Show notes
Recorded 11 July 2020 Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, Google Podcasts, and Overcast. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts. Stream by clicking here. Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing "save as." 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/ SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE Starbucks Taiwan airport offers 'pretend to go abroad' airport tours amid Covid-19 pandemic (cnn.com | 12 June 2020) Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) Regina International Airport (YQR) Calgary International Airport (YYC) Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) EVA Air (BR) Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Great Circle Mapper TPE-YVR (gcmap.com) Seat 1A Experience 030 - Airplane Cleanliness experience (show notes and audio) Cairo International Airport (CAI) Queuing Theory (Wikipedia) Frankfurt Airport (FRA) United Airlines (UA) Air Canada (AC) Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Airline Terminal assignments Frankfurt Airport (FRA) Airlines A-Z: Overview of all check-in counters - Winter 2019 (PDF) Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) Seat 1A Experience 004 - Vinod's downtown Hong Kong bag tagging experience (show notes and audio) Seat 1A Experience 009 - Vinod's Korean Air ticketing experience (show notes and audio) Korean Air (KE) A morning with baggage handler Angelo (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | youtube.com | 11 February 2015) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) London Heathrow (LHR) British Airways (BA) Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport (YQM) Seat 1A Experience 021 - Vinod's Madrid security experience (show notes and audio) American Express Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) American Express express access (americanexpress.com) CIBC Infinite VISA (cibc.com) Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Visa Infinite Privilege (yvr.ca) NEXUS TSA PreCheck CLEAR UK Registered Traveller (gov.uk) "You can no longer use the Registered Traveller service if you're from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or the United States. You may be able to use the ePassport gates instead." Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card Global Entry Top credit cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (thepointsguy.com | 08 February 2020) Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) European Economic Area (Wikipedia) Seat 1A Experience 022 - Jet bridge experience (show notes and audio) Airbus 380 (airbus.com) Indian Airlines (IC – ceased operations 2011) (Wikipedia) Seat 1A Experience 026 - Vinod's Indian Airlines experience (show notes and audio) Seat 1A Experience 014 - Customs versus Immigration experience (show notes and audio) London Gatwick Airport (LGW) Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) Dubai International Airport (DXB) Premium Gatwick Passport Control Airbus 350-900 (airbus.com) Boeing 747-400 (airliners.net) Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) Munich Airport (MUC) Seat 1A Experience 014 - Vinod's Munich experience (show notes and audio) Baggage experiences Seat 1A Experience 004 - The journey of your checked luggage to your destination (show notes and audio) Seat 1A Experience 017 - A re-visit to the theme of baggage on flights (show notes and audio) Seat 1A Experience 026 - More from the mailbag. The baggage above you - overhead bins (show notes and audio) Vienna International Airport (VIE) OeBB [Austrian Federal Railways] Seat 1A Experience 028 - The aircraft turnaround experience (show notes and audio) Air Berlin (AB – ceased operations 2017) (Wikipedia) Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) Helsinki Airport (HEL) Hail damage in northeast Calgary hits $1.2B, fourth most costly natural disaster in Canadian history (calgaryherald.com | 09 July 2020) Ice hockey rink boards (customicerinks.com) Spoiler (aeronautics) (Wikipedia) Southwest Airlines (WN) Yield Management Understanding Yield Management – Getting the Deal (Drift Travel) The Future of Airline Revenue Management (blog.yieldr.com | 25 February 2019) For a more academic review: Special Issue: Future of Airline Revenue Management (Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management | April 2018) NEWS ITEMS flyertalk.com | WestJet Utilizes Very Canadian Solution for Weather Issues (17 June 2020) https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/westjet-utilizes-very-canadian-solution-for-weather-issues.html "...Canadian carrier WestJet is using some local ingenuity to protect aircraft from summer hail storms. To protect wing flaps from damage, engineers have installed hockey puck boards on parked airframes..." WestJet (WS) Calgary International Airport (YYC) skift.com | Southwest Airlines CEO Expects 'Brutal Low-Fare' Competition (30 May 2020) https://skift.com/2020/05/30/southwest-airlines-ceo-expects-brutal-low-fare-competition/ "...Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said on Friday he expects a "brutal low-fare" environment when traffic returns after coronavirus-induced restrictions ease. 'There are far more airplane seats right now, and there will be for some time, than there are customers,' he said in a video message..." Southwest Airlines (WN) Gary Kelly (Wikipedia) PODCAST CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS "In response to reduced passenger traffic caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Frankfurt Airport will bundle all passenger handling operations in Terminal 1, effective April 7. From that date, passenger operations in FRA's Terminal 2 will be suspended until further notice (affecting both Concourses D and E)." Information on the Coronavirus (frankfurt-airport.com | 02 July 2020) UK frequent traveller program UK Registered Traveller (gov.uk) "You can no longer use the Registered Traveller service if you're from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or the United States. You may be able to use the ePassport gates instead." Historically, Vienna to Slovenia trains would have left from the Vienna South Station. Since December 14, 2014, the trains have used the new Vienna Central Station. https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/vienna-central-station-austria/ https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/wien-hauptbahnhof-officially-inaugurated.html PEOPLE MENTIONED Usain Bolt (Wikipedia) Gary Kelly (Wikipedia) SHOW NOTES What's in this experience. [00:00:59] People have settled into a new normal of queuing. [00:01:12] Queuing goes hand-in-hand with the airline and airport experience. [00:01:48] This is put in a context of how it was, and it will be years until the airport is like it was. [00:02:03] When you arrive at the airport. [00:04:10] At some airports only passengers are allowed to enter the building. [00:04:34] The curb can be a big crowding point. [00:04:59] Analyze the crowd - are they all passengers, or just well-wishers? [00:05:56] Going to the check-in counter. [00:06:31] The check-in experience has changed a lot over the last 10-15 years. [00:06:50] Country differences in queuing at counters. [00:07:20] Multiple terms. Web check-in, fast bag drop, check-in assistance, ticketing assistance, "other". [00:08:37] Bag drop. [00:08:49] Bag drop agents may not have full check-in and change options available. [00:09:33] Self-serve kiosks. [00:10:04] Kiosks are in off-site locations like hotels. [00:11:39] Web check-in. [00:12:39] There's a fork in the road using web check-in to self bag drop or full interaction. [00:12:51] Tip - if you're going into quick drop-off, make sure you have everything set up. [00:13:38] The number of kiosks that Vinod has wanted to smash since they're not working. [00:14:09] Don't expect blitzing speed in the regular check-in line. [00:14:43] The check-in desk staffing situation has not changed that much over the years. [00:15:39] Premium cabins will have their own queues. [00:16:35] There will almost always be a queue manager. [00:17:47] The ticketing desk may not be at the main set of counters. [00:18:04] Ticketing counter does not normally take your bags. [00:18:36] If you're running late, you can flag down an agent to make the bag drop cut-off. [00:19:03] Vinod's missed bag drop cut-off story in Toronto. [00:20:18] Vinod assumed that he would have a cut-off grace period due to a slow queue. [00:21:39] Vinod missed his connection at Heathrow. [00:22:42] Airlines can be sticklers if you miss cut-off. [00:23:32] Geoff had a tight family check-in on a Canadian domestic flight. [00:23:48] If you're travelling with a group, make sure you're all co-ordinated for check-in. [00:24:25] When you call for help to pull you ahead, make sure you have your justification ready to go. [00:25:34] If you're pushing a cart - take the cart away! [00:26:49] Sometimes groups mass around the person at the gate area. [00:27:31] Look for other lines or access points if things are backed up. [00:28:04] Lining up for security or immigration - there are ways to fast-track through. [00:29:40] Premium class access. [00:30:04] Vinod's Madrid security experience in 2019. [00:30:08] Not all airports have premium class fast-tracked security. [00:30:54] Some airports have a localized program - like stickers on a boarding pass. [00:30:58] Credit card sponsorship of fast-track security. [00:32:08] Vinod's story of using an expired credit card. [00:32:41] Formalized fast-track programs. [00:33:25] Some premium travel credit cards will pay for fast-track application. [00:34:05] Your entire boarding pass fast-tracking starts when you check-in online. [00:34:25] Different countries have different dead-heading rules for crews. [00:35:29] People will generally go to security checkpoint closest to their gate. Is there a connected less busy one that you can use? [00:36:12] Check what kind of travellers are ahead of you. [00:38:37] Once you pass the person who directed you to a queue, you can pick a different one. [00:39:40] Checkpoints processing people with mobility aids are exactly the same as others. [00:40:27] Security lines can raise blood pressure - why does the US have so much longer lines? [00:41:15] Immigration queues - each agent could process you, but it is generally processed based on passport type. [00:42:09] Boarding queues. [00:43:22] There is generally some sort of organized way to board the plane. [00:43:35] Some airlines are very organized with zones. [00:45:24] Sometimes airlines push through the queues to the jet bridge and then you end up queuing up there. [00:48:08] We'll have a future experience on onboard etiquette. [00:48:50] Immigration, baggage claim, customs on arrival. [00:49:21] Expect to have certain wait times for customs at certain airports. [00:50:19] Arrival fast-track. [00:51:33] Vinod's immigration fast-track line stories. [00:52:00] Be wise when you use the fast-track - economy could be a faster queue than business. [00:53:22] Crew queue lines may not always be fastest for crew. [00:53:36] Does your line branch into more than one throughput? [00:54:41] Airlines don't take into account how much time you're going to need to process with regulatory components. [00:55:54] Important that if you're tight on time, think about how it will all play out on landing. [00:57:02] Bag pickup. [00:57:37] A lot of people get confused what they need to do when they're getting their bags and leaving baggage hall. [00:58:01] When you come into the public space - move out of the doorway! [00:58:34] Vinod's flight to Vienna but missed train connection due to luggage bag retrieval delay. [00:59:39] Geoff's very un-Nordic waiting time for bags at Helsinki. [01:01:01] If you have to take a bus to the plane, strategies one how to stand in order to get out most effectively. [01:01:32] Due to COVID, airport buses are working a bit differently. Let us know if you have ridden in one. [01:02:22] News items. [01:02:54] WestJet Utilizes Very Canadian Solution for Weather Issues. [01:02:58] Southwest Airlines CEO Expects 'Brutal Low-Fare' Competition. [01:04:48] Show Wrap-up. [01:06:12]