Originally Posted by
WineCountryUA
Another preboarding group is the wrong way to go.
Preboarding for 1Ks should be eliminated and 1Ks could become the true BG1, with other boarding groups starting at BG2 (Gold, Plat, First/Business, ...)
The present arrangement is silly.
It would make no effective difference in 1K access to seats or OHB space but it would clean up the mess in the boarding area.
Then adding 1 & 2MMers to the new BG1/1Ks is a possibility.
Originally Posted by
WineCountryUA
By making 1Ks a BG1, they have a clear place to line up. Now it is varying degrees of chaos depending on the gate.
Whay is the downside of 1K BG1? other than a small ego deflation.
(bolding mine)
This might be looking at it from the wrong perspective though:
While you're not wrong in your assessment regarding this not making a difference to 1Ks and likely improve the overall process, IT WILL NEVER happen in my opinion because United knows full well that it can't drop everyone from the current Boarding Group #1 to Boarding Group #2.
Someone paying $20,000 for a ticket in Polaris won't be happy to see BG2 on their boarding pass. This is more psychological than anything else, but if United would implement this 'system' they'd be pissing off a whole bunch of people with this one simple change. I just can't see that happening, ever.
This is probably the reason why they went with the current system in the first place: United wants as many passengers to be a perceived winner and have "pre-boarding" privileges or be in "Group 1" in recognition of their awesomeness.
Telling all Premier Platinum members, Premier Gold members, Star Alliance Gold members, United Polaris passengers, United First passengers and United Business passengers that they are
lowly number twos would not go down too well, I could imagine.