Priority Boarding - Is it worth it?

Do you remember the days when the only way to buy a ticket to fly would be via a travel agent? And if you wanted a cheap ticket you would have to take your chances at the so called 'bucket shops'? These days, it is much cheaper to fly and on most airlines a seat is still allocated at check-in and if lucky, you get allocated the seat you want. It may not be entirely fair but it is orderly and civilised.

The seat allocation service has been abandoned by the no-frills airlines and replaced by priority boarding which has become yet another chargeable service. You opt-in for this online and the charge gets added onto the fare. The cost is usually between £2.50 and £7.00 per flight and means you get first pick of the seats.

Is it worth it? First pick of seats, especially for families with children seems appealing, but this assurance is only feasible where the airport offers an air-bridge from the gate to the plane. Otherwise, I can't see the point.

I have heard from many travellers who have paid for priority boarding only to find that they only had priority boarding onto the bus that took them to the airplane. Travellers had to wait till all passengers were on the bus and still had to scramble to board the plane.

easyjet who also charge for 'Speedy Boarding' acknowledge that some airports do not offer air-bridges to the plane and where busses are required the level of service is less. This is reflected in the lower fee they charge. But why charge at all in these circumstances? They say the charge is justifiable because 'the doors at the front of the bus open first allowing priority boarders to leave the bus first', even though on their website they state 'if you are bussed to the aircraft we can't guarantee that you're off the bus first.' Hmm.

easyjet have have also recently added another tier of priority boarding called 'Speedy Boarding Plus' - the same as Speedy Boarding but with dedicated check-in facilities. They charge between £5.50 and £9 per flight and this is available to the first 30 passengers who opt for this when paying for their ticket.

Is this really what people want? Remember that the turnaround times for low-cost airlines has to be fast in order for them to make the most of their cost/profit ratio. So does it really make much difference to your queuing-to-board time whether you are one of the first 30 passengers or not?

I acknowledge that low-cost/no-frills airlines have pioneered the way to cheaper airfares and understand that as a result the traveller can expect less services. But where travellers do opt to pay for a greater level of service, that service should represent value for money.

Verdict: Priority boarding is a service worth paying for only where there is an air-bridge direct from gate to plane. Where passengers are bussed from gate to plane, it's a waste of money.

31 December 2007