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}
Apr 25, 2018, 1:21 pm
#916
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Everywhere
Programs: Delta GM, *G, BA Blue, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver, LHW
Posts: 753
It's really not that hard.. the naive solution would be to have a letter group for every class you named above. To avoid boarding 9+ "groups" just bin then into the first and back half of letters, so e.g. on a narrowbody
Preboards
A1-30 - F by checkin time
A31-60 - 1K
B1-30 - Plat
B31-60 - Gold
B61-90 - Silver/*G/*S/CC holders
C1-99, D1-99 - everyone else by checkin time
Overpad the group numbers so they fit the 99% use cases, and just print multiple of the last number in the pathological case. UA seems to be trying to copy WN's boarding efficiency and forgetting it's not the two lanes but the fact that nobody needs to be gate lice.
Preboards
A1-30 - F by checkin time
A31-60 - 1K
B1-30 - Plat
B31-60 - Gold
B61-90 - Silver/*G/*S/CC holders
C1-99, D1-99 - everyone else by checkin time
Overpad the group numbers so they fit the 99% use cases, and just print multiple of the last number in the pathological case. UA seems to be trying to copy WN's boarding efficiency and forgetting it's not the two lanes but the fact that nobody needs to be gate lice.
findark's solution would be a decent start at differentiating between Golds and CC holders, to pick from both ends of the spectrum of this broad mosaic of flyers.
Less of a personal complaint given current travel patterns, as I take a ton of day trips and just get on the bus with my backpack after group 5, but on a 737-700 ORD-LGA last week, UA started checking bags midway through Group 2 (which was 60+ people on a 130 seat plane). Pretty large group...presumably Golds, *Gs, etc who showed up later not so happy.
The process is broken at this stage and I don't see today's announcement as a step towards fixing it.
Apr 25, 2018, 2:07 pm
#917
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Programs: UA 1K, UA .53 MM, Marriott Gold, Nexus, GE, TSA Pre, Hertz PC
Posts: 581
Gate 81 at LAX is a mess...especially with heavy elite loads e.g. LAX-SFO.
Likely due to the fact that the boarding area is so small...but the gate agents had to actively usher people out of the aisle to allow pax from the incoming flight to deplane. They were also seeking out GS members and lining them up outside of Lane 1 so that they could board more easily. (Although I suspect most GS know not to get in the Group 1 lane from the get-go.
Likely due to the fact that the boarding area is so small...but the gate agents had to actively usher people out of the aisle to allow pax from the incoming flight to deplane. They were also seeking out GS members and lining them up outside of Lane 1 so that they could board more easily. (Although I suspect most GS know not to get in the Group 1 lane from the get-go.
Apr 25, 2018, 2:31 pm
#918
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: United Premier 1K 1MM; AA Plat Pro; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Platinum; Avis President's Club
Posts: 2,529
I too have experienced this a few times out of ORD and IAD this year. It does appear more organized however, I disagree because I feel the mob is worse. I also find that Group 2 folks are at the front of the joint Group 1/2 boarding area which gets wicked congested when they call boarding group 1.
Apr 25, 2018, 2:32 pm
#919
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,009
There's really no way to reserve bin space for people who show up past their boarding group. The problem isn't the process so much as everyone bringing a rollaboard and expecting to have space.
Apr 25, 2018, 3:03 pm
#920
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New York NY
Programs: UA Gold, CO Plat, CO Million Miler
Posts: 2,617
and are you going to tell families or couples traveling together that the window seat member boards separately?
Apr 25, 2018, 3:08 pm
#921
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
No more than they ever have -- the window seat is generally group 3, and everybody will just board with the highest group number. The window / aisle / middle thing doesn't really represent a change, except that BE usurped group 5 when it really should have been group 6.
Apr 26, 2018, 1:45 am
#922
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
Great. Now we're gonna get threads about the abundance of gate lice again! 
David
David
Apr 26, 2018, 12:47 pm
#923
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Platinum, Starbucks Gold, PF Chang's Warrior, Wine Century 100
Posts: 1,105
Is the United Chase Business "MileagePlus Card" World MasterCard eligible for Group 2 boarding? My coworker has been getting Group 4 on his BP's even though the UA tix were paid for with that card.
Apr 26, 2018, 1:12 pm
#924
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,462
Potential answer, though: the boarding group benefit typically only applies to the cardholder, not just anyone for whom a ticket was paid using the card.
Apr 26, 2018, 1:18 pm
#925
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
The pmUA Chase cards did not including premier boarding (or bag waiver). Update to an Explorer card. Additionally depending on the purchase portal you are using, the card onformation may not be passed on to UA.
Apr 29, 2018, 12:03 pm
#926
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: HHonors Lifetime Diamond, UA Million Miler Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,142
New boarding method
Just got an email from United for a flight I am on tomorrow from ORD about new boarding methods. Looks like a complete disaster to me.
■ No need to line up before your group is called: Simplified lanes with new signs will allow you to relax at the gate or within the airport longer.
■ More efficient boarding: Following priority boarding groups, we’ll board customers sitting in window seats first and then middle and aisle seats.■ Less crowding: Fewer lines will create more space and easier access to the boarding door for customers exiting the plane from the previous flight and during pre-boarding. ■ Improved digital displays: Monitors around the gate will display clear and relevant information about boarding and your flight.
■ No need to line up before your group is called: Simplified lanes with new signs will allow you to relax at the gate or within the airport longer.
■ More efficient boarding: Following priority boarding groups, we’ll board customers sitting in window seats first and then middle and aisle seats.■ Less crowding: Fewer lines will create more space and easier access to the boarding door for customers exiting the plane from the previous flight and during pre-boarding. ■ Improved digital displays: Monitors around the gate will display clear and relevant information about boarding and your flight.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 29, 2018 at 12:08 pm Reason: merged into exisiting thread
Apr 29, 2018, 12:25 pm
#928
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: HHonors Lifetime Diamond, UA Million Miler Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,142
Think of how over head space will be further abused and argued over.
Apr 29, 2018, 12:34 pm
#929
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K 1.45MM, Marriott+SPG Plat, Clear, Nexus, Global Entry and MEX Viajero Confiable
Posts: 1,777
Apr 29, 2018, 12:48 pm
#930
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
We're currently enhancing your boarding experience at Los Angeles as well as select gates at Chicago O'Hare and Houston Intercontinental.