V-Flyer

Apologies if this has been raised before, but I could not find a discussion on a quick search.

I flew economy a few weeks ago and observed something I hadn't really taken notice of previously...there was a queue of Upper passengers lined up by Door A. Although the gate area was busy there were seats available, yet they stood there for a good 10 minutes before boarding commenced. I thought it was odd; almost like they were standing just to make the point that they were in Upper.

I've only flown Upper once (never did get around to doing a TR), and I made the most of my time in The Lounge (LHR); most everyone had boarded by the time I got to the gate.

So, my question is, if you get to the gate before boarding starts, do you stand or do you sit?

I stay in the CH until after the first call as it is customary to enjoy another beverage By the time I make the gate boarding has commenced....why you would stand I have no idea

I don't think they were standing to show off. Unfortunately the call to board comes from the lounge and occasionally the gate is then not ready so you don't bother to sit down as your expecting to board at any minute. This happens with all airlines and you often see the proeity boarders hovering around the gate

When travelling Upper on long haul, like you I stay in the Clubhouse until boarding time and have never had to wait at the gate.

On a short haul economy flight, though, it's a different story. With overhead locker space at a premium as people take on bigger and bigger hand baggage, being among the first on board is important to me so I'll stand to make sure I'm ready to make a dash for it.

gumshoe wrote:On a short haul economy flight, though, it's a different story. With overhead locker space at a premium as people take on bigger and bigger hand baggage, being among the first on board is important to me so I'll stand to make sure I'm ready to make a dash for it.

Good points PaulS and Gumshoe. The flight was to London to JFK, so they could possibly have had hand luggage only, and wanted to get to storage. Personally I can never travel light enough for hand luggage only so everything is checked and I just have a handbag to store under the seat infront.

On a couple of occasions I've waited in the Clubhouse until the second call, strolled down to the gate as the last and final boarding call for the flight is echoing up and down the corridor, only to find that they have only just started to admit people into the gate area. In those circumstances, I have stood and waited because, as someone else said, I've been expected to be allowed to board very shortly.

Sometimes in the gate area you have no choice but to stand.

Sometimes I will stand near the priority sign, sometimes I get there just at the right time. Personally I don't really want or feel the need to let anyone know how I am travelling nor do I make any assumptions/ judgements about other pax cabin choices.

Only time did this was a 2 hour delayed flight from Cancun, where we'd been so bored with the lounge, and they said they'd be boarding, and 20 minutes later than that the economy passengers were getting all lined up, and had taken all the seats up anyway...

That and the announcements were so appalling, we weren't particularly sure if we'd be able to make out the call for Upper less than 15 feet from the gate...

I'm usually fidgety (standing, wandering etc) before getting on a flight, be it in the CH or the gate. Probably a mix between nervous energy, excitement of the trip and knowing I'm going to be mainly sat down for a significant proportion of the hours that follow

MsBBD wrote:I flew economy a few weeks ago and observed something I hadn't really taken notice of previously...there was a queue of Upper passengers lined up by Door A. Although the gate area was busy there were seats available, yet they stood there for a good 10 minutes before boarding commenced. I thought it was odd; almost like they were standing just to make the point that they were in Upper.

It happens. A fair few UC pax do leave the lounges at first boarding call and wait at the gate for actual boarding to commence, whether it be excitement or inexperience is irrelevant (can't all be V-Flyers after all )

Personally I tend to leave on the second or third call from the lounge. First call is a good cue to order another drink and then take a leisurely stroll to the gate

Nope never had to stand in LHR, because I usually leave the CH at around 2nd call.

However, I now do not drink in-between calls due to a nearly disastrous experience... my friend and I were celebrating and at the second call I decided to have a shot of whiskey (baaaaadddddd idea) after already having a bunch of cocktails and feeling a little bit swimmy in the head. I sat down into my lovely comfy chair.....

.... to be woken up about ten-fifteen minutes later to my friend shouting a bunch of expletives saying "they're about to close the door!".



So off we run in our tipsy state to find that that day, of all days, they'd changed the departure gate to somewhere verrrrrrry far! So off we go, with seconds to spare, I see the last passenger swipe his ticket.



Finally, the steward sees us, and says "And you must be Ryo, I suppose?"

"Yes" I panted.

And like that we were both in. Once we'd settled into our UC seats, it took about two seconds to look at each other, sweating and red faced, to burst out laughing. We must have look like right ****heads.

The only other time we all had to stand was during the Icelandic volcano crisis. I was stranded in San Francisco for almost a week (and I might add that VS did a BRILLIANT job in keeping us informed of what was going on, organising buses, telling us how to claim back expenses and putting us up in a VERY nice Marriott), but that was exceptional. We just got a random call saying "You're flying in an hour, there'll be a bus", so no clubhouse, just straight to the queue. At that point I didn't care and the service in the sky more than made up for it.

But no, I would never ever stand in the UC line just to show I was UC, what a ridiculously stupid, self centred and (dare I say it) Daily Mail thing to do. I've been in all classes and just because I play the game to get myself on UC does not make a single other passenger on the plane any less significant or important than I perceive myself to be. Just like I detest the sense-of-entitlement dullards that buy one in UC and one in PE expecting their guest should get an upgrade or if they're in PE, spend the whole time moaning on about how they deserve it for the duration of the trip. It's horrible and sometimes the worst thing about flying on VS!

Our last flight (LGW - MCO) had us in the clubhouse after the boarding time on our boarding passes. Hmmm... time was getting on, so we didn't wait for the announcement. As we passed the desk on the way out of the clubhouse, one of the staff was heard to say that boarding hadn't been announced yet - she said this in surprise, as if it certainly should have been done! Got to the gate. No queues. In fact, nobody there at all - everyone, except UC, had already boarded...

I wonder how much longer it would have been before they noticed it hadn't been announced to board... could have left with an empty UC section...

I am a person who likes to be early, very early. Nowadays we go to the airport the day before even though its less than 40 miles.
So I'm early to the CH and early to leave it.
I don't want to have to rush if there has been a gate change which I have had in the past.
I'm early to the gate, early to sit and wait and early to stand.
Early to board and take my seat. I like the seats up the pointy end and although it's not a major problem if I don't get them I would like my bag in a locker nearby.
So yes I may stand early.
Dick D

Just to add to Ryosan's near-disaster story, I had a similar experience heading to KUL from LHR although it was the fact that I mis-heard the gate number.

I had come out of the toilet in the MAS lounge and heard the gate being called as 31 where it was, in fact, 21. By the time myself and my colleague got to gate 21 as the final call was being made, we realised it was a flight to BOS and not KUL - so we went running back, all the way through security (21 and 31 are at opposite ends of T3). A mad, breathless dash ended with a rather angry looking ground crew shouting down the gate and saying HURRY UP! We both managed to get on just before the doors shut. I'm pretty sure it was only because we were travelling in Business that they didn't take your bags off. Safe to say I opted for water when the bubbly came round during taxiing!! I now make it a point to check, double check and triple check the gate when in the lounge!