greg99

I don't think it's a PC issue. I think it's a cost issue.

An ideal (I think) solution would be for UA to roll-out the DL Early Valet concept and preload the carry-on bags for anyone entitled to pre-board above their seats, whether GS, disabled or families. It would also give a great way to manage whether a family has too many bags.

You don't preload the carry-on bag (not the personal item), you don't get to preboard.

I'd be stunned if they undertook the costs, though.

Greg

JBord

This is the start of a creative solution to the family boarding "problem" I could agree with. Allow families with small children to pay a nominal fee (maybe $10-20) and have a valet board their bags and strollers 10 minutes before boarding begins. This would eliminate the perceived need to board first, they could board with their assigned group. And boarding wouldn't be slowed down.

I know some here are worried about bin space, but I don't buy that. I think the problems are slower boarding/delays, as well as occasional seat poaching. This would solve both, and make it easier on the family which is what advocates of the change want.

greg99

I don't think UA can charge for it, though, as a practical matter.

Too many families will say "nah" to paying for the privilege and then you don't address the issue (whether the issue is real or imagined per the various exchanges here).

Plus, UA then looks like moneygrubbers for charging for child privileges that nobody else charges for.

I hope that UA thinks about this sort of solution, though. I'd be willing to pay for it for my family with older kids, even though I'm 1K.

halls120

Having sat in F and watched families - and others - use the F bins on their way to their seats in the back, I respectfully disagree.

Visconti

Likewise, I've seen this happen before too.

Here's what I don't get. Why do the UA FAs allow this? I mean, surely, a checked in F pax, unless he/she gets a heart attack en route from the lounge, is likely to show up with a bag. I completely understand the prudence of allocating space if the F bins are under utilized, but shouldn't they at least wait until a confirmed F pax is a no show?

I can only surmise that UA FAs either (1) don't care, (2) too PC and wish to be non-confrontational, (3) majority of UA FAs believe F bins should be allocated on a first come first served basis, or (4) UA has adopted a free-for-all bin space policy.

PushingTin

Duh, just lease a baby and swap one in for a new one every 24 months. Maybe bundle it with your car.

I can handle families, if they could get to the gate. If they let people on early with companion animals, that's when I loose it.

iluv2fly

In their defense, they may be very busy hanging coats, serving PDBs, checking the catering, etc. So it's easy for a Y pax to put something in the F bins without them noticing it. I am usually (>95%) the first one on the plane so I do see this.

bldr1k

I bet half the flights I'm on the FA tells a coach passenger they can't put their bag in the first class bin. As another poster said, the FAs have a lot to do and frequently miss people doing it. It is also amazing how often someone shows up late in first (often because of a close connection) and has nowhere on the airplane to put their bag.

SportsTech

MCO and a couple other airports aside, this is what I usually see:

- disabilities: 2-4 people (frequently one or none)
- active military in uniform: none
- GS: 2 or 3 (frequently one or none)
- Group 1: 20-40

I'm in favor of this reversion to the mean (and I don't have an infant). Enforce the rule: infants only, no 3+ year olds. If they can walk and talk, they board with their seating group. There will rarely be more than 2 families with an infant, and anyone who has traveled with an infant knows how hard it is; give these folks a break.

IMO United's boarding problem is that Group 1 is simply too big, and this change won't solve that problem but it won't make it worse, either. Board GS and First Class at the same time, take FC out of Group 1...that will shrink "Group 1" down to frequent flyers stuck in the back without devaluing it for anyone up front.

Goaliedad30

SFO, we see:

Families ... 1 or none
Disabilities ... 1 or 2
Military ... none
GS ... 40
G1 & G2 ... 200

:-)

greg99

I put too many miles on my kids - if I leased, the excess mileage fees would kill me.

weero

Isn't that broadly accepted standard by now???
You could bring some vigilante justice about while you still can board early!

Chez LH, the family lines are always quite long and the tiny children range from toddler to 2 meter Northerners. And of course anyone with a bandaid.

fgirard

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 9_2_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/601.1.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/9.0 Mobile/13D15 Safari/601.1)

This reminds me of 2 years ago when we were flying JJ on MIA-MAO and the family boarding lane at MIA was massive...anyone with a child that was 18 and under was allowed to board early, even before C passengers. It seemed that line was longer than the C passengers and elite flyers combined.

However, on that flight my fears about not having bin space were unfounded since we were the only 2 passengers in the C cabin.

og

Yesterday SFO-ORD, a dog in arms got priority boarding over disabled or kids. Couldn't believe it.

JBord

I didn't mean it never happens today. I don't believe though, if allowed to get on the plane first, it would happen. I think it mainly happens today because people look back to their seats and assume it will be full so they put bags in the first spot they find. Most parents I know want their bags near them because they have stuff for the kids in them.

And, especially in the context of the solution I described, where a valet pre-loaded the bags, it shouldn't be a problem. Take another look at my last post, in that context, and see if it doesn't solve the problems we've described with the new policy as well as giving families the special class status they believe they deserve.