Most airlines board premium passengers — first/business class and elite
frequent flyers — ahead of those travelling in economy class.
British Airways has made a policy change regarding its boarding procedures that could see it fly into uncharted skies.
In
this new procedure, how much you paid for your air ticket will
determine when you are boarded. So those travelling on highly discounted
and promotional fares will be boarded last.
This
announcement, though not the first of its kind by an airline, was met
with both outrage and jubilation. The airline has now been accused of
“shaming” the poor.
Many people are on the lookout for
the lowest fare. However, the airline industry is run on Pareto’s
principle, which states that 20 per cent of customers account for over
80 per cent of revenues.
These 20 per cent are usually
the few who travel in business class or another few who even if always
on economy class, fly so frequently during the year that they spend a
significant amount on the airline.
Airlines know that
the 20 per cent are willing to spend extra for some comfort and
pampering, and are also sensitive to recognition and prestige.
Now the cheapest business class fare is often higher than the most expensive economy class fare.
You
can imagine paying a fare that is the equivalent of three people’s fare
combined and not being accorded the treatment that matches what you
spent.
Hence, most airlines board premium passengers —
first/business class and elite frequent flyers — ahead of those
travelling in economy class.
What makes the BA
procedure an outrage in some quarters is that the economy class
passengers are going to be further segmented and boarded on the basis of
fare paid.
Already being called “the walk of shame” by
a section of commentators and attributed to “British snobbery,” the new
policy change has already been effected by other airlines around the
world.
What happens with most of our airlines in the
region, and especially where they have many passengers on a flight, is
segregation based on seating position.
At check-in,
airline ground staff giving passes can seat the passenger more to the
back, middle or front section of the aircraft.
That
kind of segregation helps with efficiency in the boarding process
particularly where large aircraft or high passenger numbers are in play.
This happens a lot on Kenya Airways.
An admirable
thing with Ethiopian Airlines is that they will always board passengers
with children or infants first — regardless of class of travel—
alongside their elite passengers.
I find the desire to
be boarded first misplaced, as all passengers will board eventually and
takeoff is at the same time for all. No one arrives earlier because
they were boarded first.
Some flyers will use the seat
selection function during the ticketing process to pick out seats closer
to the front of the economy class cabin.
This of
course works well with the assumption that after first and business
class the next rows to board the aircraft are the ones right behind the
curtain divider.
However, the plan may not work in instances where the airline chooses to start boarding the aircraft from the rows at the back.
Worse,
some passengers with seats in the rearmost sections of the aircraft put
their hand luggage in the overbins right at the front.
Some
passengers who occupy the first rows of economy class dash into
business class during disembarkation to ride with the elite in the
special bus.
Airlines usually know how many first or
business class passengers they have, so expect to be held at the stairs
of the aircraft until the “cattle class” bus comes.
If
priority boarding is so important to you, you could buy a first or
business class ticket or pick a specific airline and fly so frequently
that you make it onto the elite status of their frequent flyer
programme.
Just don’t buy the cheapest tickets on offer and expect priority treatment.
Michael Otieno an aviation consultant based in Nairobi. Twitter: @mosafariz; Email: me@michaelotieno.com
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