Silver Fox

Could be another case of a GA making it up as they go along.

halls120

On the last six segments I've flown, group 1 was twice as big as group 2, and groups 1&2 combined were larger than groups 3,4&5 combined.

UA-NYC

738, 50 on the upgrade list - no lines even in use

Amazing operation they run

MBS MillionMiler

I agree.

I was in business a few weeks ago PVG-ORD (747). Of course, Group 1 was insanely huge. With a J cabin that was sold out 2 weeks in advance, there were a lot of 1Ks/Plats in Y, I assume.

I'm 75 deep in a 80-person BG1 lane as boarding is just beginning, when a guy walks past me, headed for the front of the line, when he is stopped by the UA rep who is policing the line. I overheard the interaction, which was basically, "I'm in paid F class, and you're going to make me wait in this huge line?"

I don't blame the guy...Certainly not a DYKWIA. As a 1K in J, even I see it...How could you NOT take this guy to the front of the line, regardless of his status? I find it ridiculous.

reamworks

So do I! I'm a GS, but I think anyone who paid for first class should be able to board first, before the credit card and 1K people.

JVPhoto

I like to think we are of different merit & set.

Air Houston

Paid F boards with Group 1. Credit card holders board with Group 2. So you get half your wish.

Does anyone remember when they tried even more groups? People complained like crazy.

Remember when they tried not lining people up in the queues? People complained like crazy.

For people complaining about the huge groups on 747 and 777 flights, realize that 300 people divided into 5 groups will result in 60 people per group. So having 80 people in a group really isn't as outrageous as it seems.

Boarding by status then small sections (perhaps a few rows at a time) would have easily allowed them to adjust group size according to plane size, but too many people complained.

Perhaps I am just lucky but boarding on my last dozen or so flights has been remarkably orderly with the exception of one flight from LGA where there is simply not enough space and no process is going to fix the current facilities.

Silver Fox

I think paid F should board before anyone.

Kacee

Yup. I guess being one of eighty doesn't make some people feel "special" enough.

Although there is an imbalance on many flights between Groups 1 and 2 and everyone else. This, of course, follows from UA's desire to profit from peoples' need to feel "special" which in turn creates the unfulfilled expectation that they will actually be treated that way.

Right, because no one except for GS ever actually pays for F. I don't even know why UA lets those proles fly in the same cabin.

lincolnjkc

I think it would be logical... Paid F (perhaps with GS, perhaps not) boards first, period (e.g. with or without status).

After that, you board by status (2 groups? 3? I don't really care). If someone with status pays for F, then they board with F, if not they board with whatever group they've earned from status.

And I can understand -- especially for INTL -- if you pay for F being irritated that someone who didn't is receiving, essentially, the same level of service. Hell, I was pissed on a Paid F ticket back when I was a gold when the FA did the idiotic meal selections by status thing and ran out of my choice before getting to me by giving it to higher-statused but upgraded pax [I couldn't eat the other option so I wound up doing a snackbox]

Finally you board non-status economy, etc.

While I love knowing that I have BG1 regardless of if I'm paying for F or flying in the back of the bus (or indeed, if I'm in an aircraft that has no F) group 2, and to a lesser extent group 1 has gotten out of control (I suspect the CC "status" has something to do with Group 2's obesity).

Although all of that said, the thing that most annoys me about the current process is the pages for GS/Unformed Military/etc. when there are clearly none on any given flight. (GS should show up on the manifest, right? so if no GS on the manifest, why page for them and hold the entire process up waiting for people who don't exist to appear. Ditto, uniformed military (in the gate area/ready to board) are pretty darn difficult to miss...so if you don't see any, why page for them? (rant over)

Kacee

This whole "I paid for F" so I should be treated better than those upgraders/award pax/elites is just silly.

Putting aside the intrinsically troubling nature of the statement, it incorrectly assumes that a "paid F" pax necessarily provides more value to UA. On most domestic flights, you can buy a front cabin fare that's cheaper than half the economy fares (the cut-off is usually around H or Q), with any economy fare at that level or higher costing more than the discounted front cabin fares.

International long-haul F is a different issue. There, the reality is that UA simply does not aspire to provide the level of service provided by those carriers (LH, TG, etc.) where F pax are personally escorted on board. People can complain about that all they like, but the reality is, that with occasional exceptions, UA just doesn't do it.

nycityny

For those who want paid F to board first you are basically creating two categories of First Class which is kind of contrary to the whole upgrade concept. I mean, if you are upgraded to First Class you generally get all the benefits associated with the class. Now you want to carve out an exception, one which United's systems probably cannot even do at this point. It might be a "noble" concept to give folks something extra for their money but those who upgraded have provided something too - either a GPU, RPU, miles/copay or status achieved through loyalty.

(or what Kacee wrote 3 minutes before me...)

halls120

Remember when the pmUA process was in place, and the boarding was uncomplicated, orderly and efficient?

LarkSFO

Dear United:

Please stick with the current boarding process and don't change a thing!

The only area where I see room for improvement is in the small number of gate areas at some airports which really were not designed to accommodate this boarding process.

Regards,

A Frequent Boarder

JC5280

My home airport. And yes, its not a great set up. I usually find the G1/G2 lane clogged with G2 people. And then they just sneer as you walk past. Its much easier to line up right outside the lines if you must folks.

The worst boarding process I saw was a SFO-PVR flight last week. Most of these folks couldnt connect the concept that Group 2 on their boarding pass meant to board with Group 2. They saw the signage that said "Premier Access" and felt thats where they should push in to before boarding started. And one big 10 person group of bloody mary fueled tourists loudly pushed their way to the front of that because "Jim-Bob has the credit card, so he is Premier Access! We get to board first!"