Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
It seems you assume that UA somehow has bonus time for pre-boarding and that the efficiency clock only starts ticking when the regular boarding starts. I'd suggest that the time you take with the stroller, etc. backs up the process whether you'd be pre-boarding or doing regular boarding. It's just that with pre-boarding the rest of the passengers have to wait at the gate rather than in the jetway.
Actually, it would be interesting to determine whether it might be most efficient for UA to post-board folks who need extra time to get settled (except of course for those in wheel chairs). They would then not slow others down in terms of getting down the jetway and getting seated. But I'm not advocating this--I realize the potentially major inconvenience of this for folks like you outweighs the slight inconvenience and delay for other passengers, and that there could be other downsides to this approach. Just speculating.
PS: Just saw sipes23's post, which seems to make a lot of sense.
I don't know about that. I was on a flight from either LAX or SFO (red-eye) to IAD and there was a elderly woman from India that was moving at a pace of one row per 5 minutes. We were delayed for about 45 minutes and she boarded towards the end. Ultimately, they got a wheelchair that fits down the aisle and took her to her seat. I have no idea what they do if this person needs to use the Lav.
Leaving this to GA discretion as Fastair states is, IMHO, a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more infuriating to the frequent traveler than unevenly and inconsistently applied rules and policies.