May 21, 2013, 10:43 am
Last edit by: aacharya
Source: https://hub.united.com/en-us/News/Co...g-process.aspx
Pre-Boarding
Premier Access Boarding
*A Star Alliance Silver who is not a Premier Silver is not eligible for Premier Access boarding.
General boarding (Window Seats, then Middle Seats, then Aisle)
Note: If you’re traveling with a companion and one of you has a higher boarding status, you both may board with the earlier group.
Note: Self Boarding Gates are being tested at the following gates...
sUA Boarding Times by Aircraft (AFA)
Pre-Boarding
- Customers with Disabilities
- Global Services
- Uniformed Military Personnel
- Families with Children Age Two and Under
Premier Access Boarding
- Group 1: Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, BusinessFirst, and First.
- Group 2: Premier Gold, Star Gold, Premier Silver*, MileagePlus Presidential Plus, Club, Explorer and Awards, purchased Premier Access
*A Star Alliance Silver who is not a Premier Silver is not eligible for Premier Access boarding.
General boarding (Window Seats, then Middle Seats, then Aisle)
- Group 3 - Window Seats
- Group 4 - Middle Seats (Aisle Seats on UA Express)
- Group 5 - Aisle Seats
Note: If you’re traveling with a companion and one of you has a higher boarding status, you both may board with the earlier group.
Note: Self Boarding Gates are being tested at the following gates...
- IAH - Gate C25/C26 - See Post 2960, Includes YouTube video from CO777DAL
- IAH - Gate E4 - Old test from pmCO days, See Thread Here
- BOS - Self boarding gates are now back in *LIMITED* use at least at gates B25 and B26
sUA Boarding Times by Aircraft (AFA)
United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [Revised, May 2013]
Jun 3, 2013, 6:57 pm
#2866
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,166
Personally I think it makes more sense to board back-front than window-aisle (which also separates families and other companions sitting with each other), but I also quite like Southwest's approach of having each person get a specific number and just line up totally based on number, though I don't like Southwest's complete lack of seat assignments. Maybe United could combine back-front and window-aisle and do it that way. If you miss your number, you have to wait until the very end to board.
PMUA also didn't separate companions or family members in groups; though they may have had different #s on their BPs--and I'm not sure they did if they were on the same PNR--PMUA nonetheless invited pax traveling together to board with the lowest # (e.g. a group with a pax in a window and in the middle would board with the window pax).
Jun 4, 2013, 2:28 pm
#2867
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5,814
There's an interesting tid-bit from the June edition of Hemispheres --
Anyone experience this (besides the old PMCO ones at IAH)? Have pics?
The rest of the text (unrelated) is interesting as well:
We've listened to what our customers want, and we are installing technology at our airports to speed you through. For example, at our hub in Houston, customers can quickly and easily tag their own bags for check-in instead of having to wait in line for an agent to do it, and we have introduced rapid self-boarding at some of our gates, allowing you to stand in line less and board our aircraft more quickly.
The rest of the text (unrelated) is interesting as well:
We also recently opened a new customer service center located in the C concourse of Terminal 1 at our Chicago O’Hare hub. At this new center, customers can use self-service kiosks to control their travel, from flight rebooking to seat upgrades. If a customer wants to see an agent and there is a wait, we have introduced “intelligent queuing,” which provides an estimate of how long the wait will be, with real-time text or e-mail updates when an agent is ready to serve the customer. That way, our customers can relax, grab a bite to eat or shop while they wait. We are working on further rollout of these time-saving and hassle-reducing features at additional airports later this year and into next year.
Jun 5, 2013, 5:33 am
#2868
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 209
WILMA has been shown to be faster than pure back-to-front in studies, though, and IIRC, PMUA used a modified WILMA which is a bit faster (not quite the inverted pyramid which beats pure WILMA, but similar).
PMUA also didn't separate companions or family members in groups; though they may have had different #s on their BPs--and I'm not sure they did if they were on the same PNR--PMUA nonetheless invited pax traveling together to board with the lowest # (e.g. a group with a pax in a window and in the middle would board with the window pax).
PMUA also didn't separate companions or family members in groups; though they may have had different #s on their BPs--and I'm not sure they did if they were on the same PNR--PMUA nonetheless invited pax traveling together to board with the lowest # (e.g. a group with a pax in a window and in the middle would board with the window pax).
In contrast, my United Express EWR-SYR flight on a Q200 did use all 5 groups despite only having a whopping 37 seats. It went smoothly, but I don't see how boarding so few passengers could have not gone smoothly.
Jun 5, 2013, 5:56 am
#2869
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Floating somewhere in the midwest
Programs: UA 1K, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 42
On 6/3, my flight from IAD-ORD had smooth boarding, although the process was untraditional. It was only a dual lane gate and had the potential of being a disaster with our full flight. However, a captain waiting for his incoming aircraft at the adjacent gate assisted the GA. He escorted the only GS to the door, lined folks up, walked up the lane to announce the current boarding group to those in line, and sent group jumpers to the back. It was quick (I was one of last in group 2 and got on in 3 minutes), painless, and actually quite fun as the captain had a good sense of humor. Too bad it's not the norm.
Last edited by leler85; Jun 5, 2013 at 6:27 am
Jun 5, 2013, 6:20 am
#2870
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA Plat 1MM, Hyatt Plat, SPG Gold/SVN 3 Star Elite, ICG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 242
Originally Posted by SFO 1K:20860250
Today I flew MCO-DEN. They had the older two arrow system - Premier Access to the left and general boarding to the right. They also took the ropes and made a diagonal from the general line over to the Premier line to close it off in front. They then also closed off the Premier line in the back, so it was closed on both ends. My partner and I walked up exactly 5 minutes before boarding, and stood at the front of what was the PA line, in front of the rope. The gate agent came over and asked us what we were doing there. We said we were waiting to board. Are you disabled or military or Global Services? No, we said. She told us we had to leave. I asked her where she would like Group 1 to line up, she said "no where, I'll call you when I am ready for you". We went to the back of the rope for the Premier Access area, and waited quietly. She then opened the rope, called for disabled (no one). Called for military (no one). Called for GS (no one). Then she opened the front diagonal rope and called for Group 1. Made these two 1K / First Class pax feel real great about UA today, I can tell you that.
All I ask is that they board 1k and 1st class separately after GS, military and disabled.
Jun 5, 2013, 11:30 am
#2873
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,634
But separating 1K's from Plats is really not that valuable. I really don't think there is a glut of 1K's out there thinking "man, I can't believe I'm boarding with these (few and far between) people who only fly 75,000 miles a year."
Jun 5, 2013, 11:52 am
#2874
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Hyatt GLOB, Marriott Lifetime PLT, UA 1K 1MM.
Posts: 1,728
Jun 5, 2013, 12:11 pm
#2875
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
If you're advocating for named elite boarding groups, I'm all for that, as I've mentioned frequently.
But separating 1K's from Plats is really not that valuable. I really don't think there is a glut of 1K's out there thinking "man, I can't believe I'm boarding with these (few and far between) people who only fly 75,000 miles a year."
But separating 1K's from Plats is really not that valuable. I really don't think there is a glut of 1K's out there thinking "man, I can't believe I'm boarding with these (few and far between) people who only fly 75,000 miles a year."
If you really want the most efficient boarding process possible, you'd eliminate elite boarding, by-pass lanes, carpets, etc. and have a free-for-all.
Jun 5, 2013, 12:55 pm
#2876
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
Jun 5, 2013, 1:10 pm
#2877
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,650
What the boarding group is called is irrelevant - you could name the boarding groups after animals (i.e. 1 = Hippopotamus) and get the same results.
If you really want the most efficient boarding process possible, you'd eliminate elite boarding, by-pass lanes, carpets, etc. and have a free-for-all.
If you really want the most efficient boarding process possible, you'd eliminate elite boarding, by-pass lanes, carpets, etc. and have a free-for-all.
it is harder to justify in ones conscience to cheat the system when boarding groups are named, "hippopotamus" or otherwise. 2 is kind of close to 3, 3 is kind of close to 4, etc. "hippopotamus" and "zebra" are not at all close together. by extension, most folks in groups 3-5 know that they are not 1K, Global Services, Premier Plat, etc as much as they know they are neither a hippo or a zebra. plats know they are not golds, golds know they are not 1Ks, etc.
that being said some of the worst boarding behavior takes place in groups 1 and 2, i will agree. in those cases it comes down to penalizing people for boarding early, not having appropriately sized carryons, or licing the boarding lanes. that is up to the GAs and until they have a directive to enforce such penalties and consequences against themselves for not doing so, they'll keep being lax about it.
finally, i fail to see how a free-for-all would amount to the most efficient boarding system. WN clearly has it and their process is far from a free-for-all.
Jun 5, 2013, 1:12 pm
#2878
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
What the boarding group is called is irrelevant - you could name the boarding groups after animals (i.e. 1 = Hippopotamus) and get the same results.
If you really want the most efficient boarding process possible, you'd eliminate elite boarding, by-pass lanes, carpets, etc. and have a free-for-all.
If you really want the most efficient boarding process possible, you'd eliminate elite boarding, by-pass lanes, carpets, etc. and have a free-for-all.
Jun 5, 2013, 1:18 pm
#2879
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,166
The thing the studies fail to take into account, though, are that dissing your elites with a fully random boarding, pure back-to-front, etc., will have impacts well beyond boarding efficiency. I'll admit I have avoided US Shuttle flights and their back-to-front boarding eschewing elite groups (I don't even know if that's still the case), and if UA ditched elite priority, it would probably be the last straw for me.
Jun 5, 2013, 2:39 pm
#2880
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 209
Why are most planes only boarded through the front? I've been on a few flights that have had both the front and rear doors open and they always boarded much faster. If the argument is that the jetway is for accessibility reasons, maybe they could offer the jetway for people who can't walk up steps or don't want to brave the elements, but offer rear boarding for people who wouldn't mind stepping outside and are sitting towards the rear of the airplane.