies for coming across as a loud person but I'm sure I am much the same as Dropline. It wasn't a macho comment either as most of the 86 people I worked with on the passenger team at STN shared the same view.
As for today, pleasent sunshine and a pint of the black stuff down the pub went down a treat thanks.
Enjoy your day.....

[wings folded]

I think that I can see what the problem is.

OpsSix and 86 like minded people at STN who share his views (according to him) could achieve superb efficiency in turning around aircraft, were it not for those wretched, pesky passengers who upset the smooth running of the whole affair because they have paid to travel, and therefore want to.

Do away with them and you will have a pleasant life.

Of course, whoever employs you will sooner or later spot a slight drop in revenue and decide that they perhaps no longer need you.

You perhaps did not read my earlier post regarding disabled PAX or you perhaps ignored it, but there are many reasons why PAX turn up late at the gate, and imposing un-achievable time scales for less than fully fit people to get from lounge to gate can be, and is, one of the reasons.

[OpsSix]

Re disabled pax, we are usually made aware that they are travelling and they are bought to the gate by the assistance staff and pre boarded.
I'm afraid I don't set the time scales, I just work to them and by sticking to the rules we are given, we do achieve the required efficiency.

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by OpsSix

Re disabled pax, we are usually made aware that they are travelling and they are bought to the gate by the assistance staff and pre boarded.

I think the discussion was just about people who take longer than the standard allowance to make the long trek down to the gate at places like Stansted (not applicable at LCY apart from Gate 9).

So there we go, if you can't make the brisk pace allowed for in our wonderful glorious automated FIDS then we'll treat you as an invalid and stuff you in a wheelchair, make you report an extra hour earlier, and be then left for 55 minutes in the chair in a drafty corridor wondering if the chair pusher is going to come back or not before you are offloaded by the DS at the gate. That will teach anyone elderly not to upset the turnaround.

[Dropline]

If a flight departs late, the dispatcher has to account for every minute of the delay. In the case of Ryanair, there are often penalty clauses in their contracts with the handling agents that can mean if the handling agent is deemed responsible for the delay, Ryanair will not pay their handling fees for that turnaround. Waiting for late passengers is not considered an acceptable reason to delay a flight - as far as Ryanair are concerned, official policy is to close the gate at -10 to departure and any passengers arriving after this are to be denied travel.

If we call passengers to the gate when the aircraft is on finals (which is generally when the airport allocate the gate), say at -35, that still only gives us a 25 minute window to get up to 189 passengers down from the departure lounge, check their ID and boarding cards, and get them on board before we have to close the gate.

Offical Ryanair policy is to close the aircraft door at -5, which means we actually have 20 minutes ground time in which to disembark the inbound passengers and board the outbound! I appreciate it must be annoying for passengers when the screens go from Wait in Lounge to Gate Closing very quickly, but the screens change automatically and that process cannot be controlled from the gate. With such a short turnaround time, boarding has to be completed as quickly as possible or we risk giving Ryanair a free turnaround! If Gate Closing isn't shown early, particularly if the gate is a long walk, we end up having to leave passengers behind. Ryanair don't care if you miss your flight - they then get to charge you for another ticket!

We don't impose the timescales, Ryanair do. We are just put under immense pressure to achieve them. If I give them a free turnaround by not achieving the 25 minutes, then my employer wants to know why!

It really is fairly simple - if you want a calm, ordered, relaxed boarding process, don't fly with Ryanair!

[Skipness One Echo]

Only last night I asked a passenger travelling to LUX to switch his phone off as he waited on the ramp. His response was "no, I'm going to continue my conversation"

Er...why? Do taxi-ing aircraft career out of control becasue of a Nokia nearby? In the history of the world? Ever?

[raffele]

Er...why? Do taxi-ing aircraft career out of control becasue of a Nokia nearby? In the history of the world? Ever?

Probably not, but many airlines have a policy of mobile devices must be switched off whenever the engines are running on the ground

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