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.
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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 16, 2018, 11:04 pm
#841
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: LIH
Posts: 12
Enough with the complaining about "fake disabilities." I'm 40-ish and don't look real sick, and I often use wheelchairs to get onto a plane but not off. Why? My problem is called POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. That means when I stand, my heart rate flies off the handle. But I can walk fine for a block or two. So waiting in lines at security and in the jetway can render me unconscious. But I can walk off the plane just fine. So you may have seen me and decided I was a faker. But in reality, I spent years suffering and not using wheelchairs in airports because of the stigma and my own denial. (I was very healthy and active until a few years ago.) So while you steam about someone cheating the system, it's just as likely someone who needs a wheelchair is not using one.
Feb 17, 2018, 12:14 am
#842
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: UA1K | *A Gold
Posts: 767
.
AA's group numbers changed a little while back. Old Group 1 became Group 5. Groups like ExPlat, First Class, etc. that were boarded before Group 1 are now groups with numbers 1-4. More fine-grained, but doesn't allow queuing in chutes far ahead unless there were 9 chutes. Credit cards on AA used to be Group 1 but are now Group 5, still "Priority boarding" but explaining that Group 5 is priority is a little weird. Groups 1-4 do not necessarily have tons of people on each flight, but some do have tons. Equivalent on UA would be like moving Global Services to its own group number and shifting all the other numbers downward.
AA's group numbers changed a little while back. Old Group 1 became Group 5. Groups like ExPlat, First Class, etc. that were boarded before Group 1 are now groups with numbers 1-4. More fine-grained, but doesn't allow queuing in chutes far ahead unless there were 9 chutes. Credit cards on AA used to be Group 1 but are now Group 5, still "Priority boarding" but explaining that Group 5 is priority is a little weird. Groups 1-4 do not necessarily have tons of people on each flight, but some do have tons. Equivalent on UA would be like moving Global Services to its own group number and shifting all the other numbers downward.
Feb 17, 2018, 7:42 am
#843
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: EWR-SEA-IAD
Programs: UA 1P MM, AS MVP G*, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 977
Feb 17, 2018, 8:45 am
#844
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
Feb 17, 2018, 9:39 am
#845
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Hudson, OH
Programs: UA-MM; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,350
Feb 17, 2018, 3:26 pm
#846
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
I really wish they would do this because it completely eliminates gate lice. The boarding process is one of my favorite things about flying WN. And it's not that hard to leave large gaps in the numbering to accommodate late-booking or SDCing elites, etc. Just do the current boarding groups and order within them by checkin time, or even further split by status (e.g. Group 1 is now Group A, and A1-20 is for F, A21-50 is for 1Ks in Y, and A51-99 is Plats in Y, or similar).
But I agree it would go over poorly with too many pax.
But I agree it would go over poorly with too many pax.
Feb 17, 2018, 5:48 pm
#847
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,638
The latter, although I'm not sure if 1-15 has a stanchion. The stanchion has the numbers separated by 5s, so it would say <16-20, 21-25> So, each "line" has five people in it who must order themselves numerically.
Feb 17, 2018, 7:42 pm
#848
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,395
Yes, this. The etiquette is very much in favor of self-policing - not at all uncommon for a polite "what's your number?" to determine where to stand. And of course no one stands until boarding is called.
Feb 19, 2018, 7:41 am
#849
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [+MKK4 EBBER R577 EDSEL R577 ELKEY EXERT]
Posts: 15,826
Boarding pass both printed and in the app has “1K” printed in the group number box. Flying out of LAX this afternoon and first time I’ve seen that. I flew out of LAX three times last week and all three times had Group 1.
Last edited by slippahs; Feb 19, 2018 at 7:46 am
Feb 19, 2018, 11:10 am
#850
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion; IHG Platinum; Marriott Gold; Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,071
As a Platinum member I find this very discouraging. I'm flying out of LAX next week and will probably be boarding after 1Ks. I know 1Ks are happy about this but folks like me are less likely to pursue Platinum status if it yields no benefit. It certainly does nothing for upgrades.
But does this mean that Group 1 will only have Platinum members in it? Or will they be rearranging the other groups accordingly?
Feb 19, 2018, 11:18 am
#851
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA 1K; *G, AA Plat
Posts: 1,700
Can I ask the route? Will have a flight out Wedn and interested if it'll be a similar trial/result.
Feb 19, 2018, 2:23 pm
#852
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lahaina, HI & Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,403
Experienced the new procedures last night at LAX. GS was the 4th group called. Did not hear if 1K and FC got a separate preboard call, but if so, there would have been a long pause because I was fully seated before the next passenger boarded.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
Feb 19, 2018, 3:10 pm
#853
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
Experienced the new procedures last night at LAX. GS was the 4th group called. Did not hear if 1K and FC got a separate preboard call, but if so, there would have been a long pause because I was fully seated before the next passenger boarded.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
David
Feb 19, 2018, 3:23 pm
#854
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: New York
Programs: EK Platinum, AA EXP, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,138
Experienced the new procedures last night at LAX. GS was the 4th group called. Did not hear if 1K and FC got a separate preboard call, but if so, there would have been a long pause because I was fully seated before the next passenger boarded.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
Interestingly, a couple in front of me, with 1K printed on their boarding passes, were ejected when trying to poach in the GS preboard call.
Feb 20, 2018, 12:45 am
#855
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [+MKK4 EBBER R577 EDSEL R577 ELKEY EXERT]
Posts: 15,826
Bp
The process was was very clunky today. Boarded all the usual preboards, paused, then asked for 1Ks to board. I heard the GAs asking whether it was worth it because there were “only 7 1Ks.” The 1Ks in the group 1 line bolted for the scanner once 1Ks were asked to board. I was probably the only 1K not to clear thanks to a late booking, and when boarding, the scanner read an error, something about group 4 not being allowed to board. I suppose that’s a function of not being cleared to first and my group reading “1K.”