bhatnasx

Hey Randy,

In this month's Wiseflyer section in InsideFlyer, there was a letter from a UA PremEx who was complaining about the lack true elite boarding like other carriers as UA doesn't allow PremEx's to board at the same time as 1Ks, UGS, First & Biz class passengers. In the article, there were some quotes from UA that showed that UA's rules allow PremEx's to board at the same time as UA F & Biz class passengers.

Today, while boarding my IAD-LAX flight, I figured I'd give it a shot (I'm a PremEx) and was turned down saying that the the priority boarding is that PremEx's board in zone 1 and that 1k, UGS, F, and Biz class passengers get a courtesy pre-board prior to boarding (hope that makes sense!)

I checked UA's website & found only the following:

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1165,00.html - which says PremEx's get priority boarding (doesn't say what the priority is)

and

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1167,00.html - which doesn't even show that PremEx's get priority boarding.

Just curious where they got the info about the ability to board with First & Biz class passengers...I'm in my second year of PremEx status with UA & have never once been allowed to board at the same time as F & Biz passengers & would love to show the occassionally snooty UA agents the documentation - if it currently exists. From waht I can tell, it doesn't.

Thanks!

GUWonder

http://www.staralliance.com/en/trave...er_status.html

But could this be another case, like with lounge access, where other airlines' Star Golds may have more benefits than the operating carrier's own Star Golds?

bhatnasx

I think the key factor is the "Where available" - and it just isn't available if you're boarding a multi-cabin UA operated flight.

Kiwi Flyer

In practice you are right, but I don't think that is what is intended. The out clause, I think, covers situations where there is only a general boarding call (eg some 1-class flights spring to mind). It makes no sense to force an elite priority boarding in a little prop flight. Where there is some form of priority boarding, then IMHO UA should be giving equal priority to *G pax to first and business pax. Note this does not stop the airline providing higher priority to another status (eg UGS boarding before first/biz/*G).

Kiwi Flyer

Should not be the case. The different lounge access rules for UA & US are specifically mentioned. No such exception is included in the rules for priority boarding.

GUWonder

Your take is my take too. If it's available for biz and first class customers, then priority boarding is available there and therefore meets the criteria of "where available".

holtju2

When I was driving the 91 freeway out of LA area today (yes the traffic was that bad) I was reading the magazine and came accross another incorrect advise IMHO from the Wiseflyer.

Wiseflyer suggested that someone should try to get a lounge pass from someone if they have to spend 5 hours at MUC. The strange this was that the person in question was arriving in either UA/LH F and continuing in LH C so the lounge access was guaranteed anyway.

wanaflyforless

The UA carpet boarding is a relatively new initiative. UA always had priority boarding for elites and still does today.

In the last couple years UA added a pre-priority boarding with a separate lane. Star gold is not supposed to be eligible (and I have been turned away when using my BD gold rather than 1K number in the reservation).

United.com hasn't been updated.

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As for the general accuracy of IF, I generally find 1-2 factual errors/omissions/misleading advice per issue. For a while I underlined them and kept a stack of issues thinking I was going to write Randy but didn't get around to it (and decided Randy probably has better things to do).

GUWonder

Call it "priority boarding" or call it "pre-priority boarding", it is advertised that Star Gold pax are to be able to board at the Star Gold pax's convenience along with first and business class customers. When first class and/or business class passengers are being boarded along with 1ks and UGS but not along with Star Golds at the same time, then UA is failing to live up to the marketing material.

Randy Petersen

That's easy. The answer specifically says " Here's the actual benefit list from the Star Alliance rules..." referring to the rules for all the participants of the Star Alliance. Those rules were copied word for word from the Star Alliance Web site as the person's question was directed at the Star Alliance Gold level. That link is here:
http://www.staralliance.com/en/trave...er_status.html

I see you were looking at United's Web site rather than Star Alliance. What I've done as a follow-up with that reader was to inquire to both Star and to United as to why there may be a discrepancy between the two rules given that as this reader and my self know, most if not all other Star Alliance airlines are the same.

We select these types of questions because they do lead to asking questions of the airlines and I do hope that there might be upcoming clarification of the two groups - which of course will benefit you, me that reader and thousands of others. So look at the link and you'll see that the information is as accurate as the Star Alliance Web site.

Hope that answers the question as to where the information came from. And thank you for your question as well.

Randy Petersen

Actually, if you re-read the answer, you'll see that the advice about the lounge access might have been related to changing airlines since his original schedule on awards was no longer available. The advice was to check luggage only to Munich as it gave him/her options to catch bmi or Austrian as well as the possibility of connecting to Florence. Since the person was not an elite member nor lounge member, the advice to seek around for a pass seemed reasonable since there was no clear situation that he/she was going to be able to continue on LH, might have to change terminals, change ticketing to coach for award availability, etc. Counting on only the first class lounge on arrival (air side) seemed to limit his/her options and our goal is to prepare them for all the things that they could face in the award dance. I often scrounge around myself for any spare lounge passes before international trips - well, lounges outside my current privileges just in case i find myself elsewhere. I've found myself in Emirates lounges, Virgin Atlantic lounges, all while flying American! Hope that makes sense to you but we certainly did not overlook the fact that they were to arrive on first class awards, it's just the original onward looked to be changed to who knows what because as the reader said: "there were no award seats available."

bhatnasx

Thanks for the answer - and as it was my first issue of InsideFlyer (signed up through the Freddies link), I hope they reply & it gets published.

Thanks!

Efrem

I ran into this (with a bmi gold/*A gold card) at ORD last Friday. Since it wasn't a huge deal, and as a Y passenger I wouldn't lose overhead bin space to F pax boarding ahead of me if I waited for Group 1, I gave in - but it is a concern.

stevenhbrown

Randy - I am also a Premier Exec and have been for most of the last 20 years and recently became a Premier Exec "for life " as a UA MM - needless to say I wonder about the "2nd priority" boarding status every time i board as a coach passenger - I assumed when I reached the MM elite status I would have same boarding privileges as 1K , Global Service, etc - wrong !! - any thoughts on how to bring this to UA"s attention ?? - steve

KathyWdrf

It seems there are two different (but related) discussions going on here. One is on the accuracy of what is published in Inside Flyer (Randy's business), and the other is on UA's boarding priority rules (UA's business). Why not just look at the UA forum here on FT (check the FAQ sticky and search the forum) for threads on the subject of boarding priority? It's one of those things that has been discussed heavily there.