johnp012001

Interesting comments on the process towards operational improvement. Including

flyupfrnt

Well it's nice to see they have a plan.

formeraa

I have also noticed that turn times at PHX in the new fall schedule are as high as 52 minutes (instead of the TANGO-induced 35 minute fire drill).

Chugach

I don't know about the rest of you, but I really hope they revamp the boarding process and do it by zone or something similar. This "all aboard" nonsense gets old, in my opinion. Makes me feel like I'm part of some kind of stampede.

formeraa

I've never been on a flight when they have said "ALL ABOARD". They have always boarded by rows, no matter how late they are, on my flights.

rjque

I haven't seen an AS flight boarded by rows in nearly a year. It usually starts with MVPGs and F, then to MVP and partner elites and then "all rows". The second step is often omitted.

Snowdevil

If you think about it, does it REALLY matter anyway? No matter how the gate agents board, the minute that door to the jetway opens it's like announcing "ALL RISE..." in the gate area.

AS Flyer

That jetway door doesn't even have to open. If there's a plane sitting at the jetway then there's a crowd waiting to get on. These days, people can hardly even deplane for the crowd of people blocking the exit from the jetway, waiting to get on. The airlines need to put some sense of order into the boarding process.

formeraa

But the main problem is AS's late flights. Usually, if the flights are on-time (a rarity these days), the passengers are "less" eager to get on-board immediately. If the flight is delayed, then that is when people start crowding around the door.

AS Flyer

Alaska obviously has a problem with late flights but these crowds gather whether the flight is on time or late. I show up to the plane 45 minutes before flight and sometimes have to wade through a crowd to get to the jetway door. There is just a general sense of disorder. If Alaska had a reasonable boarding process and enforced it then they would be training their customers what to expect and how to act when it comes to boarding. For instance, if we boarded by zones, and denied boarding until one's zone was called then our customers would come to realize this and wait for their zone to be called. I don't see nearly the same cluster of passengers at other airlines boarding doors on a regular basis like I do at ours.

rjque

I think the real problem is that everyone knows that the last 20 people or so will have to check any rollaboard suitcases. Get a handle on the problem of cabin luggage and it won't matter when you board the plane.

For those who don't need the carryon space, I blame WN. That airline has fundamentally changed the way people expect to board an airplane.

AS Flyer

I agree but, I have to say, I rarely have problems with carry on bags. The only problems I seem to have are when the bags are just plain too big. If I'm standing at the front door I will also check any bags that a customer carries on that are over their 1+1 limit. I rarely check bags because we have run out of room. That being said, there is still a problem with cabin baggage. There is just too much of it being brought on board. By the way, on a somewhat different topic, did you see the pictures of that Air France plane that crashed in Toronto? There were some pictures of people evacuating the plane and they were all running away from the plane carrying their carry on baggage. Good thing they knew what was important. It's a wonder they got out before the flames and smoke took over.

You're right about Southwest. They have created a whole new expectation about boarding. People complain about being "herded" onto planes but they are usually the ones that start the herds in the first place. Even when we do a general boarding call, I don't see the point in running on the plane to be the first on. I just wait until most people have boarded and there isn't a line coming out of the jetway then I make my way to the door.

Snowdevil

Good point. Of course it's nowhere near as bad as at WN. I'm starting to wonder why that airline even bothers to put seating in the boarding area - show at the gate 90 minutes before your flight and those stupid A/B/C chutes are already filled with people waiting to get on...

rjque

I use the gate area seating when traveling on WN. I always have an "A" card (due to online check in) and therefore will always have room for my carryon. The same is not true of Alaska, where I would definitely line up early if I didn't have elite status. I pack within the airline's carryon limits. Unfortunately, even people who stay within the limits have to check bags if they don't get on the plane quickly enough. And it doesn't matter that it's not a problem on every flight. Just knowing that it could be a problem will cause me to line up way early. Fortunately, I'm MVPG so I don't have to worry about it on AS.

Edited to add: this wasn't as much of an issue before the new boarding procedure. If you wanted to have room for your bag but did not have elite status, all you had to do was to book a seat toward the back of the plane. Now it's just a free for all, requiring the line.

Westcoaster

On my last flight this past Sunday the gate agent boarded us in two groups. First they announced that families with small children, MVP Golds, First Class passengers and elites with partner airlines could all board at that time. That started one stampede. Then a couple of minutes later thay announced All Rows. What a mess. There were several families with little kids trying to keep everyone together while others went by them.

AS Flyer is right that AS needs to come up with a procedure that they will enforce and be consistent. Passengers need to be trained, but then so do the gate agents. Right now it appears that gate agents can literally do whatever they want even when the flight is on time.

As an MVP who values getting a blanket and being able to use an overhead bin near my seat, when I'm in coach I never know whether I'll get to board before All Rows or not. Each agent does his/her own thing. I'm standing by the gate because I have no idea what to expect.

So, come up with a reasonable procedure and then train both passengers AND gate agents.