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}
Feb 9, 2017, 1:41 am
#541
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
And there was always a long pause between military and GS. Never understood.
Feb 9, 2017, 4:12 am
#542
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
jk jk
Feb 9, 2017, 6:37 am
#543
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA 1K; *G, AA Plat
Posts: 1,700
They call out of courtesy. The military serves abroad as well and on the off-chance that there might be 1 passenger on a plane that qualifies, they call. Similar to why they call "GS" every flight as well (or are supposed to)
Feb 9, 2017, 7:24 am
#544
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,169
IMO/IME the best method for most domestic narrow body flights is "Anyone needing extra time, families under 2, uniformed military, global services [pause, look to see if anyone is moving, if not] Group 1"
Feb 9, 2017, 8:22 am
#545
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SEA
Posts: 75
I decided quite a while ago to stop all this boarding group stress by making sure my carryon will fit under the seat. Then I just sit quietly at the gate lounge and watch with bemusement at the chaos of the lines until they are gone and then wander on board last, usually with a couple of like minded pax, who smile knowingly at each other.
Sometimes I have to confront a seat poacher with this method but that is usually easily fixed.
Sometimes I have to confront a seat poacher with this method but that is usually easily fixed.
Feb 20, 2017, 9:16 pm
#546
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 3
Move credit card and maybe silver to group 3?
So, after watching over half of the plane board with group one and two, Three weeks in a row, I am wondering if there migbt be some logic is moving credit card and silver to group three and making it "premium" as well. Any thoughts?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 20, 2017 at 10:35 pm Reason: merged into master thread
Feb 20, 2017, 9:29 pm
#547
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,029
Welcome to FT!
There's already an extensive thread re boarding process:
There's already an extensive thread re boarding process:
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 20, 2017 at 10:34 pm Reason: Cleanup after merge; thanks for the link
Feb 26, 2017, 8:26 pm
#548
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
Nice to see that AA has updated its boarding process to 9 - that's right 9 groups!
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
Feb 26, 2017, 10:03 pm
#549
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: dark side of the moon
Programs: papa card, UA 1K
Posts: 707
Nice to see that AA has updated its boarding process to 9 - that's right 9 groups!
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
For UA I think what I laid out in Post #469 or bocastephen's in #473 would both be much better than UA's current boarding process; though I'm sure that both of those could be improved as well. This isn't rocket science; surely UA must have an improved boarding process in the works... well until they role one out, group 1 will continue to look like a conga line.
Feb 27, 2017, 12:59 pm
#550
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
Nice to see that AA has updated its boarding process to 9 - that's right 9 groups!
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...C|LPM_Boarding
Personally I am not sure this embodies perfection but they are on the right track. I still think WN has the best concept: at least 6 groups but only have 3 shorter lines to start. Then repopulate the lines after the initial group boards.
1. First Cabin if 3 cabin or business if 2 cabin& GS.
2. Business if 3 cabin, 1k, plat.
3. Gold, Silver, *A Gold, CC Priority boarding, rear seats.
4. More economy
5. last of economy
6. Basic economy
Feb 27, 2017, 3:13 pm
#551
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Most of them
Posts: 367
We don't call Global Services any more for boarding
when (did) this stop? Today at dtw heading to IAH they didn't call Gs so I asked. "We haven't done that for months".
I know now that isn't right but is this happening? Practically my only real benefit from being gs
I know now that isn't right but is this happening? Practically my only real benefit from being gs
Feb 27, 2017, 3:22 pm
#552
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: BWI
Programs: UA 1MM & 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 255
They definitely still do it at all the airports I've been to this year. When I was GS, if they didn't call GS preboard, I'd slide in ahead of the front of Group 1 as it was called.
Feb 27, 2017, 4:10 pm
#553
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: 4,393
Plus, it would negate the promoted "pre-boarding privileges" noted in the welcome package we just got. And there would be a 100-page thread about it too
Last edited by wxguy; Feb 27, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Mar 12, 2017, 11:39 am
#554
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,011
LAX appears to only have lines for BG1 and 2...3-5 were told to only line up when they are called. Don't recall that this was the way things were when I flew out of EWR on Friday.
Mar 12, 2017, 12:11 pm
#555
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,029