Experience 035. Beating the queue. Lining up strategies at the airport. The Seat 1A Podcast.

07/18/20 • 68 min

In this experience we look at the different queues and lineups that one experiences when at an airport and how to make the best of them.

In this era of COVID-19, people have settled into a new normal of queuing up. It goes hand-in-hand with the airline and airport experience. Please note that we will be putting this in the context of how things were, and it will be years before the airport returns to how it was.

When you arrive at the airport, are you able to go directly into the terminal, or is there curbside security for passengers? Who are the masses of people? Are they actually the passenger, or are they just well wishers?

Once you're inside the airport, we approach the check-in counter. This experience has changed a lot over the last ten to fifteen years. Have you checked in online? Are you just dropping a bag? Are you going to a self-serve kiosk (and waiting to see if it will actually work?) Or are you going to the regular check-in line? Who is going to serve you? What if you need to queue up to change your ticket? And are you within the cut-off times for baggage drop-off? If you're with a group, are you all co-ordinated? If you have a cart, take it with you after checking in!

Security and immigration – are there fast-track options available to you as a passenger? Don't forget that the fast-tracking starts when you check-in online. Is there a faster moving security checkpoint? Who's ahead of you in the queue? Why do security lines move so slowly in the US? Do you need to line up for an immigration exit queue?

Now on to boarding – what's the system your airline is using and what's the best way to board with that system? On the plane – we'll have a future experience for onboard etiquette.

You land, immigration, customs, and baggage claim at a new airport awaits you. How long should you expect to wait for immigration at some airports? Is there an arrival fast-track? Sometimes business arrival lines could be much busier than economy. How much time is the airline giving you to get processed? Are you collecting a bag, is there a tight connection? What about if you have to take an airport bus?

News Items:

flyertalk article "WestJet Utilizes Very Canadian Solution for Weather Issues".
skift.com article "Southwest Airlines CEO Expects ‘Brutal Low-Fare’ Competition".

If you have a story about queuing at the airport, stories of your lining up and waiting for your flight, a question, or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look at the different queues and lineups that one experiences when at an airport and how to make the best of them.

Now on to boarding – what's the system your airline is using and what's the best way to board with that system? On the plane – we'll have a future experience for onboard etiquette.

News Items:

flyertalk article "WestJet Utilizes Very Canadian Solution for Weather Issues".
skift.com article "Southwest Airlines CEO Expects ‘Brutal Low-Fare’ Competition".

Previous Episode

Experience 034. Who's who at the zoo – part 2. Staff hierarchy onboard the plane. The Seat 1A Podcast.

In this experience we continue our look at the aviation hierarchy – who's who at the zoo? Now we move onboard the plane itself. We will look at two different types of staffing – one for traditional international flag carrier flights and one for low-cost/ultra low-cost carrier flights.

Different airlines have different names for the same staff roles. And depending on where you are in the world, you could have a cabin crew or a flight attendant.

But there is always one person who is running the entire cabin experience on the flight. They go by many different names - senior purser, cabin service director, cabin manager, cabin flight director, onboard director, flight manager – but the role is generally the same. We use the term "senior purser" in this podcast experience. Once the door of the plane is closed, it's their flight.

The list of responsibilities of the senior purser is long – including crew performance, delay handling, passenger relations, onboard problems, timings, crew briefing and debriefing, crew rest periods and being the liaison to the flight deck for service and safety. They handle all of this while being an active cabin member. Your life is in their hands since they will lead plane evacuations.

For someone with all of this responsibility, how can you tell them apart? Some have a different uniform, while some have different pins or medallions.

On flights with multiple cabin classes a purser or cabin manager may be responsible for one cabin. On less complicated flights this sub-level may not exist. And then you have the cabin crew member / flight attendant.

How do you know that all the doors are accounted for in case of emergency – everyone knows where to sit during landing and takeoff.

The senior purser work doesn't end when the flight lands - layovers have to be coordinated, staff coordination has to happen if cabin crew gets sick.

On low-cost airlines often staff will rotate through who is the lead flight attendant.

When you board a flight, the flight staff are doing more than just giving you a smile and hello.

If you need to escalate – the senior purser will be the one who can get things done for you.

Vinod had an upgrade interaction with the senior purser when flying from London (LHR) to Nairobi (NBO).

We go beyond the cockpit door – to check on the Captain and First Officer. Who is the pilot in command? How many stripes do each have? On long-haul flights you will have multiple pilots – you may even see some in the cabin or sleeping.

We remember old movies and comment about the flight engineer – a role that is not very common these days.

Depending on the airline, you might see a hierarchy even when they walk through the airport. And some airlines have a very distinct uniform difference.

Vinod always made sure to pay it forward when flying staff standby. Sometimes the thank yous were almost non-stop.

Pro tip – keep an eye on who's wearing what.

News Items:

CNN Travel article "Taiwan airport offers 'pretend to go abroad' airport tours amid Covid-19 pandemic.".
businesstraveller.com article "British Airways changes food on board"

If you have a story about staff hierarchy onboard a flight, a question, or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

Next Episode

Experience 036. Epidemic Unplugged. What's happening and what does the future hold? The Seat 1A Podcast.

In this special edition we look at the current status of aviation and travel. Our travel habits that we grew so accustomed to have either entered a state of hibernation or a world of surrealness.

We look to when we last flew in 2020 and Vinod shares nostalgia of seeing 747s and L-1011s out the airport window and boarding from the tarmac.

Pandemic restrictions have seen new flight routings that did not exist before, and regrettably we have seen airlines struggle and go under but not at this scope. Vinod shares a story of how airline bankruptcy affected earlier job prospects just after university.

To everyone in the industry, we wish you nothing but the best through all of this.

The effects are felt across all sorts of industries – including rental cars.

Airlines will take a number of years to return – Vinod shares the story when Singapore left Vancouver. Geoff shares his 2019 experiences of airport expansions that may not be filled for years – this has been repeated through history. Vinod comments on recent cancelled capital projects at Vancouver – what's next?

If and when the airlines return, their fleets will look different as many planes are being retired. And with those retiring planes, many staff have more than just a job loss – it's a lifestyle change.

We at Seat 1A will evolve as well given the current situation and the unknown future. What new innovations are going to come from this current situation? What will happen as travellers discover their own countries again? If you are travelling enjoy the shorter lines, and cleaner aircraft while the industry comes back.

This epidemic will lead to changes in travel policies including with credit cards and insurance. How can you best play the game during periods of uncertainty? We're going to try to stay on top of the changes for you.

Other means of travel have seen a renaissance – including night trains in Europe and subscription travel. Meanwhile, we'll see how the travel guidebook evolves after all of this.

Will travellers want a more experiential travel experience in the future? Do destinations get a chance to breathe and reset?

We're looking forward to interesting content in the future.

If you have a story about your travel experiences during the pandemic, your thoughts about where you think travel is going to evolve, a question, or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/