Priority Boarding - WHY???

gyppo

Just something I suddenly noticed, but its probably been around for years - this business of priority boarding on Ryanair flights. The point of this thread is to figure out why people will pay the extra to get on the bloody plane first - is there a genuine need, or is it wankerism and the need to feel a cut above all the other plebs??

What is the point of this??
I can appreciate that the elderly or those with special needs should be allowed to take their seats first, but if anything the opposite applies, and those with special needs are dealt with last (on Mr O Leary's flying machines anyway). Most people I've seen in the priority boarding queues are able bodied people with smug grins.

Its pretty ridiculous anyhow, when you consider that both queues (ordinary plebs + smug ****) are waiting 25-30 minutes to board, and then both are herded onto the plane within 90 seconds. Electric cattle prods are the next step in ushering on ryanair passengers.

So, which category do you fall into, and why?

tallus

I thought it was for the elderly and women with kids. I usually have to wait along with the rest of the cattle.

mcauley

gyppo wrote:

Electric cattle prods are the next step in ushering on ryanair passengers.

Inevitable.

People seem to have a lot of gripes with air travel nowadays...though this is hardly surprising with the "no-frills" approach.

Vokes

gyppo wrote:

What is the point of this??

To get the better seats nearer the exits, no?

Just The One

tallus wrote:

I thought it was for the elderly and women with kids. I usually have to wait along with the rest of the cattle.

Because men don't travel with kids of course.

mcauley

SofaKing wrote:

To get the better seats nearer the exits, no?

Also to save the 8-10 minutes it takes to get off the plane...only to rush to the luggage belt where again everyone must wait another painful amount of time for their feckin bags!!

Next step: Priority Luggage (I'd put money on it)

Another money squeeze from O'Leary!!

i71jskz5xu42pb

To get better seats e.g. an exit row (i.e. more leg room) or seats near the front if you want off first (assumes you only have carry on)
To guaranteed seats together
To get guaranteed baggage storage overhead if you have a biggish bag and don't want to stow under seat in front

But yeah, I don't see the point myself.

jester77

I think it's so funny. You see people standing and queuing up to an hour before the flight, you'd think the plane was either going to leave without them or they might be left standing because there was no free seats And it's the same getting off, stampede for the exit yet everyone has to wait around to collect their bag anyway!

Kintarō Hattori

It's annoying because if you don't book in a piece of lugguage by default you have to choose Priority Boarding. That's shlitty making you pay for it even if you don't want it.
In fairness though whenever I'm travelling with the missus I choose it for her so we can get seats together.

i71jskz5xu42pb

eo980 wrote:

you have to choose Priority Boarding. That's shlitty making you pay for it even if you don't want it.

You can opt out of Priority Boarding - there's a small remove link just below the drop down.

Kintarō Hattori

PaschalNee wrote:

You can opt out of Priority Boarding - there's a small remove link just below the drop down.

Are ya sure? Hmnnn must keep an eye out for it.

cooperguy

What I dont get is the queue that builds up in front of a boarding gate for all the other airlines. You have a gauranteed seat in a certain part of the plane and that isnt going to change but there is people queuing in front of every gate. They are going to spend the next 3 hours on the plane, why the rush to get on?

patrickolee

I never really got why people were in such a rush in these situations. You see it on buses sometimes too. But if people want to pay a little extra for priority seating and as a previous poster says, priority baggage, good luck to them. It'll mean my flight is cheaper!

...Unless it was going to make my total flight time upwards of 1/2 hour longer

Noelie

Let's not forget Aer Lingue, the great copycats, not only have they taken this approach, they have modified it in such a way MOL would be very proud.
They are charging different amounts depending on what seats you select on the plain, isn't it something like 12-15 Euro for a emergency row seat.

jjbrien

I if I am flying Ryanair with hand luggage always go for piority boarding for a couple of simple reasons. Fistly I can check in at home so when I am normally taking a 6am flight I dont have to be at the airport at 4am. I can arrive a 5 or 5:15am walk staight to the gate. Sit in a seat near the gate until they start to board the flight and not have to queue for an hour. If people didnt start lining up an hour before the flight then I would be happy not to pay for piority boarding but since they inist on doing this piority boarding is the only option.

You dont see Aer Lingus or SAS passengers doing this.

dade

mcauley wrote:

Next step: Priority Luggage (I'd put money on it)

is that not included? I know on other airlines if you get priority cabin seats then it includes priority baggage claim. It also includes priority check in, so on package holidays you don't spend 3 hours Qing in Dublin airport listening to screaming brats

Noelie wrote:

They are charging different amounts depending on what seats you select on the plain, isn't it something like 12-15 Euro for a emergency row seat.

a lot of airlines are doing that, on a recent Monarch flight they wanted Us€60 for an exit seat if you requested one.

seamus

dade wrote:

a lot of airlines are doing that, on a recent Monarch flight they wanted Us€60 for an exit seat if you requested one.

That's a bit scabby. What if no-one wanted to pay €60 for an exit seat, but you were the last to check in? How can they charge you for the flight, and then charge you for your seat?

I've a flight booked with AL, and we didn't have to pay for our seats. It's transatlantic though, maybe these rip-offs are only taking place on European flights?

subway

agree with all the above.
skip the check in, get the emergency seats etc.

wrt aer lingus and their "seat purchase" scheme,
since no one uses it, you can check in online as normal and select the good seats when the time comes

jester77

mcauley wrote:

Next step: Priority Luggage (I'd put money on it)

That reminds of a time when Aer Lingus used to have a decent service. I could chek in at Galway, my luggage would get the priority luggage tag, get off the flight in Dublin & walk 2 mins to my connection gate. No going back out through security. I would get a nice meal, free newspaper, free economist, hot towel and an endless supply of alcohol. (I remember getting off a flight once with 10 bottles of wine as the hostess kept giving them to me ) Then when I arrived my bag woulb be delivered quickly! And that was only a few years ago

Churchy

For frequent flyers priority boarding allows us to shave time off our journey either end.
Less time for check-in.
Faster exit off the plane if your choose the front or back.
(If your picking up a hire car 1st off the plane helps a LOT).
First on means easier storage for large bags.
Window seat - I can only sleep on a plane if i have a window seat so this gets me an extra's hours kip at 6am

Can probably save 30 mins on the departure end and around 15-30 mins on the hire car queue +1 hours sleep.

seamus

Churchy wrote:

Faster exit off the plane if your choose the front or back.

I've found that this is hit-and-miss, though admittedly I try not to fly Ryanair all that much. Sometimes you choose the front, and they board/disembark at the back or the middle, etc. Sometimes you get a nice seat in the middle, but they disembark at either end. You'd be lucky to successfully guess which exit they're going to use

themole

seamus wrote:

I've found that this is hit-and-miss, though admittedly I try not to fly Ryanair all that much. Sometimes you choose the front, and they board/disembark at the back or the middle, etc. Sometimes you get a nice seat in the middle, but they disembark at either end. You'd be lucky to successfully guess which exit they're going to use

Hmm, have flown ryanair a lot and for what i can remember they always disembark from front and back, granted one might open slightly before the other. Though the front stairs is built into the plane in most cases so it might open quicker.

Don't know what you mean about the middle. On ryanairs medium sized
planes the middle exits are emergency exits over the wings and are never used for boarding/disembarkment. Don't think they have 747's or do they?

themole

jester77 wrote:

That reminds of a time when Aer Lingus used to have a decent service. I could chek in at Galway, my luggage would get the priority luggage tag, get off the flight in Dublin & walk 2 mins to my connection gate. No going back out through security. I would get a nice meal, free newspaper, free economist, hot towel and an endless supply of alcohol. (I remember getting off a flight once with 10 bottles of wine as the hostess kept giving them to me ) Then when I arrived my bag woulb be delivered quickly! And that was only a few years ago

And while it was nice, thats why they were loosing money

kensutz

I fly every week so I use priority booking, the main reason is I need to get off the plane as quickly as possible to catch the next available bus/train. Also I only bring carry on luggage with me so it's easy for me to go straight through the airport.

rick_fantastic

same as. priority boarding with web check in is a must. first six on the plane get the front row seat with loads of legroom.

tis gift people....

although lot of people are doing it now.

jester77

themole wrote:

And while it was nice, thats why they were loosing money

But they didn't have to go all Ryanair about it!

Cake Fiend

Ha, I'm the exact opposite - at boarding time, you'll likely find me in the pub, keeping an eye on the queue over my Guinness until everyone else is almost boarded!

Mr. Presentable

Priority boarding depends on the aiport whether it's worth it.

Milan (BG) for example, priority boarding only gets you on the bus to the plane first. Then you're on your own.

I have been on two flights out of Malaga where about 80% had priority boarding, so where's the point

cjt156

Why not - Galway-Dublin; its a 20min bus ride FFS!

Collie D

cjt156 wrote:

Why not - Galway-Dublin; its a 20min bus ride FFS!

WTF kind of bus are you using? Takes me twenty minutes to travel ine mile some days

themole

jester77 wrote:

But they didn't have to go all Ryanair about it!

What you mean turning into a profitable airline

Kintarō Hattori

jester77 wrote:

But they didn't have to go all Ryanair about it!

In fairness to them Aer Lingus staff are still a hell of alot friendlier than Ryanair's. The last Ryanair flight I was on I was seriously considering making a complaint about the main hostess, I felt she was very hostile towards the passengers and she was most definetly rude. I've never experianced that with anyone from Aer Lingus.

r3nu4l

SofaKing wrote:

To get the better seats nearer the exits, no?

QFT!

mcauley wrote:

Also to save the 8-10 minutes it takes to get off the plane...only to rush to the luggage belt where again everyone must wait another painful amount of time for their feckin bags!!

Not everyone has luggage in the hold you know! On 90% of my flights in the last 3 years I've only had cabin baggage.

I rarely pay for priority boarding but on the times I did pay for it I did so to ensure that I got a seat near the exit and could stow my bag above my head for a speedy getaway when I landed.

angeldelight

I can see why families might do it to ensure they get sitting together... I wouldn't pay for it myself. I'm travelling to Blackpool with Ryanair in October with my bf and his family and family friends but if I don't get to sit next to him... so what? I'll see him as soon as I get off the plane and I've been with him a while so doubt I'll forget what he looks like!

As for Aer Lingus and their "scam", it's not the same, you CAN if you wish pay extra for seat selection on their short haul flights but you don't have to and will still get to stay with your group and probably still get a seat you want esp if you do Fast Pass and select your own seats for free anyway. You can also still check in online so it's not the same at all. I hate Ryanair and avoid them as much as possible but I'd never have a problem flying with Aer Lingus.

Rob_l

Cake Fiend wrote:

Ha, I'm the exact opposite - at boarding time, you'll likely find me in the pub, keeping an eye on the queue over my Guinness until everyone else is almost boarded!

I follow this approach also

And also like to remain seated when the plane lands while everyone charges at the exits if you bring luggae all your saving is no time and with just carry on at most your saving five mninutes

I prefer hassle free living to rushing about for a few minutes

cjt156

Collie D wrote:

WTF kind of bus are you using? Takes me twenty minutes to travel ine mile some days

Clarify;
couple of posters snook in ahead of me.
I was referring to a post about going all Ryanair; do you honestly need free booze on a flight across Ireland, or anywhere in Europe for that matter.

I don't fancy no frills long-haul, but if you're paying less than 100Euro for a ticket lets stop whinging about the quality of service/loss of "free" booze/foot massages...whatever.

I remember flights to London costing 250 pounds back in the 80's...believe me Ryanair is the way to go.

DaDa

Use it when we have a few of us travelling and we want to sit together.

Funny story... 2 out of 8 of us went for it while checking in at Salzburg... but sure it only meant they got on the bus to the plane first... and as a result were last off the bus and last onto the plane. Hilarious!

timmywex

i figure that in foreign countries, they throw u on a bus anyway, and everyone reachs the plane at the same time, what a waste of money buying it!!

TCollins

eo980 wrote:

In fairness to them Aer Lingus staff are still a hell of alot friendlier than Ryanair's. The last Ryanair flight I was on I was seriously considering making a complaint about the main hostess, I felt she was very hostile towards the passengers and she was most definetly rude. I've never experianced that with anyone from Aer Lingus.

Ryanair staff get a bonus for that

dak

I think prority boarding is a farse! I only get it when travelling with the wife and kids! Ryanair used to board the young and the old first and free. It was probably the only time someone had a good word for them for service.......maybe that why they took it away.

On a recent trip to Barcelona about 60% of the people or more had priority boarding. 100% and Michaels smiling!

blorg

cooperguy wrote:

What I dont get is the queue that builds up in front of a boarding gate for all the other airlines. You have a gauranteed seat in a certain part of the plane and that isnt going to change but there is people queuing in front of every gate. They are going to spend the next 3 hours on the plane, why the rush to get on?

You would think that, but I had an exit row booked on a night transatlantic flight that was swiped by a grumpy woman from Quebec claiming leg trouble and didn't have the heart (or neck?) to evict her out of it. People may also have a large bag they want to stick up. Personally it doesn't affect me as I am generally the one sprinting to the gate with his name being called out on the intercom ;-)

Seamus- Aer Lingus charges if you want to book a specific seat, the plane is divided into sections with the emergency exits most expensive (€15), the front next (€10) or the rest of the plane for €3. If you are happy to be allocated on check-in you don't have to pay. I think it is only short-haul flights they do this.

smemon

priority boarding is grand..

but luggage is the problem- it's what delays things..

there needs to be a self-service automated system to check in luggage.

that would clear check in queues, reduce staff costs and be a win win situation for all.

dingding

To get a warm seat

Deeyasee

I personally always try to get the emergency exit seat because I need more leg room. That's the only reason I like to priority board.

blorg

Deeyasee wrote: »

I personally always try to get the emergency exit seat because I need more leg room. That's the only reason I like to priority board.

Aer Lingus cottoned on to that one- they now offer prebooking of emergency exit seats for €15 extra per leg. I'd actually pay that long-haul but no way short-haul.

WexCan

It's quite a big money spinner for them.

For anyone under about 5'8", normal Aer Lingus seats will be fine, wheras with Ryanair this goes down a bit. At 5'6" I find Ryanair seats a bit cramped, though it's probably just the yellow closing in on me because the same (well, 1" smaller) pitch on easyJet is fine for me.

With Aer Lingus, just wait until checkin and you'll generally be able to pick an exit seat from Fastpass. They seem to have blocked the first rows and the exit seats from online checkin now unless you've paid for seat selection.

Savman

Anyone who pays over extra cash to choose a specific seat on any 35min flights to Manchester, Birmingham etc frankly needs their head examined.
Half the time the damn plane isnt full and you can sit where you want anyway. If it's a "free" extra, fine by me, but personally I wont be lining Mr O Leary's pockets any more than I need to.

But hey, to each his own.

Owen

Came back from Rome with the Missus last month on a Ryanair flight. About 20 people made a huge fuss about having priority boarding, as if they had paid 500 Euro for first class, instead of 3 Euro for priority booking. The hilarity of it all, was that after they let the priority people through, they merely went onto a bus, and waited for the rest of us to get on the same bus. Because the priority people went in first, they were last off the bus. So it completely defeated the purpose altogether!

WexCan

Exactly, longer flights I can see the point if you really do need the legroom, otherwise just pop in an aisle seat.

Problem with Ryanair's priority boarding is there's no limit to how many people get it, so 100% priority boarding will probably happen eventually.

At easyJet, they only sell "speedy boarding" to the first 20 passengers, and the price varies. For example, if you'll definitely be getting a bus to the aircraft, it's £2.50, if there's a chance of being bussed, but not too likely it's £5 and if you're definitely not using a bus it can go up to £7. Bit much to pay really but a) easyJet makes a fortune from ti and b) it's handy for the likes of Athens flights.

Pythia

The boyf and I booked priority boarding on our flight to Faro. We got the first row of the plane which meant we could stretch out for the whole journey.

TomPich

I always use webchek in, this gives you free priority boarding if you only have hand luggage. This is great for me as i am going back and forth from England to Ireland.

I get on the plane 1st, get off 1st, go straight to the car park without any fuss.

Dont see the point in Priority boarding if you have luggage under the plane as you will have to wait for it to come off.

However another reason is large families like to sit together and not have 2 here 3 there and so on!