Major changes to Qantas boarding process start today – here’s what passengers need to know

Qantas hopes to make aircraft boarding faster and more efficient by abandoning the existing method of getting passengers on flights.

Currently, the flag carrier uses a class-based system where premium cabins and high-status frequent flyers board first, followed by everyone else.

But starting Monday morning, the airline is testing a new boarding system to reduce queues and get passengers to their seats faster.

Under the new system, first and business class passengers will still board first, followed by premium economy travelers and high-ranking frequent flyers, but after that, passengers will board by seat number, back to front.

This is commonly known as zone boarding and is used by most other airlines, with boarding passes marked to avoid confusion.

The boarding options being tested include using the back door to seat passengers in the center of the plane first, first for the front, followed by those at the very back.

Qantas has pledged to redecorate its departure areas with extensive signage to improve communication with its passengers and ensure the boarding process remains up-to-date.

need to be well controlled and communicated and Qantas has said they will redecorate the departures area with plenty of signage.

As with everything about airlines, Qantas’ change comes down to wanting to make more money for its shareholders.

“We will be able to better serve our customers, reduce our cost base through lower operating costs and gain a number of new competitive advantages,” said outgoing CEO Alan Joyce.

Whether the zonal boarding plan saves time and therefore money remains to be seen, but it will bring the flying kangaroo in line with almost every other international airline.

Airlines also use two other methods: One is random boarding, which is only used by budget airlines like Southwest in the US, where there are no seat assignments and it’s a case of first come, first served.

The other is known as WILMA, or “window, center, aisle,” with those who have window seats boarding the plane first, followed by the center seats, then the aisles.

Tests have shown that random boarding is the fastest method, WILMA is slightly slower, and zoning by group is the slowest.

But passengers don’t like random boarding or WILMA, TV show Mythbusters found – meaning rear-to-front group zoning is the smart choice for Qantas.

The airline is also promising to make lost luggage a thing of the past by adding tracking to a major overhaul of its app, which is expected to be available by the end of the year.

Mr Joyce said new technology is a critical part of his plans to offer better services after announcing record profits of nearly $2.5 billion due to high tariffs and booming demand.

Qantas has struggled with lost luggage, cancellations, delays and staff shortages over the past year as people started flying again post-Covid.

Last July, an employee of an outsourcing firm that replaced workers laid off during the pandemic claimed that Qantas lost “one in 10” bags of luggage — though the company disputed the figure.

“The rate of mishandled baggage across the Qantas network over the past four weeks is around one per cent and our teams are working hard to further reduce this figure,” a spokesman for the airline told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

The misplaced luggage situation reached a high point last September when a lone bag was left on the tarmac at Sydney Airport.

Mr Joyce is leaving Qantas in November after 15 years in the top job, and it turns out he has a surprise maiden voyage planned after his last day.

He doesn’t go to his home country of Ireland, although he likes to return to it at least once a year, nor does he go to husband Shane Lloyd’s native New Zealand.

Instead, the pair plan to take a cruise around Antarctica, which will likely cost around $30,000.

“There is a great temptation to fill the agenda,” said Mr Joyce, who will turn 57 later this month.

Instead, he’s taking a break with cash in his pocket after selling $17 million worth of Qantas stock.

The Australian Financial Review reported that he had owned the shares since 2012, when he bought them for $1.50 each.

They reportedly sold last week for $6.74 per share, giving him a profit of about $14.8 million.

“I’m going to take six months off, rest, make no decisions, take a cruise around Antarctica, believe it or not, far away from any aircraft and then figure out what I want to do next.”

He’s also likely to make a sizable profit after selling the Sydney Harbor mansion he bought for $19 million just 13 months ago.

The six-bedroom property in Mosman Bay, on Sydney’s North Shore, is now surplus to requirements, as he and Mr Lloyd are reportedly buying a second half-storey penthouse on the same floor as their existing apartment in the city.

They plan to renovate and expand the penthouses, which have stunning views of the Opera House and the Sydney skyline, into a six-bedroom apartment, all ensuite, occupying the entire floor to better accommodate family members arriving from overseas.

Mr Joyce came under fire for spending $19 million on the Mosman Bay mansion at a time when Qantas announced a loss of nearly $2 billion as the beleaguered airline battled canceled flights, poor customer service and a lawsuit from laid-off workers.

Stung by the criticism, he threw himself into a passionate defense of his record at the helm of the Australian flagship.

Why is it relevant what I do in my private life? I am not a public figure. People consider the Qantas CEO to be a politician and it certainly shouldn’t be. It’s a business figure,” he told The Australian at the time.

“It’s been well reported over the years how much I get paid, so I have the money, because Qantas went to record profits and had a record share price.”