VoodooYYC

This is what Air Canada does. Board Zones 1 (Their equivalent to GS and 1K, and Business Class) & 2 (other Elite tiers, some CC holders), then families. Customers in wheelchairs are generally quietly boarded before Zone 1 starts. This seems to work very well, and they board an A320 or 767 in 25 minutes or so.

As a semi-regular UA flyer, generally in F on an UP-DI fare, I am not a fan of this change. Status and cabin should get you something. As to the seat poaching issue, with larger E+ cabins, and the ability to select a seat on all fares (AC doesn't allow free seat selection on lower Y fare classes), is this a huge issue? Oh wait, the lightbulb just came on.....don't tell me, people specifically don't select a seat at time of purchase, hoping for the free bump to E+ if the cabin is full. Then the kettles get all huffy when others won't trade so they can have 7A-C for themselves.

Am I close?

JetAway

I rarely see military using the early boarding, even out of heavily military cities such as SAN and SAT. I think it is more of a gesture than an event. But I think families with young children will become an event.

cova

I think Family preboard makes sense. They are generally in coach, so they can get settled in, in the back, when F boards.

Although UA gate agents and FA's on board should make an announcement that families and people preboarded (wheel chairs) should remain seated during deplaning, and wait until others have left the aircraft.

example: When FA's announce dissent, and once landed and taxing the gate, they should announce:

"All preboard passengers, those with small children and those that needed extra time to board, should remain seated until other passengers have deplaned. Those that have requested wheel chair assistance - the wheel chairs will remain in the terminal and then be brought down the jet way after other passengers have deplaned."

This also avoids wheel chairs blocking the jet way. This should be announced and enforced by the FA's during deplaning.

Maximilion

Personally I think this isnt making a huge difference, and for the few infants on each plane, it makes life easier for the families I assume.

However, it is amazing to see how negative people are. united is making an effort to do things right, they come here to the forums and give us information first hand, which in my opinion is a great way to stay in touch with us flyers.

Given how negative, frustrated, and hateful people are here, I can only think that even if United came on here giving everyone free stuff, most of us would be ending up complaining and making a rant that it still wasn't enough. Why not cut United some slack and simply sit back and let them do their job for once, it is obvious they are trying to improve, the airline and services. Not everyone can be pleased with every single decision they make.

RandomBaritone

You needn't speculate: just visit the thread dedicated to the tremendous and welcome improvements that were made to UC catering in 2015. You'd think some of the posters had never seen a salad bar before, the way they were angrily denouncing the fresh food offerings as rife with poisonous bacteria.

chris_ny

The last time I flew out of DCA, they boarded more than 30 military (not in uniform) prior to group 1 :-)

kale73

Add to that persons with gate-checked bags to be collected on the jet bridge (for UAX flights) and I'm with you.

IME the FAs don't usually announce it when they dispute a policy, they simply fail to enforce it.

jgsx

This is awful news.

Baze

For this to truly work as intended, families with SMALL children need to board first and then the GA waits at least 3 minutes after that family heads down the jetway before going to the next set of people to board. Or have the families board dead last. If they board first and there is no gap in the boarding it will just jam up as it usually does, only sooner in the process (not everyone in group 1 is in F). And if they board first the FA's need to enforce they take the sets on their boarding passes and not just scoop the seat they want if they are separated. Then once the person who is assigned the seat shows up it can get worked out. But at least all the kids and stuff will be stowed. And it needs to be separate from GS boarding. So it should be people with disabilities and small children board first and then wait before anyone else boards. But we all know this will never happen.

tryathlete

Absoxxxxinglutely.

porciuscato

I agree with most of the posters here: this is a SPECTACULARLY BAD IDEA.

It was only a few years ago that I was boarding with 3 tiny kids. So I can say from experience: the last thing you want is to have the kids on the plane for an extra hour.

If they pre-board, it's usually at least 90 minutes before they will be allowed to get up. That's bad for them and bad for everyone around them. Kids should board last, not first.

Becca1007

I appreciate the change, I have always been a loyal UA flyer (never elite) but the experience of flying with an infant on UA this year made me reconsider my preferences.

I know that some people will try to game the system, but many people are like me. My other half and I traveled with our 7 month old, we had a stroller, a carseat, two backpacks and a diaper bag. Everything we carried on was stashed under our seats. Because honestly, who wants to be getting up every 5 minutes to get something you need out of the overhead bin with a fussy baby. But the amount of times we were pushed and shoved in the general boarding procedure on the jetway while trying to maneuver a tiny human in a car seat and fold up a stroller was astounding.

I think if the rule is enforced to be under 2 years old or traveling with a carseat that would limit the amount of abuse and they are pretty obvious indicators. But installing a carseat on a plane takes time and as such the preboarding will be a welcome addition.

tryathlete

I remember making 1K for the first time about a decade ago. Finally I get to get out of the boarding area and into my seat sooner than later. Then El Jeffe and GS (supposedly an invisible elite group) comes out of the woodwork and puts 1K down a notch. Then uniformed Military personnel were moved in front of me. Now families with small children. What next, anxious passengers or those on prescribed medications? My thoughts--F, GS, 1K-- short break for small children families, then
1-2-3-4-5. I totally get the persons with disabilities going first. Let me on the damn plane, will you? I have to do this 50-100 times a year. I don't need more time in line.

Let's assume the pre boarding of this new group takes 3-5 minutes. Do the math. That's 4-8 more hours per year I waste standing in line versus being in the comfort of my paid seat. (Rant Over).

dank0014

Very poor on behalf of UA. UA Insider should post the actual results that indicated we asked for this.

Though the intentions are good, you just devalued the boarding process and made it more hectic as I guarantee enforcement of this procedure will be horrible, just like how the GAs can't even enforce the existing boarding groups.

Heck, as I have shown proof of pictures on here before, we tend to have 20-30 that board during disabled, but yet, can find a way to all of sudden be fixed by the time we land (quite a miracle that it happens on so many flights). Now with those boarding with "any children" as it will be interpreted will mean that your planes will be over half full in some locations (e.g. MCO) by the time you board your first class.

PTravel

Of course, in addition to the other problems cited, this also means more problems on-board as families without seats together poach other people's seats, squatting in them while saying, "But what am I supposed to do?" This is a very, very poor idea.