[StephenLondon]

@FDOS_UK it isn’t a red herring when you’re boarding a packed 767 on a route like ATH or IST, and CE is back to row 19! Then add in all the other card holders in Eco, and you have a different ball game.

What AA are best at doing is boarding F first, exactly 30 mins before departure. For these pax, it is all about overhead bin space. But it only takes a couple of minutes because the max is, what, 24 seats on a 757, but usually 16 on the 737/MD80 aircraft, ditto for the ex-US Air a/c.

Again, remember they aren’t checking docs at the gate, either, so boarding is much faster.

On a recent domestic flight in Norway, one agent boarded a busy 737 in under 8 minutes, thanks to an e-gate (using a finger print) and no document checks. People also weren’t carrying the kitchen sink with them has hand baggage.

[Broadgate]

I am in total agreement with Silentquays! All you guys with your Gold and Silver cards are so worried about your status, you are missing the point completely. On a recent BA flight to Budapest, and another flight back to Heathrow from Amsterdam, on full planes, it was chaos at the gate as virtually everyone thought they had the right to board first.
I cannot imagine why the airline doesn’t abandon this policy and merely board by row starting at the back. By asking CE passengers on first, all that does is stop anybody else getting past into economy until they’ve managed to put their carry-ons in the lockers. If the plane is filling up from the back, even though those precious people with CE seats may have to wait a bit longer, they will find their seats with much less pushing and shoving! It’s even worse on the larger, long haul flights when loading by row starting at the back makes even more sense!

[backintheseat]

Getting off first is an understandable priority not getting on. Savvy operators like Ryanair even charge for priority boarding although they don’t explain who gets on first if everybody does!

[SimonS1]

This is another consequence of the inflated numbers of BAEC members these days. Gold, silver and bronze are all ten a penny and it seems half the world has priority boarding, lounge access etc and in turn why the ground experience is so mediocre.

Really the whole thing needs a massive cull so that premium travellers really get a premium service.

@Broadgate – the reason premium passengers board first is that on many flights the sheer volume of cabin bags exceeds space available. If I had paid hundreds for a CE seat and then found lockers full of bags and no space left I wouldn’t be too thrilled especially bearing in mind lockers full of crew bags as well. The hand bag issue could easily be solved, but like many BA things they follow a cop out strategy.

[MrMichael]

Simon S1 perhaps for Broadgate’s idea to work cabin crew would have to rigorously enforce CE pax bags only above CE seats, even some sort of moveable divider. It must be in BA’s interest surely to speed up the boarding process. I know on my regular flights with BA/IB I find on the whole boarding process to be a shambles.

[Author]

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