Nearly missed flight due to no info screen update
 

Nearly missed my flight yesterday (FR2905 – MLA – BRU) because there are no calls in the business lounge and the info screens were never updated to say it was boarding. By the time the screens updated the flight was closed. I ran to the gate and just managed to board. They had to ask the captains permission to take an extra passenger and already had my luggage out of the hold. Suffice to say I was not happy.

Also I left my phone on charge in the lounge in my panic – fortunately someone handed it in and I’ll pick it up when I get back – so a week away on business with no smart phone.

Question I have as an IT applications guy is; how can the gate staff start boarding a flight without updating the status? I would have thought the gate staff would have had to set the flight to boarding in order to start scanning boarding passes, at which point the info screens would be updated? In this case the screens went straight from please wait to close in a matter of seconds. Seems to me a step was missed by the gate staff or, are all these systems not as integrated as we think? Anyone know these systems?

As a general rule, systems are rarely as joined-up as they might appear. I suspect there would have been a human somewhere in the loop who omitted to do something.

I'm amazed they let you on, I was refused boarding when I arrived at the gate 10 mins prior to STD, I had no luggage at all, not even hand luggage. I just got told, the flight is closed, go away. FR - NEVER AGAIN.

The one time that I booked with FR they let me travel ... NEVER AGAIN :)

Try turning up on time then, may help.

Were you on the flight alone? If not, just wondering how the other pax managed to get to gate on time.....

Try reading the OP. There were no calls in the lounge. Presumably I was the only passenger in the lounge.

Many casual ( i.e. not business or frequent ) travellers religously report to the gate at the time instructed at check-in, well ahead of the 'gate closing' time.

Of course this means that they then sit on hard seats or the floor for 30 minutes before being permitted to form a line and beg permission to board, but consider themselves 'on-time'.

I think the only reason I got let on was because I had checked luggage. They were still hunting for it when I arrived at the gate and had just found it by the time I got to the aircraft - at which point they were told by the supervisor to load it back on the aircraft. If I'd been hand luggage only I would definitely not have got it.

I also assume the fact I got let on was some sort of concession to the fact that someone had f'ed-up with the display screens procedure. I made that clear to them when I got to the gate.

To be fair gate staff were not Ryanair so I think this was an MLA ground staff f-up, not Ryanair. For once.

I guess not to many FR pax on

I only had lounge access cause it comes with the car park season ticket. :O

If the gate number is on the screen, that's all you need to know. It's your choice when you decide to get there. If 188 other passengers don't need telling when an aircraft is boarding then you f'ed up. Not the ground handler.

I did read the OP and it appeared many tens of pax were sat on a RYR 737 twiddling their thumbs 'cause someone couldn't be bothered to get to a gate on time. It was MLA after all not LHR T5, with C concourse departure

Many lounges don't have calls as they are irritating, especially as busy airports

Top tip....check your watch every now and then

It works both ways though doesn't it? Like flights that are 'final call' or 'closing' when the aircraft is still 30 miles away.

....plus of course the boarding pass info

Assuming the flight was on time, or if it was delayed the new ETD was shown. It states on your boarding pass to be at the gate 20-30 minutes before the departure time, you weren't. Screens or no screens.
Seems odd that the screens went straight from "Please wait" to "closed" and in that matter of seconds up to 188 people had their passport checked, hand luggage checked and boarding card scanned, got on board and took their seats. If that's the case then :ok: to MLA for being able to board an FR so fast!
EZY for example close their gates at -20, some -15, most -10. You don't leave yourself many options of Airlines to fly with if YOU are late to the gate and expect them to accept you. It's not as simple of "I'm here, let me on", bags or not. You are offloaded from the check-in system and removed from the loadsheet and figures. It could take longer to put you back on it and then YOU have delayed the flight for being late

If you're a newcomer to Cairo it can be daunting especially when you need to buy a visa before your domestic flight. I was being paged all over the airport with no idea where to go. Eventually after tipping a cleaner he helped me to the appropriate gate.

I have been refused boarding by EZY showing up exactly 30m (to the minute) before departure, but they usually give some flexibility (I'd say -20 on average). This very morning out of SXF I had the surprise of the captain making the announcement that he would wait a little to allow pax to clear security (which was indeed crowded). I muss say that's the very first time I've witnessed such a gesture in probably 500+ EZY flights!

HeartyMeatballs deep deep respect! A very fair comment.