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.
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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}
May 25, 2019, 4:07 pm
#2536
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott Ti/LTP
Posts: 1,329
But only on E175s where my main carry on was a 33L backpack that would fit into the port side narrow bins in First Class. And I’m usually sitting in row 7 so somewhat close by.
Just trying to conserve bin usage. Those narrow bins are never full, even when the rest of the bins are. 😊
May 25, 2019, 10:03 pm
#2537
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 90
Agree that the way FAs operate is highly variable, from those that will not even touch a bag to those that will help put it in the bin or move them around to make more space. Last flight, a very nice FA had closed the first set of bins in F and when bulkhead passengers arrived he opened them specifically for them.
May 25, 2019, 10:08 pm
#2538
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,613
I don’t stand in line counting the pre-boards. All I know is that I’ve been among the first to sit in F and I’ve noticed non-crew bags in the overhead already, and then while sitting there I watch Y passengers drop off their bags on their way back to their seats.
May 26, 2019, 5:08 am
#2539
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 4,511
Same here. It's becoming a real problem and UA needs to designate those bins as "First Class Only."
May 26, 2019, 8:41 am
#2540
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,258
May 26, 2019, 10:47 am
#2541
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
The only earlier boarders (after the crew) would be those with disabilities / needing extra time and active military, so this does sound like something pretty odd was going on.
Was this ever on mainline vs a small UX where crewbags can be a major problem?
May 26, 2019, 10:56 am
#2542
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
Personally, I'm coming up on 4MM and I've never observed that behavior.
May 26, 2019, 12:07 pm
#2543
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,258
I suspect the same sense of entitlement that motivates an able-bodied person to board with the disabled might also spur them to stick their bags above seats that they have not paid for.
May 26, 2019, 12:31 pm
#2544
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,026
I must be the luckiest guy travelling. On the occasions I do decide to board with 1Ks, there have been zero instances of F bins being full, even with GS, families, "people needing extra time", military. Only on rare occasions (1 in 20 or more flights?) do I notice a F passenger who has to stow a bag farther back. Usually, just rearrangement of items provides space for even the last bag.
May 26, 2019, 12:42 pm
#2545
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
I've experienced it on both, though it has only been on mainline Airbus 319/320 (not a problem on 737s usually). Where I fly, the group of people "needing extra time to board" defines itself quite expansively. Plus, people with "small" children (also defined expansively) are frequently called before GS. So it is not unusual for me to see a dozen people board before the first GS. Most of these people have seats in the back. ....
I know the issue does happen, have seen late arriving F passenger have issues (but FA finds a solution - turning bags the right way is the most common
) and on the rare (10% or less?) occasion an OHB bin poacher but some are giving the impression they have this more frequently ( 1/3? , 1/2? of the times) -- which does not fit my experience -- odd disapparity in the frequency. Would be interested in understanding the frequency with which people are have problems.
May 26, 2019, 12:48 pm
#2546
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Pre-boarding for those needing extra time is a legal requirement and not likely to change soon, and is uniform across airlines.
Again, the idea that all these pre-boarding 1Ks in Y are shoving their bags in F and then walking back to an economy cabin that has wide open bins is I'm sure something that happens like 1 out of every 10,000 flights but not something that is really a widespread problem. The problem is (a) aircraft like A319 that don't have enough bin space in F for all the bags, (b) crew bags (discussed ad nauseum already), and (c) Y pax who board later (like Group 3/4) who see full bins in the back and open bins up front and don't want to risk seeing if there is something free near their seat in row 35 with the possibility of having to swim upstream to gate check.
May 26, 2019, 3:21 pm
#2547
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,613
I must be the luckiest guy travelling. On the occasions I do decide to board with 1Ks, there have been zero instances of F bins being full, even with GS, families, "people needing extra time", military. Only on rare occasions (1 in 20 or more flights?) do I notice a F passenger who has to stow a bag farther back. Usually, just rearrangement of items provides space for even the last bag.
Sure seems like it would be easier for FAs to either guard the bins or keep them closed during preboards than to have to do it at the end of boarding.
May 26, 2019, 3:34 pm
#2548
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
May 26, 2019, 4:06 pm
#2549
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
May 26, 2019, 5:14 pm
#2550
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,026