bockerknicker

From now on, the gate lice will be made up of a lot of Gold. If I am gold, I would certainly stand in front of the boarding lane to make sure I get on the plane at the same time I use to. Frankly I don't blame them. United's new policy is a clear message to the gold. You're loyality is the same to us as a credit card holder. If you want to board before the credit card group stand by the gate and be a lice!

AirMiles2001

Why isn't pre boarding group 1? I never understood why it didn't just start with group 1.

AirMiles2001

I was flying out of OMA last night and they called Groups 1-4 at the same time! Yes it was an RJ but I find it almost disrespectful. It encourages licing as I now there is going to be a mad rush.

njcommodore

Did you (or the other golds whining about boarding and having to gate check bags) read any of the other 60 pages of this thread? You will still be able to put your bags in the overhead, likely near your seat. UA Insider reported that the number of credit card holders with no elite status is marginal.

bockerknicker

I'm not a gold but I can connect the dots. United has been devaluing all elite benefits one small bit at a time. People who don't see this are in denial. It is just a matter of time before United lumps all elites in a same boarding group. Preboard: GS, Miltary, Group 1 ALL ELITES, Group 2, CC, Group 3-5, Everyone else.

GUWonder

Systemwide numbers would make it marginal, but on some flights they are marginal of the sort where Golds and Silvers will end up with having more overhead bin space problems than before. When the nearest available overhead bin with space is several rows or more back, more problems.

By the way, UA credit card holders are thought to be more likely buyers of E+ than non-UA credit card holders. No surprise the UA wants more of its customers to have a UA credit card and wants increased awareness of the credit card benefits.

milesmilesmiles

At least at the hubs, can't ropes be installed for two boarding lanes? To enter the lanes, your BP would be scanned for proper boarding group number and monitored by gate agent.

Chevelter

It may not be practical for United to know ahead of time which persons will want or need early boarding at the gate (other than GS), or which military person will be flying in uniform that day. I suppose the check-in agent could reprint such folks boarding passes to say group 1, but that may be a bothersome step they would rather do without.

Plus, there is the pleasure of status when you see that your boarding pass says group 1. i.e., 1K would notice if their bp said group 2.

I'm just guessing here.

halls120

Yes and no. Yes, there are probably few CC holders, but when we are bombarded with DBarrett's smarmy face wherever we look, all it takes is a couple of DYKWIA CC passengers demanding to be in Group 1 to make the problem appear worse than it is.

When you add to it the recently departed Mark Bergslund's "all elites are equal" attitude that still permeates the combined airline, United has a huge perception problem to deal with. When there are sCO employees still hostile to the way sUA treats elite customers, it is no surprise that people look at minor changes like this one seem to be a bigger than it deserves to be.

What United needs to do is develop a consistent message and then stick to it. It they are going to value elites, then do so in a way that makes financial sense and communicate this to those customers.

That will only work if they develop and consistently apply processes that consistently reward passengers for their loyalty.

What they need is to have some of those very experienced and savvy GA's from SFO who are legendary at enforcing boarding order go on a road trip to show fellow employees how it is done.

cyclogenesis

Both AUS-IAH and IAH-ORD last night boarding as normal. GS-1-2..

Given the lack of gatelicing I would be surprised to see Silvers and CC in 2..

Must have been some crazy delays last night as IAH-ORD went from overbooked to 2/3 full!

UA-NYC

Given the extensive, all-encompassing ad campaign, I bet Chase would be surprised to hear that.

flyingnosh

What is see happening more and more is that passengers present their boarding pass facedown towards the scanner. After the boarding pass is scanned, the GA turns it over and then sees that the passenger is in the wrong boarding group. By that time it's too late. The boarding pass has already been scanned.

njcommodore

You really think enough people are doing that to statistically make a difference in boarding times?

CaptKornDog

A system is only as good as it's enforced. I truly think this is half the problem right here. People here want a consistent experience and expectation. What is frustrating to watch is a great agent enforce the boarding policy and is pleasant/welcoming about it followed by an agent who either doesn't care or doesn't want to write a SHARES justification about why their flight departed 3 minutes late and boards all groups within 30 seconds of each other.

flyingnosh

I believe this is what UA is trying to figure out. Let's say you're building a business based on a profit goal of 10%. (I'm making something up.) It's not good business to consistently sell your product year after year after year to someone who only delivers 5% profit. Instead, you need to use your available budget to find ways to achieve 10% profit. I have no doubt that there are many elites who are very loyal but don't deliver the profit the company is seeking. With planes at nearly 100% capacity, it doesn't make financial sense to spend money on those elites. But yet there surely are also many elites who do deliver the desired profit. Finding the right balance is tricky business.

I'm simply making the point that presenting your boarding pass upside down makes it harder for the GA to enforce the rules. I like the old process. I like the new process. I simply believe that it's mostly in the hands of the GA to deliver a pleasant boarding experience.