Zone Boarding

[TomBascom]

I think one of the advantages to 'zone boarding' has got to be its flexibility and adaptability...

The systems could, for instance, notice that a flight has 10 CPs and 20 GPs and 40 SPs on it and break the zones accordingly. This might help to reduce the number of incidents where gate agents declare that they're abandoning pre-boarding because "everyone" is preferred.

It would help if the public announcement of this included sufficient weasel words to preserve that flexibility rather than something that garantees zone1 to golds or something. CP, of course, should always be in the first boarding group B)

 

[ISP]

Art @ ISP is correct... JetBlue preboards first, then boards from the rear of the A/C forward, nothing about windows first.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Just a question for my ignorance since I seldom board like the paying folks. Is this basically just a new name for the way we've been boarding in the past or a new way of boarding?

Jim

 

[funguy2]

A couple of comments...

1. I thought Shuttle by United did Window-Middle-Aisle boarding, and I thought it failed? I recall WILMA being the accronym.

2. What is US4?

3. (In response to WN_ELP). I think LUV's unassigned seating helped love in the old days by reducing a step on the computer... (No need to keep track of which seats are already assigned, which ones are available to assign, etc.) My experience has been that the unassigned seating slows me down as I shop for the best seat... Also, by logic, this would be a front-to-rear loading (vs. the rear-to-front you advocate US stick with).

4. Boeing Boy: This is a new way of boarding... usually after the pre-boards/special boards, this moves from the back forward, and windows before aisles... So 20A and 24C might be in the same group... Works kinda like a V from the back of the plane forward (point of the "V" pointing to the back). Usually "Special" seats end up in Group 1 (like emergecy exits, bulkheads, and FC) in addition to the FF elites... At least, this is how I have seen it in practice.

 

[pitflyer]

US4 is no status - just div miles member. But according to USAirways http://www.usairways.com/dividendmiles/zone_boarding.htm they board with everyone else .. So while Silver Preferred doesn't get to board with Chairman's and Gold, they still board ahead of the unwashed masses (LOL, most preferred's are just as unwashed as the non preferred so its JUST A JOKE)

 

[BoeingBoy]

funguy (or anyone else),

I guess my question was more specific to US. The post that started this thread said:

Zone 1- First Class, Chairman Preferred, Gold Preferred and Star Alliance Gold

Zone 2- Silver Preferred, Bank of America Visa Signature Card holders & US4*
*(US4 is entry level Dividend Mile membership)

Zones 3 - 8 will follow depending on the size and configuration of the aircraft.

It seems like zone 1 and 2 are sorta like present, except they'll call for the appropriate groups by zone number rather than CP level. It's the zone 3-8 I guess I'm really asking about. Do these zones just follow the current practice of boarding from the back to front or are they a different boarding order?

Thanks,

Jim

ps - I think I like the use of the "zone X passengers board now" vs "Chairmens (pick a color) then the unwashed masses next" we use now.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Jim,
Another of the beauties of zone boarding is that the computer can pick people that are not necessarily all seated next together and put them in one zone ie. parties of 1-2 (in a 6 abreast narrowbody) that are not on the aisle and in even numbered rows. Boarding is faster if you DON"T board people who are all seated next to each other because everyone isn't going for the same overhead compartment. Also, getting window people boarded (without them knowing that they are being asked to board first) clears the aisle so the aisle people can sit down first.

Zone boarding is first and foremost a technique to improve on-time performance. Several airlines that have used it say that it can reduce the boarding time on a narrowbody but 5 minutes or more. That's not insigificant and is the kind of thing that airlines should be doing to improve their efficiency with at best a neutral impact on customer service. Airlines have some of the most powerful computers in the world; this is just another way to put them to good use.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks, WorldTraveler.

Maybe I'm just dense on the subject. I can understand the benefits that you and others have outlined. However, I guess my question is, are WE utilizing this for those benefits or are we still boarding the same way but just calling it a different name?

Confusedly,

Jim

 

[ClueByFour]

This only workes if US4s are distributed thru zones 3-8.

Jim, to answer your question, it's basically the same as what US tries to do now, except that people are fare more likely to see and understand the words "Zone X" in large print across the middle of the BP, and it makes it far easier to enforce the boarding process/calls.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Clue,

Thanks.

Jim

 

[Hope777]

Jim, currently we board by rows numbers starting in the aft section of the aircraft. With the ZONE system, it does use a similar system but it is more refined where as we board starting with window seats towards to rear as well as window seat in emergency asiles so the F/A can breif those passengers earlier. Then we would move to middle and asiles moving forward in the cabin. I have flown both HP and UA recently and found this type of boarding to be much more organized and passenger friendly. IT DOES SPEED UP BOARDING, as it frees up the asiles much more quickly. Also if the passengers board when there zone is called, you dont have people jumping over each other to get into the window seat thus freeing up the asile. My two cents, it is a change for the better.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks, all, for the responses. The fog is starting to clear...

Jim

 

[tadjr]

Well I worked the first zone flight this morning and it was a piece of cake. Actually we only had about 50 people on it so even if we'd boarded the entire plane at one time it would have been a piece of cake. Hopefully the rest of the day with better loads will work well too.
It appears that the current "zone boarding" is just a straight 5 rows at a time. In the seatmap they have the zones broken down for each flight. Of course, if they are able to change them depending on each specific flight and not just per aircraft type, this may have changed on other flights. I didn't think to look at another flight to see what zones they had listed so hopefully this changes depending on the actual booking. We had 5 zones on the 319 today. Preferred Zones 1 and 2 then the other 3 zones.
Also the zone number was teeny weeny on the boarding pass, smaller than the seat number which is hard for some people to find. The trainer said it was supposed to be changed by tomorrow to be bigger! Also those customers who checked in at home yesterday had no zone listed on their boarding pass. This hopefully will be changed with anyone checking in today since the program has been loaded. Overall, I dont see a problem with the zone thing vs rows.

 

[DFWCC]

One problem with the Rear/Forward boarding that I have seen, and I'm seeing it more often lately is when you rear board some will store their carry-ons in the low row bins then walk back to row 27 or so. Then row 9 has no room and has to find room near row 17.... well you get the idea. Most of whom I have seen are women carrying laptops... caryons row 10, seats and PCs row 21 :angry: lazy selfish slobs

 

[WorldTraveler]

DFWCC,
I'm waiting for the first airline to charge for overhead bin space which of course will solve the problem you describe. I'm sure a kiosk could be placed at the gate and "trained" to spit out magnetic cards that work only on the assigned overhead bin.