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]
Jan 7, 2013, 7:11 pm
#31
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,613
What they need above all is a consistent process followed by all GAs.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:11 pm
#32
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 304
Wow. Gold is the new Silver.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:13 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Former 1KMM now free as UA Gold MM, former HH D, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 1,121
There are problems with the current process, but this solves none of them.
Things would be a whole lot better if gate agents would just enforce the current system and wait until all of one group has boarded until calling the next. Making the queue in the jet bridge longer doesn't actually make the plane leave sooner.
Things would be a whole lot better if gate agents would just enforce the current system and wait until all of one group has boarded until calling the next. Making the queue in the jet bridge longer doesn't actually make the plane leave sooner.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:14 pm
#34
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: STL/SFO
Programs: UAL 1P
Posts: 53
Huge downgrade. I see little point of trying for gold or silver for 2013 at this point. Why bother when I can get a CC and an E+ annual option for nearly all of the benefits? I'm certainly spending far more with United to get to Gold than I would be with this alternate route. I'm done with United.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Colorado
Programs: United MM (formerly 1K), Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 551
Hi Everyone,
We know the topic of boarding is one that you care about, and we wanted to provide you with an update on further changes we will be making to address the frustration that many customers – including many of you – have expressed.
Over the next several months, we’re going to be making several changes to address crowding and consistency and, frankly, to help you just understand where you should stand as you wait to board. Over time, we’ll also make physical changes to our gate areas, deploy better directional signage, and enact changes to the boarding process itself.
Bear with us as these changes roll out over a period of months. Here is a brief overview of what you will see:
Worth noting: If you are traveling on January 9 or 10, and checked in to your flight before we made the change, you can refresh your online boarding pass to see your new boarding group. You can also go to a kiosk to reprint your boarding pass.
We’ll have more information to share in the coming weeks and months. Thank you for your patience – and especially your feedback – as we work to make our boarding process better.
Shannon Kelly
Director, Customer Insights
United Airlines
We know the topic of boarding is one that you care about, and we wanted to provide you with an update on further changes we will be making to address the frustration that many customers – including many of you – have expressed.
Over the next several months, we’re going to be making several changes to address crowding and consistency and, frankly, to help you just understand where you should stand as you wait to board. Over time, we’ll also make physical changes to our gate areas, deploy better directional signage, and enact changes to the boarding process itself.
Bear with us as these changes roll out over a period of months. Here is a brief overview of what you will see:
- Simplified Boarding Groups (January 8-9, with full implementation January 10): Starting late tomorrow, we plan to reduce the number of boarding groups from 7 to 5 (plus pre-boarding). The new boarding group priority will be:
- Pre-Boarding: Customers with disabilities, then Global Services and uniformed military personnel
- Group 1: Global Services, Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, premium cabins
- Group 2: Premier Gold, Star Gold, Premier Silver, Star Silver, MileagePlus Presidential Plus and Club cardholders, MileagePlus Explorer and Awards cardholders
- Groups 3-5: General boarding
- Revised Gate Layout with Premium Bypass Lanes (March/April): We will add more boarding lanes – in many cases, one for each boarding group. At nearly every gate, our Premier Access boarding will be comprised of two separate lanes – enabling a dedicated line for groups 1 and 2 respectively. Some of you have already seen this concept, as we are testing this new layout at several gates (in many cases with temporary signage). Below are some of the gates where we are testing this layout:
- Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) – B8, C16 and C18 (adding two more at a later date)
- Cleveland (CLE) – C27 and C3
- Denver (DEN) – B23 and B32
- Houston (IAH) – C40 and E2
- Los Angeles (LAX) – 70B and 73
- New York/Newark (EWR) – C123 and C131
- San Francisco (SFO) – 73 and 80
- Washington-Dulles (IAD) – C19 and D7
Shannon Kelly
Director, Customer Insights
United Airlines
Shanon:
The scrum is caused by a couple of factors that this change doesn't address:
1) The bag fee situation is causing people to carry on more bags and thus people want to board earlier rather than later to ensure they can store the bags in overhead bins
2) The original UA boarding process had 1Ks and GS board in zone 1, thus 1Ks didn't need to stand "near" the carpet, they could stand "on" the carpet prior to boarding
3) 1Ks and GS could board at any time and go to the front of the line. Thus they could show up 5 minutes late and still be fairly close to the front of the boarding process. While I see the words bypass lanes in your announcement, giving that privilege to more than half the plane doesn't fix the problem.
4) Inaccurate boarding times on boarding passes. Boarding appears to begin between 5 to 10 minutes after the boarding time printed on the passes.
This is only going to make the scrum worse and further devalues the status of 1k and Gold.
I just booked another flight on American because of this change.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:20 pm
#36
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA-gld HH-gld Marriot-gld Hertz-Pres Circle
Posts: 48
Boarding Process Changes, Starting Jan. 8-9th, 2013
Glad I flew 60 segs last year on UA to make gold. Does anyone know if CC owners on AA board with their platinum members?
Jan 7, 2013, 7:21 pm
#37
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: 67,145
Credit card holders in Group 2? Honestly? 
This is going to make gate lice 1000x worse as all the Group 1 pax (easily 1/4 to 1/2 the plane at IAD, for example) crowd the gate, afraid they will not be in line before the GA calls for every freaking elite on the plane plus credit card holders.
Big suggestion: At gates with the old lane layout, can we at least NOT board Group 2 via the blue carpet? Otherwise, this is a devaluation to 1K, GS, and Plat as they have to fight through the mob of everyone on the plane.
It's also a big devaluation to Gold pax.
Sigh. Why the heck can't UA realize that PMUA had a good, working boarding process? This is, what, the fifth or sixth official boarding procedure tried by COdbaUA?
This is going to make gate lice 1000x worse as all the Group 1 pax (easily 1/4 to 1/2 the plane at IAD, for example) crowd the gate, afraid they will not be in line before the GA calls for every freaking elite on the plane plus credit card holders.
Big suggestion: At gates with the old lane layout, can we at least NOT board Group 2 via the blue carpet? Otherwise, this is a devaluation to 1K, GS, and Plat as they have to fight through the mob of everyone on the plane.
It's also a big devaluation to Gold pax.
Sigh. Why the heck can't UA realize that PMUA had a good, working boarding process? This is, what, the fifth or sixth official boarding procedure tried by COdbaUA?
Jan 7, 2013, 7:23 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,644
Boy am I glad I made Plat this year ... If I were still a Gold and had to fight in the same group with the Explorer card holders, I'd be furious.
Great upgrade for cardholders, big downgrade for Gold & Silver.
.. And I do relish that the 1K's have to deal with us Unclean Plats.
Great upgrade for cardholders, big downgrade for Gold & Silver.
.. And I do relish that the 1K's have to deal with us Unclean Plats.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:25 pm
#40
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,878
While I do like the change, to play devil's advocate....
Why/what prompted the change from PMUA's boarding process (which worked) in the first place and I know red is not a COdbaUA color but to be perfectly honest, a red carpet "means more in terms of status" and also stands out a whole lot more than the way a powder blue carpet does now.
Why/what prompted the change from PMUA's boarding process (which worked) in the first place and I know red is not a COdbaUA color
but to be perfectly honest, a red carpet "means more in terms of status" and also stands out a whole lot more than the way a powder blue carpet does now.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:26 pm
#41
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA-gld HH-gld Marriot-gld Hertz-Pres Circle
Posts: 48
Boarding Process Changes, Starting Jan. 8-9th, 2013
The problem is that UA promised credit card holders priority boarding... So unless they creat another group (like group 4 previously) they are not making good on their promise. Just have 6 groups and make CC holders group 3.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:28 pm
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,646
count me a pissed off premier gold member
if it was possible for UA to take a step back in the boarding process, it appears they have done it. even more classless is making this announcement the day before changing the process, and of course we will not hear another peep out of UA Insider about it until the next "enhancement" to our benefits.
if it was possible for UA to take a step back in the boarding process, it appears they have done it. even more classless is making this announcement the day before changing the process, and of course we will not hear another peep out of UA Insider about it until the next "enhancement" to our benefits.
Last edited by PV_Premier; Jan 7, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Jan 7, 2013, 7:28 pm
#43
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Colorado
Programs: United MM (formerly 1K), Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 551
While I do like the change, to play devil's advocate....
Why/what prompted the change from PMUA's boarding process (which worked) in the first place and I know red is not a COdbaUA color but to be perfectly honest, a red carpet "means more in terms of status" and also stands out a whole lot more than the way a powder blue carpet does now.
Why/what prompted the change from PMUA's boarding process (which worked) in the first place and I know red is not a COdbaUA color
but to be perfectly honest, a red carpet "means more in terms of status" and also stands out a whole lot more than the way a powder blue carpet does now.
Jan 7, 2013, 7:29 pm
#44
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Orygun
Posts: 462
I applaud efforts to clean up the CF that is the new UA. But credit card holders board with people who fly up to 74.9K per year? Totally insulting: "YOU'RE IN" by paying a $99 annual fee and then paying usurious interest rates to JPMC.
Last edited by B787938; Jan 7, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Jan 7, 2013, 7:33 pm
#45
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SEA/YVR/BLI
Programs: UA "Lifetime" Gold, AS MVPG100K, OW Emerald, HH Lifetime Diamond, IC Plat, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 9,490
Money talks. Loyalty walks.
What's in your wallet?