laxmillenial

RobOnLI

I received an email about new boarding procedures at IAH (Term E). My gate wound up not using them. However, I had a long layover in IAH so I decided to go on a walk. A lot of "E" gates had new signs that simply had a 1 on the left and a green 2 on the right. None of the gates that had these signs in use had any electronic signage. So how exactly are these supposed to work? I get how groups 1 & 2 would be logical and they can line up in their respective lane. Anyone in groups 3, 4 and 5 will likely be utterly confused.

United, at one point, tested a boarding system in ORD that had two lanes...one for currently boarding and one for "next to board" with electronic signs overhead. This seemed quite logical and could work very easily.

I think United (and all other airlines) have conditioned people to the 5 or 6 group boarding process. Now having just signs for "1" and "2" (granted, they don't have the word 'group' on them) is confusing. They could have changed the game by going with "A" and "B" maybe.

-RM

nycityny

I have flown out of LAX several times in the past several months with the "new" system. The boarding groups remain the same as before. United is just saving space in the terminal by not having to have separate lanes for groups 3-5. And those groups are advised how and when to board by very specific and pointed announcements by the gate agent.

The process looks smooth to me. More people do remain seated because they don't have the option of lining up early. I've watched the boarding process on flights that I'm not on just to kill time. It works.

LAX has been undergoing a major renovation over the past few years and the re-designed gate areas were configured for fewer boarding lanes.

diburning

I boarded at LAX last week. The lanes were marked Group 1, Group 2, and at the bottom of the sign "Groups 3-5 please stay comfortably seated until your group is called"

CruiserCLE

I witnessed exactly this at IAH yesterday. As we were a few minutes to boarding, person after person kept approaching the desk at C-3 asking where to go for group 3, etc and the agent had no clue.. she looked around and said "I'm not sure where the sign went". Great training

Not to mention, this setup might work better in the more compact gate areas in ORD but in IAH where they have the new OTG setup and the 1/2 lanes can be far off to the side, people don't notice them and end up being confused.

gobluetwo

Isn't this basically Delta's Breezeway from over a decade ago? And if it's open for G1/G2 who arrive later, it's not just elites, to be precise.

I haven't had a gate using the new process yet, but will tonight. Wonder if it will make any meaningful difference. Honestly, I'd be happy with two changes:
- Split up Group 2 into those who earned status (UA Gold/Silver, *G/*S) and those who are credit card holders or have purchased Premier Access.
- Prevent people from spilling out into the concourse and blocking traffic.

I mean, this is just dumb and all-too-frequent:


I would think that you'd still have to contend with Groups 1 and 2 lining up early, though, and it's typically Group 2 which is the really long one that blocks traffic and causes the most confusion/congestion.

joe_miami

Something like 80% of the people in an airport on any given day fly only once or twice per year, and Americans are getting dumber by the day. Combine those two facts, and short of having gate staffers with cattle prods, there's only so much that can be done to avoid the (dumb) crowding and lines that obstruct the flow of traffic in the concourse.

CMK10

Absolute clustermug at RDU earlier this week, this is for boarding at the far end of the concourse and I wasn't last in line. This is just the Group 1 and 2 line. They really need to do something to fix this issue, especially at outstations.

GoSh4rks

Better than the mob of people that happens with AA. A line is so much better than an unorganized crowd.

nycityny

Totally agree!

CApreppie

I go to experience this for the first time at LAX. I flew Delta this year for the first time in awhile and it was similar. Having less group lines reduces the need for line space. In many gates, there is just not enough room for all those queues. I found it worked okay. It is more like the gate lice system of yesteryear. I think with Groups 3-5 nonexistent, people don't line up as early. Maybe they wanted less crowds spilling into walkways and such too early.

pdx1M

I have maintained for years here that the problem is actually the very existence of the "lines". When they are there they encourage people to line up. The PMUA Red Carpet approach actually worked well precisely because there was no place for folks to line up other than the initial high priority group (at that time F,1K) and the "next up" group (PE at the time). This meant that other folks were not encouraged to be lining up. Once you create additional lineup points then, not surprisingly, folks use them and the result is today's mob-scene. All you really need is an "in-use" line and a "bypass" line with the latter being for folks that arrive after their group has already boarded. With 2 lines and even reasonable enforcement of folks using the "in-use" line too early you get the right psychology which is that there is no purpose in trying to get in some line before your group has one available. With today's system that means that you'd have a line for group 1 form in the "bypass": line and a second line form in the "in-use" line for group 2 folks before things start. Others simply wouldn't have a line to use. Of course, redefining the groups a bit to trim the size of gp1 and gp2 would further clean things up but the net would be a much simpler and less chaotic process.

Repooc17

Anyone with experience boarding in group 1 (or 2) when your UA status is not on the BP*?

* crediting elsewhere

fumje

Will you have your UA card with you?

Typically the machine will beep when a pass in a not-yet-called boarding group is scanned, which is a prompt to the GA to find out why that passenger is boarding then.

Miles Ahead

UA card? What's that?