So I’m midway through a trip and I have arrived at CLT from LHR about 2hrs ago and am waiting on my connection. I’m waiting at the same gate as a flight to Salisbury is departing and they call the groups out to board in order but on the E-145 they call out
1. Disabled
2. Families with small children
3. Military personnel
4. Priority customers
5. Group 1
6. Group 2
7. Group 3
.
.
.
.
14. Group 11!!!!!!

I understand that it’s potentially more efficient to board in groups and to let those who may need more time or are prepared to pay go first but 14 separate groups on a little rj? As soon as they started announcing group 1 everyone stood up and it was the same passive aggressive scrum as ever. Is this the norm now?

Fred


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What airline are you flying? I assume AA, but they do not have group 11

Delta has:

1. Disabled
2. Families with Children and Military
3. Premium
4. Sky Priority
5. Zone 1
6. Zone 2
7. Zone 3
8. Zone 4

Good luck to those in Zone 3 and 4 getting overhead bin space.

AC in Canada is similar to US carriers - Zones 1 and 2 including Star Alliance Priority Boarding, then pre-boards then zones 3, 4 and 5.

WS is simpler - Pre-boards including emergency exit rows followed by zone 1 including Gold Rewards members and then zones 2 and 3.

I find that some US carriers have over complicated the boarding process by having separated pax into too many groups.

Considering all the boarding groups and the fact that everybody just clusters around the podium anyway no matter what group they are in makes me wonder why people criticize WN for allegedly having a stressful boarding process.

I thought BA was pushing things a bit with five groups!

Makes me yearn for QF's system - J class and status-holding FFs, then rear rows of economy, then everybody else.

I like the AA system now, I think its more elegant than calling out a bunch of unlisted groups and status levels.

It used to be:
Concierge Key
Premium Cabin
Active duty military.
Priority boarding by AAdvantage tier level. Individually called for Exec Plat, Plat, Gold, and customers who purchased "priority" boarding.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4.

Now its simple:

Concierge Key
Group 1 / Active Duty (This includes premium cabin customers on 2-cabin aircraft.)
Group 2 (Exec Plat)
Group 3 (Platinum Pro & Platinum)
Group 4 (Gold, priority customers, and premium cabin customers in 3-cabin aircraft like Premium Economy
Group 5 (Paid early boarding and MCE)
Group 6 - not scientific but usually customers who check in at home or with their mobile phone.
Group 7 - again not scientific but usually customers who check in at the kiosk.
Group 8 - usually get put here if you check in at at the ATO.
Group 9 (new) - basic economy.

So now instead of reading out a bunch of precious diamonds, gems, or stones its simple enough anyone can look at their boarding pass and identify where they are in the boarding process.

Typically if agents are in a rush they just group Groups 1-4 since there are usually almost nobody in those groups, especially on 1-cabin aircraft.

As much as I like to complain about my home carrier LH sometimes, I like how they still do it just like Ryanair: Small Children/Disabled, Priority (F, C, Star Gold or Higher), everyone else

mhkansan wrote:

Group 6 - not scientific but usually customers who check in at home or with their mobile phone.
Group 7 - again not scientific but usually customers who check in at the kiosk.
Group 8 - usually get put here if you check in at at the ATO.

AFAIK, those groups are usually some sort of alignment with where in the airplane the seats are. Its equivalent to front/back of the plane or the inverse pyramid that US Airways used to use a while ago..

The boarding announcements are so long-winded these days that it seems like a miracle when the planes depart on-time.
I feel the gate areas have become excessively noisy due to these long-winded speeches. I hope we will return to the following one day:

+ Pre-Boarding (Special Care Passengers)
+ Priority Boarding (First/Business/Elite)
+ General Boarding (Rear to Front)

AirAfreak wrote:

+ General Boarding (Rear to Front)

Yeah, they *never* announced "rear to front". They announced things like "rows 30-35", then "rows 25-30", etc. So it was basically the same thing.

spacecadet wrote:

AirAfreak wrote:

+ General Boarding (Rear to Front)

Yeah, they *never* announced "rear to front". They announced things like "rows 30-35", then "rows 25-30", etc. So it was basically the same thing.

Yeah, um thanks, sweetie pie, but I already knew that. I used parentheses to describe the boarding sequence. Lastly, I am aware how boarding announcements included “now boarding rows 30 and higher,” rather than, “rear to front.”

Antarius wrote:

What airline are you flying? I assume AA, but they do not have group 11

There were gate agents chuckling on adjacent gates when she said group 11 so maybe they were taking the piss.

Why do they let the pax further forward in first why not fill up from the back?

Frrd


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AirAfreak wrote:

Yeah, um thanks, sweetie pie, but I already knew that.

Two things.

1. You don't know me well enough to call me that yet.

2. You sure didn't sound like you knew that, and still don't, or you wouldn't be defending a post that is demonstrably (and, by your own words, admittedly) wrong. There was no difference in "windedness" in calling row numbers vs. calling groups. All that's different is the nomenclature, and the fact that groups can allow airlines to sit passengers anywhere. There is no difference in the length of calling "Group 4" vs. calling "Rows 30-35". If anything, calling groups is about a half second shorter.

TMccrury wrote:

Delta has:
1. Disabled
2. Families with Children and Military
3. Premium
4. Sky Priority
5. Zone 1
6. Zone 2
7. Zone 3
8. Zone 4

The first 4 groups get to walk on the "red carpet" at the Delta gates. After Sky Priority, the gate agent closes that line and opens up the General Boarding line. Starting with Zone 1 Delta switches to the other line next to it, but without the red carpet. I always find this amusing when boarding a regional aircraft.

TMccrury wrote:

Delta has:

1. Disabled
2. Families with Children and Military
3. Premium
4. Sky Priority
5. Zone 1
6. Zone 2
7. Zone 3
8. Zone 4

Good luck to those in Zone 3 and 4 getting overhead bin space.

I always hear them send Disabled and Families w/Children down the chute at the same time, and then Premium and Military together. Worded along the lines of "Families with small children, passengers in wheelchairs, and anyone needing additional time or assistance getting down the jetway." Followed by "Now boarding all First class passengers. Active duty service members are also invited to board at this time."

My favorite flights are the ones that are so lightly loaded that they just say "everybody get on the plane now."

At the rate the airlines are going, they might as well just call each row.

alggag wrote:

Considering all the boarding groups and the fact that everybody just clusters around the podium anyway no matter what group they are in makes me wonder why people criticize WN for allegedly having a stressful boarding process.

People criticize Southwest for having a stressful boarding process because if you're at the end of the B group or in the C boarding group then you're probably going to get a crappy seat. It can also make it difficult for groups to sit together. Some people get stressed about not knowing what seat they'll be sitting in or getting a crappy seat. Assigned seats are far less stressful. I dislike WN specifically because of their boarding process. The uncertainty of not knowing what seat I will be getting stresses me out. I like to plan things out in advance.

USAirKid wrote:

mhkansan wrote:

Group 6 - not scientific but usually customers who check in at home or with their mobile phone.
Group 7 - again not scientific but usually customers who check in at the kiosk.
Group 8 - usually get put here if you check in at at the ATO.

AFAIK, those groups are usually some sort of alignment with where in the airplane the seats are. Its equivalent to front/back of the plane or the inverse pyramid that US Airways used to use a while ago..

No, the groups are assigned by check-in method.

Group 5 is cardholders, paid MCE, and paid “preferred” boarding, group 6 is online/mobile check-in, exit rows (if not qualifying for Group 5 otherwise), and passengers connecting from other airlines, group 7 is skycap and kiosk check-in, group 8 is agent check-in, and group 9 is basic economy.

KentB27 wrote:

alggag wrote:

Considering all the boarding groups and the fact that everybody just clusters around the podium anyway no matter what group they are in makes me wonder why people criticize WN for allegedly having a stressful boarding process.

People criticize Southwest for having a stressful boarding process because if you're at the end of the B group or in the C boarding group then you're probably going to get a crappy seat. It can also make it difficult for groups to sit together. Some people get stressed about not knowing what seat they'll be sitting in or getting a crappy seat. Assigned seats are far less stressful. I dislike WN specifically because of their boarding process. The uncertainty of not knowing what seat I will be getting stresses me out. I like to plan things out in advance.

Yes, but as long as you're willing to check-in at exactly 24 hours you can get a decent boarding group. You can also pay a small additional fee and get early boarding group.
There is much less thronging/crowding at the gate due to the orderly lines.

I don't really know how being stressed about late B or C groups is any different than being the one who gets a pre-assigned center seat because the plane is quite full.

Chemist wrote:

KentB27 wrote:

alggag wrote:

Considering all the boarding groups and the fact that everybody just clusters around the podium anyway no matter what group they are in makes me wonder why people criticize WN for allegedly having a stressful boarding process.

People criticize Southwest for having a stressful boarding process because if you're at the end of the B group or in the C boarding group then you're probably going to get a crappy seat. It can also make it difficult for groups to sit together. Some people get stressed about not knowing what seat they'll be sitting in or getting a crappy seat. Assigned seats are far less stressful. I dislike WN specifically because of their boarding process. The uncertainty of not knowing what seat I will be getting stresses me out. I like to plan things out in advance.

Yes, but as long as you're willing to check-in at exactly 24 hours you can get a decent boarding group. You can also pay a small additional fee and get early boarding group.
There is much less thronging/crowding at the gate due to the orderly lines.

I don't really know how being stressed about late B or C groups is any different than being the one who gets a pre-assigned center seat because the plane is quite full.

I wouldn't term WN's boarding process as stressful...it's more like incredibly annoying. I avoid WN like the plague for many different reasons (like my upgrades, want to select my seat, don't want the PA used to hold an ersatz "American Idol," want to earn free F travel to places slightly more exotic than AMA), but one of those is definitely the demented boarding bingo game they force pax to play, where you get to walk up to a complete stranger and ask, "Are you A12? I'm A 13!" And the "Early Bird" fee is utter garbage...All you get is a cut in the cattle line. For the life of me, I will never understand WN's appeal to some, but some like to pay someone in a leather suit to beat them, so I guess to each, his/her own.

XAM2175 wrote:

I thought BA was pushing things a bit with five groups!

Makes me yearn for QF's system - J class and status-holding FFs, then rear rows of economy, then everybody else.

I don't understand why BA has 5 groups - every flight I've been on has had groups 2 and 3 boarding at the same time and groups 4 and 5 boarding at the same time - they might as well just have 3
boarding groups!