OT - Airport Queues for Bag Drop Off

[Neil Williams]

My feet go there. If the airlines provided a sensible seat pitch, I'd consider putting my bag there, but not the way it is.

Neil

[Neil Williams]

Depends how it works. At Geneva, it's a case of look at passport[1], scan boarding card, scan bag (on which you've already put a tag yourself) - it is genuinely quite quick. Elsewhere it's a case of rip up online boarding card and check in as normal.

[1] Presumably to prevent anyone else checking something in in your name if you dropped your boarding card.

Neil

[Neil Williams]

Another bonus point for Geneva - running up to the metal detectors/X- rays is a set of rolling conveyor type things. So you take your trays and move along while filling them. A very good system that minimises delay from people faffing - I wish they did it elsewhere.

Neil

[Neil Williams]

And lose your onward flight. Airlines don't take kindly to you not taking all of it if it's on one ticket.

Neil

[funkyoldcortina]

Sorry but the airlines take a different view. It will never be possible for everyone to use the locker space right above their heads, particularly on a full flight, either because there isn't any usable space there anyway above some seats, or the space is already full by the time you board.

[funkyoldcortina]

It used to be the case that if your connecting flight were all on the same PNR then the most generous restriction applied to the whole booking. But like I said, it needs to be ticketed on the same PNR.

[DerbyBoy]

Another bonus point for Geneva - running up to the metal detectors/X- rays is a set of rolling conveyor type things. So you take your trays and move along while filling them. A very good system that minimises delay from people faffing - I wish they did it elsewhere.

Neil

That would confuse some dummies!

[Neil Williams]

It seems to work quite well. There are screens and scrolling messages reminding you in French and English to move on while loading your tray, and you usually find that if people ignore this they are soon prompted to do so by impatient-looking business travellers.

It works pretty well and is far less stressful than having to load trays quickly right by the machine.

Another option that I've not seen tried (but I think might work well) might be that prior to the security queue you have a large "re-packing area" where large re-usable clear plastic carrier bags are provided, in which keys, wallets, belts, laptops etc can be placed. You then don't enter the security queue until you are ready to exit it at the scanner (with the possible exception of shoes), and if you do and obviously aren't ready would be sent back by the person checking boarding cards.

Neil

[Bob Eager]

Reminds me of the drinks nights I've seen round here. Computerised tills, and the amount you pay for a drink varies all night. The more popular the drink, the higher the price - and vice versa.

[Robin]

I know the legislation on the display of prices of food and drink was made more flexible a few years ago but I thought it was still necessary to make the price available before punters ordered. Do they just ignore that or do they have some sort of computer display that shows eg that a pint of green Chartreuse is a bargain?

[Huge]

Bar Bourse in the City has a similar setup.

[Huge]

Bar Bourse has a huge display with the prices of everything.

[Bob Eager]

They have a display. Wouldn't be any fun otherwise!

[Robin]

Thank you (and to Huge too).

I shall not be so indelicate to ask how many of your faculty have hacked the system ;)

[Bob Eager]

The biggest fun with that wouldn't be the drinking per se.

It would be using market forces to force the students to drink unsuitable combinations....

[Huge]

*Are* there any unsuitable combinations, as far as students are concerned?

[Bob Eager]

Judging by the pictures of last weekend I'm seeing on Facebook...yes.

[Tony Bryer]

The trouble with that is that it gives them a vested interest in maintaining a queue for non-paying passengers. No point in paying to jump a non-existent queue.

I'm not an advocate of speed cameras, but the one thing in favour of the SPECS (long distance average speed ones) is that it gives TPTB a financial interest in keeping traffic flowing.

[Nick Leverton]

We didn't need no stinking market forces in my day ...

[Neil Williams]

You would think, but in practice they don't, IMX.

Neil