We constantly see airlines tinkering with their boarding process, all with the stated goal of maximizing efficiency, or something. As reported by Zach Griff, Delta Air Lines will be updating its boarding process shortly, as the airline transitions from branded boarding to zone-based boarding.
In this post:
How Delta is updating its boarding process
As of May 2024, Delta will be making changes to its boarding process. In reality, the main thing changing is how Delta is marketing its boarding, rather than the actual order in which people board.
Under the current boarding process, passengers are invited to board based on the name of their cabin or elite status. So after pre-boarding, the airline invites Delta One or first class passengers, followed by Diamond Medallion members, follows by Premium Select passengers, followed by Comfort+ passengers, etc.
With the new boarding process, the airline will no longer call out the branded product that someone is booked in, but rather the airline will call Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, etc. So you’ll no longer necessarily hear reference to a class of service or status level, but just to a number.
While this is mostly about branding, there are a couple of minor changes to boarding priority:
- Delta 360 members (Delta’s invitation-only elite tier) will be invited to board ahead of the most premium cabin, with those who are eligible for pre-boarding
- Diamond Medallion members will now board with Premium Select (on aircraft featuring that cabin), rather than before Premium Select
Why is Delta making this change? Delta claims that this is intended to “simplify the boarding process for both our customers and our employees, adding clarity of sequence and improving the overall gate experience.”
The irony in Delta’s boarding process change
The funny thing about Delta moving from branded boarding to zone-based boarding is that this is a direct reversal of a change that Delta implemented back in 2019. Prior to that, the airline also had zone-based boarding, but at that point the airline decided to introduce branded boarding.
For those curious, below is what the change looked like at the time.
This was at a time when Delta was leaning heavily into the branding of its cabins, whether it’s Delta One or Premium Select.
In 2019, Delta claimed it was transitioning to branded boarding to add “consistency, simplicity, and clarity to the gate and boarding experience,” and now the airline claims that it’s eliminating branded boarding to “simplify the boarding process for both our customers and our employees, adding clarity of sequence and improving the overall gate experience.” Tim, can you help us decipher this?
As much as US airlines tout that their boarding process is all about efficiency, I don’t actually believe that (and that’s not specific to Delta, as it’s equally true at American, and even more true at United). At the end of the day, I find the boarding process at US airlines is an extension of their credit card business — it’s a way to make elite members feel special.
I don’t think anyone could make a good faith argument that airlines separating passengers into nearly a dozen groups (United is the worst at this) speeds up the boarding process, especially when people crowd the gate, don’t actually listen to announcements, and the boarding priority isn’t enforced.
Bottom line
Delta is updating its boarding process as of May 2024, as the airline will transition from branded boarding to zone-based boarding. The airline will no longer call for Delta One passengers, but will instead call for Zone 1 passengers. There aren’t many changes here to the order in which people can board, but rather this is just about the language used.
What’s funny about this change is that it brings Delta’s boarding process back to where it was before 2019, when Delta introduced zone-based boarding, claiming it would add “consistency, simplicity, and clarity to the gate and boarding experience.”
What do you make of the changes to Delta’s boarding process?
Zones, named groups, favourite pet names....whatever!! It's all just silly. There's already a standard numbering convention on every plane out there AND it used to be used by airlines very successfully in the distant past: board by seat row number.
GA: "Calling all passengers in Rows 1-15, plus those with children or special needs - please line up. Everyone else stay seated"
What has also cocked-up the whole boarding process is elite passengers who are...
Zones, named groups, favourite pet names....whatever!! It's all just silly. There's already a standard numbering convention on every plane out there AND it used to be used by airlines very successfully in the distant past: board by seat row number.
GA: "Calling all passengers in Rows 1-15, plus those with children or special needs - please line up. Everyone else stay seated"
What has also cocked-up the whole boarding process is elite passengers who are sitting in e.g. row 24 in Coach think they should also board in Group 1 "...because I have status!!" And airlines kowtow to this ridiculous entitlement.
If you want to board early, buy a seat in Row 3. Otherwise wait away from the gate with everyone else in your part of cattle class.
@UncleRonnie
T-Rex wants you back to Jurassic Park.
It used to very successfully in the distant past.
Until society woke up and still able to raise a generation full of Karen at the same time.
Row numbers are fine.
Special needs has a definition problem.
Gerrymandering with boarding is the problem.
Soon it'll be boarding by alphabetical or ticket amount or gender identity all the way to zip codes or characters in...
@UncleRonnie
T-Rex wants you back to Jurassic Park.
It used to very successfully in the distant past.
Until society woke up and still able to raise a generation full of Karen at the same time.
Row numbers are fine.
Special needs has a definition problem.
Gerrymandering with boarding is the problem.
Soon it'll be boarding by alphabetical or ticket amount or gender identity all the way to zip codes or characters in you name or number of followers you have.
I'm more important than you but I'm also supporting equality. Oxymoron, or literally morons.
Even TSA evolves and they don't realize it. TSA today does a better job not by prevent terrorists, but by preventing passengers killing each other. Imagine flying Spirit with weapons.
So dinoRonnie, what works in the past won't work anymore.
Biggest issue isn't the "system" but the people. The abuse in order 1. Fake disabled people 2. People running into the boarding lane when preboards (disabled) are boarded, mostly people in Group 1. 3. People that do not understand that when the GA calls the Group number printed on their BP that's their que to board 4. People that do not believe the boarding order is applicable to them. I fly 2-4 times a week...
Biggest issue isn't the "system" but the people. The abuse in order 1. Fake disabled people 2. People running into the boarding lane when preboards (disabled) are boarded, mostly people in Group 1. 3. People that do not understand that when the GA calls the Group number printed on their BP that's their que to board 4. People that do not believe the boarding order is applicable to them. I fly 2-4 times a week and it seems to get worse by the month. I'm not sure moving back to boarding by rows would change much. The human race has gotten that dumb or entitled.
And why wouldn't they? ...that's who brings them money.
The issue with the current system is having 3 different "boarding zones" for main cabin. People hear main cabin, line up, and create a mess. What never ceases to amaze is how Americans require nearly an hour to board a narrowbody, while Asians can fill a 777 in 20 minutes. In all seriousness, boarding order doesn't matter when most of the plane checks bags and it's all over before you can decide which pdb you...
The issue with the current system is having 3 different "boarding zones" for main cabin. People hear main cabin, line up, and create a mess. What never ceases to amaze is how Americans require nearly an hour to board a narrowbody, while Asians can fill a 777 in 20 minutes. In all seriousness, boarding order doesn't matter when most of the plane checks bags and it's all over before you can decide which pdb you want. More should follow the Spirit path and charge a premium for carry-ons -- problem solved.
by the airline simply assigning people to a zone, they do not know who is in other zones and don't try to think they are entitled to something higher than they are - or at least simple numbers are easier to understand and enforce.
I agree with some of the comments here, Delta got it wrong again.
Preboard has to be indicated (for a valid reason) on the boarding pass. So it has to be planned ahead of time.
Zone 1 - First/D1 and 360/Diamonds
Zone 2- Elite/plus and Premium
Zone3 - everyone else including Light/Basic
If someone tries to board not in their zone - block them, generate an alert / warning that the GA can override...
I agree with some of the comments here, Delta got it wrong again.
Preboard has to be indicated (for a valid reason) on the boarding pass. So it has to be planned ahead of time.
Zone 1 - First/D1 and 360/Diamonds
Zone 2- Elite/plus and Premium
Zone3 - everyone else including Light/Basic
If someone tries to board not in their zone - block them, generate an alert / warning that the GA can override but it eliminates those who just ignore all the rules.
The gate areas have to be designed to allow for the 3 queues 1-3.
I personally can’t wait for Delta to rebrand D1 to Business.
Also this move proves that no one should seek airline status anymore.
Flew today and both times gate agents said Main Cabin 1 and had to repeat "We're only doing Main Cabin 1, if you are Main Cabin 2 or 3 please have a seat". Another time gate agent said "We have 60 of you in Main Cabin 1, if you are not in Main Cabin 1 please have a seat" and half the people in line trying to get on sat down. Makes me think that people assumed Main Cabin meant Main Cabin and didn't care about the number too so Delta is trying to simplify that
What is the point of so many boarding zones - I think United has it right. Priority is priority - DM's who are not in First Class won't take up first class bin space why not let them board with first class. Same with Sky Priority not in Comf+. How about:
Zone 1: Delta One, First Class, Diamond
Zone 2: Sky Priority, Premium Select
Zone 3: Comf+, Skyteam Elite+, Silver Medallion, Credit Card Holder
Zone 4: Main Cabin
Zone 5: Basic Economy
After reading all the bitching about how bad DL,AA,UA,.... boarding procedures are, it only confirms that Southwest has the best process -- no issue about passengers sneaking into the wrong boarding group/zone. You board when your number is called.
But the vast majority of the audience of this blog look down their noses at Southwest and apparently prefer to put up with mishegas boarding groups/zones.
(OK I know my comment is relevant only...
After reading all the bitching about how bad DL,AA,UA,.... boarding procedures are, it only confirms that Southwest has the best process -- no issue about passengers sneaking into the wrong boarding group/zone. You board when your number is called.
But the vast majority of the audience of this blog look down their noses at Southwest and apparently prefer to put up with mishegas boarding groups/zones.
(OK I know my comment is relevant only for domestic single class flights)
It’s funny to think how much work went into this decision. Think about the number of PowerPoints, excel spreadsheets, etc. all to just make the change in 2019 and then the reversal today in 2024. So much work for pretty much nothing
The problem with WN is that the number is assigned based on checkin order. I hate the F5 scramble 24h out.
Also it only works for an all-economy config. J pax will not put up with this.
Absolutely ridiculous, in large part for the flaw you already found.
Fine for 1st class to board last, who needs PDB, as long as overhead is kept vacant.
That revamp, looks lame.
DL boarding has been a mess from the beginning. AA and UA had it right and were often ridiculed by DL loyalists, but look who is following. DL isn't a leader, they are truley a follower. Boarding Group, Premium Economy, Hi-speed WiFi and the list goes on.
that sucks again we (DM's) are getting demoted again!!! Sad how they treat their ???loyal customers,,, very badly...again CUSTOMER NO SERVICE!!!
Delta 360 is the new Diamond. This is just like AA Executive Platinum, only ConciergeKey is meaningful.
I'm very glad for this change. I was getting tired of all the Main Cabin 2 and 3 people trying to board with the Main Cabin 1 people when one of the primary benefits of getting a Delta credit card was to get Main Cabin 1 boarding. People kept acting like all the Main Cabins were the same. Now if you're not Zone 5, wait your turn!
They should just assign a sequence number for every passenger, and just say we are boarding everyone before 50, before 100, before 150, etc.
Delta tells Diamonds they're #2 right on their boarding pass - there's loyalty for you
While having to adapt the nomenclature to handle more lower yield leisure travelers
So a Diamond in the back on a $250 ticket should board before someone in Delta One that spent $5,000+? Probably irrelevant anyway since normally Delta One is a left turn when you enter the plane so they aren't slowing down any Diamonds behind them. The few times I've paid for business class on any airline, it's been nice to board first as a perk of paying the premium.
They should board together in group 1 not relegated to group 2. No difference for the first class pax
It's a big difference to for the First Class passengers on most flights because typically there are far more Diamond/Exec Platinum/1K passengers than First Class. I don't like paying a premium for my seat then getting lumped into the same boarding group as 50+ others.
FWIW ... I'm AA Exec Plat (and DL Silver) but started buying First Class instead of waiting for an upgrade. I enjoyed the long gone days of Elite upgrades for...
It's a big difference to for the First Class passengers on most flights because typically there are far more Diamond/Exec Platinum/1K passengers than First Class. I don't like paying a premium for my seat then getting lumped into the same boarding group as 50+ others.
FWIW ... I'm AA Exec Plat (and DL Silver) but started buying First Class instead of waiting for an upgrade. I enjoyed the long gone days of Elite upgrades for many years but have updated my strategy to today's world.
Ben, why are you hating on United’s boarding. They have pre-board and then 6 zones - 2 less than Delta. While I admittedly always preboard since United preboards it’s 1Ks (unlike Super-Duper-Ultra-Premium Delta which relegates its equivalent elites to Zone 2), on the rare occasions when I’ve gotten to the gate in the middle of the boarding process,’it has seemed well-organized
Agreed! I think United’s process is the least complex of the big three. They certainly have the fewest boarding groups. Admittedly I don’t have much experience on Delta, but I’ve been splitting my time between AA and United, and American’s process seems much more chaotic.
@Chris: UA may have the fewest boarding groups, but half the plane is in group 2 and that line usually starts to form 30 minutes before boarding time
But that's a different complaint than saying it is the most complex.
And I agree, UA stuffing Group 2 to the gills with CC holders and Silver is crazy
Similarly crazy, in my mind, is making Gold into group-1 but if anything that's a bone to throw at *A gold non-UA flyers - bigger issue to me there is there not be a *A Platinum or level above Gold
Yea I don't get how United is the worst either. AA has 9, DL has 8, while UA only has 6 (it was 5 until recently). Yes pre-boarding can get hectic but at least they value 1K while DL simply just wants more money spent (increased qualifying requirements, prioritizing premium cabin customers over Diamond).
I assume he's counting the pre-boards as 5 different groups, which to me is bunk. It's effectively 1 - arguably if you want to call it 2, since you can group the first four all together and then 1K separatey.
Ultimately boarding will continue to be a running of the bulls event. Between GAs that can't seem to make proper announcements, airlines finding everyway possible to make passengers think they're getting early boarding, the out of control and wild abuse of wheelchair boarding (being young and fat doesn't mean you can walk down the jetbridge), passengers not wanting to pay to check bags, the human race becoming to dumb and/or too self important to realize...
Ultimately boarding will continue to be a running of the bulls event. Between GAs that can't seem to make proper announcements, airlines finding everyway possible to make passengers think they're getting early boarding, the out of control and wild abuse of wheelchair boarding (being young and fat doesn't mean you can walk down the jetbridge), passengers not wanting to pay to check bags, the human race becoming to dumb and/or too self important to realize Group 8 doesn't mean Group 1 and a few other titbits I'm forgetting makes boarding a plane worse than herding cats.
Is it possible in the midst of all of these criticisms that Delta's move is because it is carrying a growing number of passengers that do not speak English?
It is far easier to understand numbered zone boarding than a list of named groups.
Delta might have realized that their boarding process was too complex and different from what most other airlines do.
This is a really fair and valid point. Numbers are certainly easier for non English speakers.
Tim, does Delta have gate lice or is that exclusively an issue with their inferior competitors?
lmfao
Or maybe they concluded their boarding process was inferior and realized what others are doing is better. The more likely scenario.
You're like a politician who will say anything and spin everything to make it look positive, yet everyone knows they are full of crap and they get laughed at.
Seems like even delta is realizing there’s nothing premium about delta premium
“Get on the plane. You can come first”
—Delta
“We sold your first class seat to a couple from Montgomery for $80 and your miles are worthless… but please… we want you to feel special boarding”
airlines really need to start to define who can preboard and for those people to get approval to board with the preboard group. Half that group ends up being people who just follow others onboard or even people who think traveling with a dog qualifies them for preboarding. Very annoying and very inefficient
When I the brand is no longer worth it why flaunt it?
If I was in charge, there would only be one boarding group. You just line up to board when your flight is boarding.
What’s that? Bin space? That’s an aircraft design problem. Good design should make it so everyone can bring their bag onboard and there’s no benefit to boarding early.
The problem is people putting their smaller items (jacket, backpacks, purses, etc) in the overhead bins. If everyone put their personal item under the seat in front of them and the larger items overhead, there would be plenty of room.
I actually somewhat disagree with this. If I have checked my roller bag and would like to put my coat in the overhead bin rather than on the questionably clean floor, I am still taking up significantly less than my share of overhead compartment real estate. I don't think it's all that weird to not want to put my coat on the floor. I don't bunch up my coat and stuff it under a chair...
I actually somewhat disagree with this. If I have checked my roller bag and would like to put my coat in the overhead bin rather than on the questionably clean floor, I am still taking up significantly less than my share of overhead compartment real estate. I don't think it's all that weird to not want to put my coat on the floor. I don't bunch up my coat and stuff it under a chair at home or at work.
I wish the overhead bins had flexible partitions, so that if--for example--Row 11, seats A, B, and C share a bin, then each person gets a compartment that is one third of the bin. No passenger gets to take up half the bin. The person in Row 27 can't put their stuff there. This is in essence the locker space for that row.
The flexible partitions could be lowered if someone had cane or a crutch that needed to take up more room.
I think if people knew this was the score, they wouldn't try to bring so much on board.
Back in the Northwest had a version of this. First Class / World Business Class was called first, and then “General Boarding” after that. And it seemed to work well. Personally, I loved it. It encouraged people to be in the gate early, as those that dawdled were the ones who had to check their carryons.
“Back in the day….”
Most new/refurbished cabin interiors do allow enough space for each person to bring a rollaboard. The problem is people are too stupid to figure out how to put their bags in the overhead bin despite written and verbal instructions. That's to say nothing of the people who put both of their carry-on bags in the overhead.
You are absolutely correct, people don't understand or just don't care to load properly. I still reserve some blame for stores and manufacturers that push roll on bags that exceed the permitted size. Those bags end up inserting horizontally and take up three spaces.
That'd be great for a single-class ULCC type service.
For a multi-class carrier, that'd be a no-go, as it'd seriously disincentivize bigger spenders from paying for your premium seats.