To wonder why anyone does Speedy Boarding?

[SidandAndyssextoy]

Have flown with easyJet a couple of times, most recently last week. Both times, there's been similar scenarios. Eg last time, the call went out for Speedy Boarding, forcing the Speedy Boarders to push their way through the crowds muttering/hissing 'let me through, I'm a Speedy Boarder, don't you know' etc. Speedy Boarders then disappear down the passage and regular boarding starts. Regular boarders troop on to a bus, like sardines, and move 100m across the tarmac and stop by the plane. Short, inexplicable delay, before a less crowded bus appears containing the Speedy Boarders, to the general mockery of the pleb boarders bus - they must have been sat on that bus for 15 minutes waiting for ours to fill up. Speedy Boarders are then released from their bus, as are we, 30 seconds later, and we all board the plane together. So what is the point of it? None of them had small children or anything like that. Last time I flew Ryanair they called priority boarding, and the entire plane bar us stood up. Who is paying for this nonsense? The plane isn't going to leave without you. In fact, they very much go out of their way not to do that.

I love plane threads.....like parking threads but with people and much smaller spaces!

I thought this was going to be a thread about down hill long boarding, and thought finally I'm not the only MNer skater. disappointed so you don't want to know where the best routes on dartmoor are then?

Well a fool and money are soon parted, just pity them.

I think people used to pay for speedy boarding because there were no allocated seats. Speedy boarders got to go first, and so could always sit with their family/friends.

I think now though there are allocated seats, so I really don't see the point of it. Unless they get a bigger baggage allowance or something.

PML at your username, OP! :)

I bought speedy boarding a few times. Not for the boarding but because the queue at the airport for check in was soooo long and there was no queue for the speedy boarding check in. I was happy to pay so I didn't have to stand in the queue for hours. I didn't actually need the boarding part as I had DD with me who was under 5 so gave us priority boarding anyway.

I wonder the same thing every time I fly!

If you're travelling in a group it sometimes makes sense for one in the party to buy speedy boarding so they can 'bagsy' the seats for everyone else. But no need for everyone to buy it.

is a complete bunfight. But you can reserve seats on EJ now anyhow

Well, yes, easyJet now has allocated seating. And check in is online only. Actually, that's another thing - check in opened a MONTH in advance. WTF? I thought check in was meant to be a confirmation that you'd be travelling, hence the short period before flight. A month is just nonsense.

I've never actually bought speedy boarding, but I did pay for extra-legroom seats recently as DH is 6'6" tall, and it comes automatically with those seats.

I agree it is no longer relevant for Easyjet, but when it was relevant I used it when travelling on flights that were likely to have a lot of people travelling hand luggage only (so lots of max hand luggage size bags), so I knew I would get my bag in somewhere (although only really bothered if thought I might want ot access the bag or if I was particularly keen to avoid the bad being put in the hold so as not to need to wait for it at the other end).

Yep, I guess sometimes it is to reserve the hand luggage space above your seat. Nothing worse than having to put it about ten rows away and having to fight in the wrong direction to get it back when leaving, or having to have it in the hold if you're in a hurry the other end.

We bought priority boarding on our recent flight with Ryanair because unlike EasyJet they don't let families with kids on first! It was worth the money as we'd have been right at the back of the queue if we hadn't booked it, and we wanted to make sure we all sat together (so DH and I could take it in turns to entertain DD).

Can't really see why anyone without kids would pay for it, but having said that my parents always do - I guess they like to have first dips on seats!

I can see why you might do it on an unallocated flight with kids. If it comes with the more expensive seats, that might be why this lot were doing it, and that's my mystery solved. I have to say, there appear to be none so childish and petty when travelling than the retired middle classes. Spiritually Speedy Boarders forever if it means feeling slightly superior to others for a brief moment.

If I fly Ryanair with DS and DH we book priority boarding so we can all sit together. When it's just DS and me, I don't bother. Anyone wants to sit with a three year old for the entire flight, they're more than welcome!

I've actually always found the staff to be really helpful - the last flight the captain carried my bags down the steps for me as I had DS in my arms.

When they first bought it out you could upgrade yourself by the simple method of scribbling an "S" on your boarding card.

That's the only time I've ever used it...

This summer I booked seats in advance which seemed to automatically come with speedy boarding. DS has SEN so I have to be near the front of the plane as the fewer people he has to walk past, the better.

It was mortifying on the way home - they corralled us off into a special spacious zone on the bus when the rest of the plane were crammed in like sardines at the back of the bus. It was like the Deep South or something

I flew easyjet, paid for allocated seating as I wanted to make sure I was sat with DH (travelling with young baby), and the speedy boarding was a complete farce. Allocated seats/speedy boarders were taken down first and allowed to board from the front of the plane. Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers boarded from the back. Great, until you realised that the seats were had booked were in the last row of the plane, and we had to fight the oncoming tide of passengers who wouldn't just take the first available seats and were desperately trying to find seats together. With a small baby in my arms (she nearly got squashed several times, poor thing!) and our hand luggage.

More or less the same thing happened on the way back, except add in a half hour wait on hot Tarmac at midday before being allowed to board.

if you end-up boarding first before the plebs it does mean that you have more chance of getting your bag into an overhead bin vaguely near your seat.

I thought check in was meant to be a confirmation that you'd be travelling, hence the short period before flight. A month is just nonsense.

I don't know, but maybe it's so that it's more difficultimpossible to cancel the flight?

I laugh at the questions about having packed your luggage and what's in it, when you haven't even decided what you're taking yet, or in which bag. Just tick yes anyway.....

I also laugh at the way people form a massive queue in front of the gate before it is open, as if the plane is going to go without them if they take their eye off the ball for a second. DH and I usually wait until the queue has completely gone and then stroll up casually and board the plane.

I love domestic flight queue dramas. Makes travelling for business so much more entertaining.

I play guess the speedy boarders. Never got it wrong.

If I worked at the boarding gate I'd deliberately make all the early zombie queue-ers wait longer!

Also can't bear the folk who feel they just simply must take off their seat belts and start getting their stuff as soon as the plane has halted. Just wait until you're told to take it off!

Why I never, ever fly economy thus avoiding the middle class bickering/I am richer than you stuff. We are lucky that our employers don't make us do this but it was a consideration when looking for jobs.

I can't stand the people who start pulling their bags down as soon as the plane halts. They then stand jammed in the aisle for 15 minutes before the doors open with their crotch, or arse, right in your face. Makes me feel claustrophobic.

Yes, they stand with their crotch in your face, I've even had a big bloke leap up, get his bags then started reading his paper and it kept flapping onto my head.