Qantas announced that it will start a new boarding process for its domestic flights across four airports in Australia.
The Australian flag carrier said that the new process, referred to as ‘Group Boarding’, will reduce the time customers spend lining up at the gate and make it faster for them to be seated onboard.
The new boarding technique has already been adopted by airlines outside of Australia, but it is being practiced for the first time in the country.
This new boarding process will be implemented at four airports: Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) starting June 25, 2024; Brisbane Airport (BNE) starting June 3, 2024; Melbourne International Airport (MEL) starting June 17, 2024; and Perth Airport (PER) starting June 10, 2024, for domestic flights operated by Qantas’ Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft.
According to Qantas, its 737 and A330 fleets cover most of its domestic operations. These aircraft allow for more room for improving boarding times.
“Focusing on two specific aircraft types will enable us to refine the group boarding process,” the airline said.
Instead of queuing up with all passengers waiting to board at the same time, the Group Boarding process allows customers to board in smaller groups.
Customers will be allocated to one of six boarding groups displayed on their boarding passes. The groups are determined by cabin, Frequent Flyer status, and seat position in the aircraft.
“Group Boarding is designed to minimize the time our customers spend waiting to board and allows them to get settled more quickly,” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson said in a statement. “We know how important on time departure is to our customers, so this process is also about doing everything possible to ensure we depart on time.”