Jan 19, 2017, 11:05 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Source: United Boarding Process
We encourage you to make yourself comfortable while you wait for your group to be called, and we’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to board. Late arriving customers in Groups 1 and 2 are welcome to continue boarding through the blue lane at any time.
* Customers who have purchased a Basic Economy ticket will be in the last boarding group, except for Premier members, Chase Cardmembers of qualifying cards and Star Alliance Gold members, who will still receive their priority boarding.
================================================== ==============================
Pre Sept 2018 process
Pre-Boarding
General boarding (Window Seats, then Middle Seats, then Aisle)
Customers who have purchased a Basic Economy ticket will be in the last boarding group, with the exception of Premier members, Chase Cardmembers of qualifying cards and Star Alliance Gold members, who will still receive their priority boarding.
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)
Previous thread: United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [Revised, May 2013]
New changes (effective 18 Sept 2018)
You will see some new boarding lane signs in the gate area that will guide you through the boarding process. There will now be two lanes that are color coded : to begin, Group 1 will board through the blue lane and Group 2 will board through the green lane. The remaining Groups 3-5 will then board through the green lane when called, and Groups 1 and 2 can continue to board through the blue lane .We encourage you to make yourself comfortable while you wait for your group to be called, and we’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to board. Late arriving customers in Groups 1 and 2 are welcome to continue boarding through the blue lane at any time.
Boarding groups
Pre-boarding
- Unaccompanied minors
- Customers with disabilities
- Active members of the military
- United Global Services® members
- Families traveling with children age 2 and younger
- Premier® 1K® members
Group 1
- Premier Platinum members
- Premier Gold members
- Star Alliance™ Gold members
- Customers seated in premium cabins: United Polaris®, United First® and United Business®
Group 2
- Premier Silver members
- Star Alliance Silver members
- Customers who have purchased Premier Access® or Priority Boarding
- United℠ Explorer, Club, Presidential Plus℠ and Awards Cardmembers
Groups 3 – 5
- Economy Plus®
- United Economy®
- Basic Economy*
* Customers who have purchased a Basic Economy ticket will be in the last boarding group, except for Premier members, Chase Cardmembers of qualifying cards and Star Alliance Gold members, who will still receive their priority boarding.
Pre Sept 2018 process
Pre-Boarding
- Unaccompanied minors
- Customers with disabilities
- Uniformed members of the U.S. military
- Families traveling with children age two and younger
- United Global Services® members
- Group 1: Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, Business/Polaris Business, and First/Polaris First.
- Group 2: Premier Gold, Star Gold, Premier Silver, Star Silver, MileagePlus Presidential Plus, Club, Explorer and Awards, purchased Premier Access
General boarding (Window Seats, then Middle Seats, then Aisle)
- Group 3 - Window Seats
- Group 4 - Middle & Aisle Seats (Aisle Seats on UA Express)
- Group 5 - Basic Economy
Customers who have purchased a Basic Economy ticket will be in the last boarding group, with the exception of Premier members, Chase Cardmembers of qualifying cards and Star Alliance Gold members, who will still receive their priority boarding.
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)
Previous thread: United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [Revised, May 2013]
United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [2016-forward]{Archive}
Jan 28, 2019, 7:25 pm
#2431
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,026
I agree - pre-boarding was a “free” way for UA to give a bennie to 1Ks who have seen upgrade percentages go way down. GS are still insulated via PN bucket.
Jan 30, 2019, 10:30 am
#2432
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: EWR, PHL
Programs: UA1k 3MM, AA Plt, peasant on everybody else, elite something or other at a bunch of hotels.
Posts: 4,637
Recent flights had "pre-boarding" for 1K's out of SNA, DEN &SFO. Not so at PHL, where the board clearly showed 1K's at the end of pre-boarding but the gate agent just called for Group 1 after GS and family's with small children were called. Annoying for first class on an A319 because the bins up front were full.
Jan 30, 2019, 11:02 am
#2433
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,470
Recent flights had "pre-boarding" for 1K's out of SNA, DEN &SFO. Not so at PHL, where the board clearly showed 1K's at the end of pre-boarding but the gate agent just called for Group 1 after GS and family's with small children were called. Annoying for first class on an A319 because the bins up front were full.
Jan 31, 2019, 9:33 am
#2434
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tel Aviv
Programs: United 1K, 1.9MM
Posts: 60
Every time I fly out of TLV they have a different boarding procedure. When I flew out on flight 91 on 1/29/19, 1K's were told to stand on line 1. They actually had all of the old numbered boarding zones posted. This 4 months after the new boarding process was put in place!.
Jan 31, 2019, 9:55 am
#2435
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
During my flights the past couple of weeks I sort of loitered around the podium well aware of the fact that people lined up in he BG 1 and 2 lanes were eyeing me and questioning why I wasn't in one of the lines. Then when the preboarding started and 1K was called I calmly approached the scanner while I noticed that the 1Ks who dutifully had lined up in BG1 desperately tried to advance to the front past the other not 1Ks, all the while looking at me with evil eyes and cursing the fact that I somehow "gamed" the system. Then I sat down in 1B and had to endure the hateful looks in their face while they obviously tried to send a curse upon me working their way to their respective seats. Boarding wasn't the most comfortable of times.
Jan 31, 2019, 10:04 am
#2436
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
During my flights the past couple of weeks I sort of loitered around the podium well aware of the fact that people lined up in he BG 1 and 2 lanes were eyeing me and questioning why I wasn't in one of the lines. Then when the preboarding started and 1K was called I calmly approached the scanner while I noticed that the 1Ks who dutifully had lined up in BG1 desperately tried to advance to the front past the other not 1Ks, all the while looking at me with evil eyes and cursing the fact that I somehow "gamed" the system. Then I sat down in 1B and had to endure the hateful looks in their face while they obviously tried to send a curse upon me working their way to their respective seats. Boarding wasn't the most comfortable of times.
Jan 31, 2019, 10:17 am
#2437
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,222
Not only that, UA sometimes sends an additional email with a reminder - my SO just got their reminder email a couple days ago in preparation for today's flight. If someone doesn't read these announcements, I don't have much sympathy. It's not like it just happened yesterday.
Jan 31, 2019, 10:17 am
#2438
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
Agree. I was surprised myself that there were seemingly few people who were aware of the ( now not any longer so ) new system. And I experienced that in so many airports on virtually all my flights, including LAX and ORD where I would have expected greater awareness.of the boarding procedure.
Jan 31, 2019, 10:25 am
#2439
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,360
Jan 31, 2019, 10:28 am
#2440
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,347
Does it say BG1 on GS boarding passes?
Jan 31, 2019, 10:48 am
#2441
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BOS<>NYC<>BKK
Programs: UA 4.3MM LT-GS; AA1MM; Amtrak SE; MAR LT TITAN; PC Plat; HIL DIA; HYA GLOB
Posts: 4,392
Jan 31, 2019, 6:48 pm
#2442
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 10,346
More and more people boarding from Group 1 when 1Ks are called. I can see their BPs and they aren't 1K. And the gate agents aren't stopping them. It's making for a more cluttered boarding process. IAH seems to be the worst for this right now. ORD isn't much better.
-RM
-RM
Jan 31, 2019, 7:49 pm
#2443
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: IAD
Posts: 3
This.
First time poster, long time lurker!
ORD terminal 1 - at both ends of C and D are the worst. Nowhere near enough room for current process.
Last edited by 1kEA; Jan 31, 2019 at 8:56 pm Reason: Forgot terminal #
Jan 31, 2019, 9:12 pm
#2444
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,423
Boarding at SFO today was pretty orderly, but I think the lack of 1Ks helped. About 10 of us boarded, appearing out of the woodwork to skirt around the lines and get on the flight -- similar to what I have observed GS do in years past. It's a mild benefit to not worry about overhead bin space, but I'm still skeptical it's worth all the furor it has caused.
Feb 1, 2019, 8:39 am
#2445
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 957
I am on a lot of E-170s, and it infuriates me when the new process is not followed. Being 1K or GS with this equipment is a major advantage, since half of F doesn't get their bags into the overheads. Interestingly, EWR has missed this several times over the past few weeks out of C terminal (A is sometimes understandable as it's a complete cluster). A GA last week told me that it "slowed down boarding" on the smaller plane, and they were just boarding groups together. No..... I mean, I wouldn't otherwise care if I knew I had dedicated overhead storage. But while I like the 170 and 175, you need to be aggressive in boarding in order to not have to fight upstream upon landing.