Originally Posted by goplaces

In Denver a few weeks ago, a GA used the terms "Priority A" and "Priority B", which makes me think they aren't all dumped together when it goes to airport control.

The situation: there was a 2:00 PM flight that was significantly delayed, and many passengers needed to be accomodated on the flight in question, around an 8:00 PM departure. There were also passengers with confirmed reservations on a 9:00 departure, who were standing by for the 8:00. The gate agent made an announcement that anyone with a confirmed reservation for 9:00 would not clear the waitlist, because the inconvenienced passengers would be Priority A and clear before the passengers who were just trying to go standby (they would be Priority B). So United must have some sort of parallel DM lists, or at least a way of giving inconvenienced passengers some priority.