Big changes to the Qantas boarding process begin today – here’s what passengers need to know

Qantas hopes to make boarding planes faster and more efficient by ditching its existing method of getting passengers onto flights.

Currently, the national carrier uses a class-based system, with premium cabins and high-status frequent flyers boarding first, followed by everyone else.

But starting Monday morning, the airline will test a new boarding system aimed at reducing queues and getting passengers to their seats faster.

The new system will still see those in first and business class boarding first, followed by premium economy travelers and senior frequent flyers, but after that, passengers will board by seat number from back to front.

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

Qantas (pictured flight attendant) hopes to make boarding planes faster and more efficient by ditching its existing method of getting passengers onto flights

As with everything airline-related, Qantas’ transformation stems from a desire to make more money for its shareholders.

“We will be able to better serve our customers, reduce our cost base through lower operating expenses, and unlock some new competitive advantages,” said outgoing CEO Alan Joyce.

Whether the zone boarding plan will actually save time and therefore money remains to be seen, but it will bring the flying kangaroo in line with almost all other international fliers.

Airlines also use two other methods: one is random boarding, which is used only by low-cost airlines like Southwest in the US, and which does not assign seats and uses a first-come, first-served basis.

The other variation is known as WILMA, or “window, middle, aisle,” where those who have window seats board the plane first, followed by middle seats, and then aisle seats.

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

But passengers don’t like random boarding and TV shows Mythbusters found – they put up with cheaper fares – or WILMA, so back-to-front grouping is a smart choice for Qantas.

Qantas Economy passengers (pictured) continue to be the last to board despite boarding changes implemented by the airline

Alan Joyce (pictured) is leaving Qantas in November after 15 years as chief executive

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

Mr Joyce said new technology is a crucial part of his plans to offer better services after the company announced record profits of nearly $2.5 billion on high tariffs and booming demand.

Qantas has struggled with lost luggage, as well as cancellations, delays and staff shortages over the past year as people started flying again in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Last July, an employee at an outsourcing company that replaced employees laid off during the pandemic claimed that Qantas was losing “one in ten” luggage bags — although the company disputed that figure.

“The mishandled bag rate across the Qantas network has been around one percent for the last four weeks and our teams are working hard to bring that number down further,” an airline spokesman told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

The lost baggage situation peaked last September when a single piece of baggage was left on the tarmac at Sydney Airport.

The lost luggage situation took on comic proportions when a lone piece of luggage was left on the tarmac at Sydney Airport

Mr Joyce is leaving Qantas in November after 15 years at the helm under great pressure and it turns out he has a surprise first trip planned after his last day.

He will not be traveling to his native country of Ireland, although he happily returns there at least once a year, nor to husband Shane Lloyd’s homeland of New Zealand.

Instead, the couple is planning a cruise around Antarctica, which is expected to cost around $30,000.

“The temptation is to fill the schedule,” said Mr. Joyce, who turns 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 has owned the shares since 2012 when he bought them for $1.50 a share.

They reportedly sold for $6.74 a share last week, giving it a profit of around $14.8 million.

“I’m going to take six months off, relax, not make decisions, take a cruise around Antarctica, believe it or not, stay off all planes, and then figure out what I want to do after that.”

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

The six-bedroom property in Mosman Bay on Sydney’s North Shore is now no longer needed 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 refurbish the penthouses, which offer stunning views of the Opera House and Sydney skyline, and expand them into a six-bedroom, ensuite, full-floor apartment to better accommodate family members traveling from overseas.

Outgoing CEO Alan Joyce is preparing to sell his $19 million Sydney waterfront mansion in Mosman Bay (pictured)

Mr Joyce came under fire for spending $19 million on the Mosman Bay mansion, at a time when Qantas was announcing a nearly $2 billion loss as the struggling airline grappled with canceled flights, poor customer service and lawsuits from laid-off workers.

Annoyed by the criticism, he passionately defended his record at the helm of the Australian airline.

“Why does it matter what I do in my personal life?” I’m not a public figure. People see the Qantas CEO as a politician, and it certainly shouldn’t be like that. “It’s a business number,” he told The Australian at the time.

“Over the years, how much I make has been well reported, so I have the money because Qantas had record profits and had a record share price.”