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British Airways is introducing a new boarding group for its uber-elite frequent flyers. Those designated “Priority Group 0” will be among the first on the plane out of the airline’s 10 boarding groups plus pre-boarding for families and those needing extra time and assistance. Was a 10th group really necessary?
The new boarding group will debut on March 26th at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Priority Group 0 will include Executive Club Premier card holders, Gold Guest List, and Gold Guest List for Life passengers. The current groups include:
Pre-Boarding
- Families with small children
- Those requiring disability or mobility assistance
Priority Group 1
- First Class
- Business Class (Club Europe)
- Executive Club Gold Members
- oneworld Emerald Members
Priority Group 2
- Business Class (Club World)
- Executive Club Silver Members
- oneworld Sapphire Members
Priority Group 3
- Premium economy (World Traveller Plus)
- Executive Club Bronze Members
- oneworld Ruby members
Groups 4-9
Economy (World Traveller) or Economy (Euro Traveller) boarded by seat numbers from rear to front of the cabin
British Airways says that it is introducing this new group to improve the ground experience for its top-tier frequent flyers. This is similar to how other airlines currently board. United calls Global Services and Premier 1K® as separate pre-boarding groups. Excluding children under the age of two and those with special needs, United has nine boarding groups. American Airlines is aligned with British Airways with 10 boarding groups (after those pre-boarding, it calls up ConciergeKey® members).
Anthony’s Take: Overhead space is the single reason I board as early as possible on flights. It’s nice to know that there is space for your bag. Having 10 boarding groups might seem excessive, but it likely cuts down on the length of the lines for each group and I’m assuming as faster in the tests that British Airways conducted.
(Featured Image Credit: British Airways.)
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo.)
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2 comments
Boarding Group Zero? What’s next, negative numbers for VVIP’s? Why not simply call for Supreme Executive Board Chairman’s Group or whatever before group 1? This is just silly and overdone.
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