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}
Sep 17, 2018, 6:55 pm
#1216
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAS, ZQN
Programs: UA PP (2MM), BA gold
Posts: 2,198
Todays flight UA1424 SFO-PSP at Gate 74, no 1K pre-board -only GS, etc. At Gate 75 (next to us) Detroit flight announced 1K pre-board. Normal for UA not to have all personnel notified of changes. Hopefully will take less time than the Shares combination!
Sep 17, 2018, 6:58 pm
#1217
Join Date: May 2001
Location: TPA 50%/BKK 30%/HKG 20%
Programs: UA 1K MM - AF G – TK G – AZ Ex – Hilton D – Marriott G – IHG P
Posts: 1,990
Also according to the email I received, this rolls out nationwide tomorrow.
Last edited by TomA; Sep 17, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Sep 17, 2018, 7:01 pm
#1218
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
Is group 2 just for credit cards now?
Sep 17, 2018, 7:02 pm
#1219
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,496
Sep 17, 2018, 7:07 pm
#1220
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,448
Sep 17, 2018, 7:11 pm
#1221
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA GS 1MM, CM PP
Posts: 689
Except that GS are now not getting the upgrades much either.
Sep 17, 2018, 7:12 pm
#1222
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAS, ZQN
Programs: UA PP (2MM), BA gold
Posts: 2,198
Sep 17, 2018, 7:13 pm
#1223
Join Date: May 2001
Location: TPA 50%/BKK 30%/HKG 20%
Programs: UA 1K MM - AF G – TK G – AZ Ex – Hilton D – Marriott G – IHG P
Posts: 1,990
Sep 17, 2018, 7:13 pm
#1224
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 2,842
Downgrade for anyone who purchased in the F/J cabin and not top tier elite. Now boarding with a group that can easily be 50 deep, of course that is going to encourage gate lice. And premium overhead bin space is definitely an issue in the smaller aircraft especially the 175's.
Where did the premium cabin paxs fall in PMUA boarding?
Wasn't the argument with this that there were too many boarding groups and people didn't get it?
Where did the premium cabin paxs fall in PMUA boarding?
UA seems to really have an identity crisis. On the one hand, they're all about long-haul J and GS. On the other hand, UA doesn't make it a consistent premium experience for them. 
Check-in: IIRC, GS, Polaris J, and 1K have their own counters at hubs, which are separate from the priority counters, so things seem to be fine here.
Lounge: Polaris Lounges are just for long-haul J. No access for GS, who are stuck with UCs, which they have to pay for. Sucks for GS.
Boarding: GS pre-boards. Now, 1Ks go after them. J boards with the mass of Plats, Golds, and *Gs. Sucks for J.
IMHO, they should've just created a new group ahead of Group 1 (like DL) instead of calling it "pre-boarding." Also, I still think that the Explorer cardholders should've been pushed down to board "early" (as in, earlier than the rest of Y), and NOT be able to use a bypass lane if they're late. It seems unfair to the Silvers and Club/Pres Plus card with "Premier Access" to be lumped with them.
Perhaps something like this would've been better? There are more groups, but with fewer people in each, it reduces the "crowding" that their new boarding process supposedly solves...
Pre-boarding: GS, etc.
Group Premium: 1K, F/J
Group 1: Plat, Gold, *G
Group 2: Silver, Club/Pres Plus cards, Premier Access
Group 3: "Priority" for the Explorer/Awards cards and maybe E+
Groups 4+: E-, Basic Economy
Check-in: IIRC, GS, Polaris J, and 1K have their own counters at hubs, which are separate from the priority counters, so things seem to be fine here.
Lounge: Polaris Lounges are just for long-haul J. No access for GS, who are stuck with UCs, which they have to pay for. Sucks for GS.
Boarding: GS pre-boards. Now, 1Ks go after them. J boards with the mass of Plats, Golds, and *Gs. Sucks for J.
IMHO, they should've just created a new group ahead of Group 1 (like DL) instead of calling it "pre-boarding." Also, I still think that the Explorer cardholders should've been pushed down to board "early" (as in, earlier than the rest of Y), and NOT be able to use a bypass lane if they're late. It seems unfair to the Silvers and Club/Pres Plus card with "Premier Access" to be lumped with them.
Perhaps something like this would've been better? There are more groups, but with fewer people in each, it reduces the "crowding" that their new boarding process supposedly solves...
Pre-boarding: GS, etc.
Group Premium: 1K, F/J
Group 1: Plat, Gold, *G
Group 2: Silver, Club/Pres Plus cards, Premier Access
Group 3: "Priority" for the Explorer/Awards cards and maybe E+
Groups 4+: E-, Basic Economy
Last edited by nova08; Sep 17, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Sep 17, 2018, 7:17 pm
#1225
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: EWR, BDL
Posts: 4,471
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
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
Sep 17, 2018, 7:29 pm
#1226
Join Date: May 2001
Location: TPA 50%/BKK 30%/HKG 20%
Programs: UA 1K MM - AF G – TK G – AZ Ex – Hilton D – Marriott G – IHG P
Posts: 1,990
I'd love to know if there are more 1Ks or more Plats. I'm sure there are huge numbers of Golds and Silvers, but I'm not so sure about Plats. Over my flying days, I've been everything but Plat at one time or another.
All of my TPAC flights have been Polaris since there was a Polaris, but it will be nice to board ahead of all of the other Polaris Pax. (And I don't mind sitting in Polaris for an extra few minutes at all...)
All of my TPAC flights have been Polaris since there was a Polaris, but it will be nice to board ahead of all of the other Polaris Pax. (And I don't mind sitting in Polaris for an extra few minutes at all...)
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 17, 2018 at 10:02 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Sep 17, 2018, 7:32 pm
#1227
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
Sep 17, 2018, 7:35 pm
#1228
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
I have rarely found that to be the case - it's only 4 pax to start with and the bins are already pretty generous, with the exception of the ones used for FA bags and supplies.
Sep 17, 2018, 7:36 pm
#1229
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
So UA expects the boarding process to take longer now (wasn't it 50/30 and 20 for UEx?)
Sep 17, 2018, 7:37 pm
#1230
Join Date: May 2001
Location: TPA 50%/BKK 30%/HKG 20%
Programs: UA 1K MM - AF G – TK G – AZ Ex – Hilton D – Marriott G – IHG P
Posts: 1,990
(And always on the connections from those places to TPA.)