Jan 19, 2017, 11:05 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Quote:

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOSECONLSCREW28

There will also be updated boarding times:

757 & Widebody aircraft: 50 min prior to departure
737-800/900 & 737 MAX 40 min prior to departure
737-700 & A319/A320 35 min prior to departure

================================================== ==============================
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

Premier Access Boarding

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}

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Aug 6, 2018, 7:15 am

#1006

lincolnjkc

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet

Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC

Posts: 4,167

Quote:

Originally Posted by CruiserCLE

Do you enable the push notifications for a specific flight on the app or do you have it enabled for everything? I have all pushes set to on and have probably taken 30+ flights since then, have never got a notification.

Either way, sounds great once it starts working

PS - also happy to see they will start updating boarding times for delayed flights, similar to AA

The only place I've ever gotten the push alert for "now boarding" is LAX -- have not changed push alerts from the default settings, haven't done anything for these specific flights (and in fact, one was a fairly last minute SDC change from a less direct routing), but also can't remember getting any notifications at all from the United App from any other station (IIRC, all of my delayed flights come as text messages -- if they come at all)

Aug 6, 2018, 7:46 am

#1007

RobOnLI

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton

Having used the new lanes often enough, there's one thing that seems completely overlooked:

Why on early would you give the lanes the same numbers as boarding groups? I've seen many confused pax when asking Group 3 to board through Lane 2. If you called them "Lane A" and "Lane B", I could probably see a lot less confusion trying to match group numbers to the lane numbers.

I have wondered the exact same thing. Most people couldn't even figure out what boarding group they are in. How will they ever figure out that BG4 boards through BL2 (Boarding Lane)? I wish I had $1 for every time I heard someone ask the gate agent what group they are supposed to board in even though it's printed clearly on their BP.

I don't like the new boarding lanes, although I appreciate it's supposed to make boarding more efficient. I also wonder why United chose this route when there can be a gap between BGs 2 & 3, 3 & 4, etc. When they are done boarding group 2 then boarding lane 2 should be empty. Now you have to wait for BG3 to line up, whereas in the past BG3 was ready to go. Seems less efficient to me.

-RM

Aug 6, 2018, 4:58 pm

#1008

bocastephen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by RobOnLI

The new signage is really horrible and makes no sense unless you're an experienced customer. What they could have done is just have one sign called PREMIUM and another sign called GENERAL BOARDING and just announced the groups through the correct lane (ie every boarding group will be told to board through the general lane) so the premium lane remains empty for late G1 walk-ups.

Aug 6, 2018, 5:08 pm

#1009

IAH-OIL-TRASH

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bocastephen

...What they could have done is just have one sign called PREMIUM and another sign called GENERAL BOARDING...

But then you'd have credit card holders lined up in the front of the "Premier/Premium" queue staring daggers at the GS "line cutters"

Aug 6, 2018, 5:19 pm

#1010

bocastephen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH

But then you'd have credit card holders lined up in the front of the "Premier/Premium" queue staring daggers at the GS "line cutters"

If we are dropping down to 2 lanes, then we need clearer announcements before and during boarding, and much vigilant inspections of boarding passes during boarding with the system blocking boarding from the wrong group number.

First/Polaris/GS/1K should be pre-boarded through the Premium line, then the Premium line remains open and unused except for late premium customers who already know via private communication they should just walk up the premium lane.

The general lane is then used to board G2, G2, G4, G5 in that order

Of course, there really wasn't anything wrong with the 5 lane setup we've been using for years except for poor enforcement, so it never needed to be changed in the first place.

Aug 6, 2018, 5:23 pm

#1011

prometa

Join Date: Jan 2016

Posts: 622

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH

Well, the new system provides lanes at the onset of boarding for only BG1&2, so only the Premier Access passengers can stand in their lines if they choose to do so. Instead of providing lanes for BGs 3-5, the non-status get to sit or stand nearby and see the priority boarders stand in their queues - some recognition

. Not sure how "more balanced boarding groups" works w/o UA actually adjusting who goes into which group, which I don't think has happened.

The tweet screenshot seems to indicate they will change the BG of at least one premier customer type. I predict either Gold to BG1 or CC holders to a new Group 3 (and BE going to BG6?).

Note that that bullet isn't mentioned on the current UA page explaining boarding changes: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/boarding.aspx

Aug 6, 2018, 5:50 pm

#1012

lincolnjkc

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet

Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC

Posts: 4,167

Quote:

Originally Posted by bocastephen

Displays rated for commercial (e.g. 24x7) use and graphics engines are cheap enough that they should just replace the static signage with a display over each line/queue indicating the current groups.

E.g. in my mind the ideal scenario is

Code:

Stage Lane A Lane B Bypass/Lane C
---------+----------------+----------------+--------------+
Preboard GROUP 1 Queues GROUP 2 Queues GS, MIL/CH/DB
Group 1 GROUP 1 Boards GROUP 2 Queues GS, MIL/CH/DB
Group 2 GROUP 3 Queues GROUP 2 Boards G1 + Above
Group 3 GROUP 3 Boards Group 4 Queues G2 + Above
Group 4 GROUP 5 Queues Group 4 Boards G3 + Above
Group 5 GROUP 5 Queues G4 + Above

(Note that "lane C" isn't so much a dedicated queue as I envision it but a pathway to the door)

Alternatively if you had to fit it into 2 lanes exactly

Code:

Stage Lane A Signage Lane B Signage
----------+----------------+----------------
Preboard GROUP 1 Queues G2 Queues
Group 1 GROUP 1 Boards G2 Queues
Group 2 G2 Boards
Group 2.5 GROUP 1 + 2 G2 finishes, signage invites G3 to queue
Group 3 G3 boards
Group 3.5 G3 finishes, signage invites G4 to queue
Group 4 G4 boards, signage also invites G3.
Group 4.5 G4 finishes, signage inites G3, and G5 to queue
Group 5 G5 boards, signage invites G3-4 to board
Group 5.5 HURRY UP GATE CLOSING

If UA had any interest at all I'd be more than happy to build the proof of concept for the good of the cause...

Last edited by lincolnjkc; Aug 6, 2018 at 5:56 pm Reason: I can't get the text to stay fixed-width, so hopefully this makes some sense without being tabular

Aug 6, 2018, 6:00 pm

#1013

uastarflyer

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“Boarding Group 3, you will line up in lane 2” ???

They are slowly making their way back to the logical PMUA method, including making the left lane (#1) open for GS/1K/F/C to board at their leisure.

Just make the lanes red and blue carpet instead of 1 and 2 and be done with it. Sheesh.

I too thought of A and B but that is Southwest vibe.

Plane-is-home likes this.

Aug 6, 2018, 7:21 pm

#1014

goalie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by prometa

The tweet screenshot seems to indicate they will change the BG of at least one premier customer type. I predict either Gold to BG1 or CC holders to a new Group 3 (and BE going to BG6?).

Note that that bullet isn't mentioned on the current UA page explaining boarding changes: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/boarding.aspx

Bolding mine: Tho I’d prefer Gold be moved to Group 1 as that’s me 😉, I would be perfectly happy with either one of these changes

Aug 6, 2018, 7:32 pm

#1015

RobOnLI

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Quote:

Originally Posted by prometa

We don't need a larger BG1! Please, no Gold in BG1. I'd be thrilled to see CC members moved to BG3 only so I don't have to hear the ridiculous announcement that I still cannot parse correctly about the fifteen thousand different credit cards UA offers allowing BG2 boarding.

-RM

zeer0 likes this.

Aug 6, 2018, 8:12 pm

#1016

lincolnjkc

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet

Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC

Posts: 4,167

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobOnLI

Maybe I'm drawing a connection that shouldn't be drawn but is it possible that the increased/mandatory shilling for the CC is an atonement to Chase for an upcoming shift of the "priority" for CC holders down?

BG1 and BG2 are already pretty imbalanced compared to the rest of the aircraft on many (most?) routes, and don't think moving anyone *up* is the answer. But anything to kill the "blah blah holders will enjoy priority boarding with group 2" PA that just makes the boarding announcements even longer.

Aug 6, 2018, 8:17 pm

#1017

bocastephen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by lincolnjkc

We've been pushing for credit card people to get moved down to their own group after G2 for a long time - so far, no change.

It really needs to be, and if anyone at United had a shred of common sense it would, the following:

1. preboards - disabled, wheelchairs, GS
2. G1 - First/Business/1K
3. G2 - Plat/Gold/*G
4. G3 - Credit cards/Silver/*S
5. G4 - general boarding
6. G5 - basic economy

RobOnLI and zeer0 like this.

Aug 7, 2018, 7:47 am

#1018

prometa

Join Date: Jan 2016

Posts: 622

Quote:

Originally Posted by lincolnjkc

IME, BG size is heavily dependent on flight. Ex SFO, 1+2 is typically 50% of all passengers and BG5 is fewer than 3 people. My last DEN-SFO flight was 15/15% 1/2, with BG5 another 15%. At MSP, I watched an MSP-DEN flight next to mine go about 40% BG5.

Systemwide, it’s hard to know whether BG1 is too small or too big. In places where it’s already big, how many Golds are there vs GS/1K?

Aug 7, 2018, 8:22 am

#1019

fumje

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Join Date: Aug 2015

Posts: 11,469

I wonder if they're considering some kind of flexible BG strategy, with some statuses occasionally pushed down in BG number so as to retain some approximate proportionality between groups. E.g., when First & 1K is less than 20% of the passengers, Platinum get BG1, but if First & 1K are more than 20%, Platinum get BG2.

That would be somewhat confusing for the flex groups, but I don't think there's any other way to make a strategy that balances BG loads at all airports.

Aug 7, 2018, 8:39 am

#1020

COSPILOT

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bocastephen

This actually makes sense to me, maybe even worthy of testing for both international and domestic flights to see if it works. BG2 is way too long in the current method, and sometimes BG1 is way too long as well. Feel kind of bad for bulkhead passengers unless they can line up early.