livebetter_travelmore

Traveling on biz so in economy. I paid additional out of pocket for economy plus so why doesn't this elevate my boarding priority? It's not that I'm eager to sit and wait, but I feel like I should get the opportunity to stow my carry-on in reasonable proximity to my seat. Nope: my bag is 7-8 rows behind me. Yeah, I know the almost $80 up charge I paid technically just grants me a seat with more legroom, but come on... I think it SHOULD allow me to board earlier too without yet another fee so my bag isn't so far behind me. And, I was first in line in my boarding group (3) out of SFO. If my company wants me to fly out here again, I may pursue a different carrier or just fork out the $$$$ for F completely out of my own pocket instead of dealing with this BS. At least I didn't have to check it so I guess I should be "grateful". Thankfully most of my travel instead of business is pleasure where I always buy F or J and avoid this annoyance.

Baze

E+ is not another class of service, it is just economy with more legroom, that is it. As such, you are not entitled to higher boarding priority. If no status or the right Credit Card you will board according to window, middle or aisle priority.

aacharya

If the OP is flying UA often enough, Silver status or any credit card will move him/her into BP2.

Note that BP3 in SFO may as well be BP5, owing to the large number of premier travelers.

notquiteaff

Because that benefit is offered separately; it's called Premier Access.

https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...ierAccess.aspx

I think there are also bundles of E+ and PA (and more).

https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro.../packages.aspx

txaggiemiles

I understand you are simply stating that it *should* include BG1-2 but the fact is it doesn't. You knew this going in (or should have known). Nevertheless you know now.

Fact is, if you fly UA with any regularity there are a multitude of ways to gain priority boarding, and many are much MUCH less expensive than forking over money for an E+ seat with every flight. I'd just focus on pursuing one of those options, linked above, rather than wondering *why* UA has chosen to market a specific product at a specific price point a certain way.

flyerbaby19

I think you answered the reason why.

kmersh

Part of the issue, I have always felt is that it is Economy PLUS, which indicates Economy PLUS something else.

Granted, I know better because I travel more than Joe Average Traveller, but I have at least twice heard a passenger say so where is the PLUS part of my $$$$ extra for this seat.

A higher priority for boarding while not included is a logical perceived benefit as part of PLUS moniker.
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Ber2dca

The OP could be forgiven for this feeling given that I'm pretty sure Delta Comfort+ includes priority boarding (or did last time I used it anyway).

Premier Access used to be a pretty cheap add-on to E+ back in the day - as in 2-3 years ago - and it made sense to just get it along with E+ if you're working with UA hubs at least. But of course back then E+ itself was pretty reasonably priced too. Nowadays you aren't too far from discounted J prices if you buy TATL E+ and Premier Access.

notquiteaff

According to their website, still included. Also for American's version.

Has anyone compared the rates charged on routes where the three compete?

Kacee

I'll skip the obvious answer, and just point out that the last thing UA needs to be doing is granting boarding priority to any additional category of passengers. Groups 1 and 2 are already completely out of control.

PushingTin

Don't know how the deltas work, but as a general member I'd have a hard time paying for E+ when a bump to first might be a bit more, depending on the flight. You get the boarding group, faster movement to premier status, a meal, drinks, better boarding and security access.

Often1

Why?

Because.

UA marketing research likely shows that people who pay for E+ will also pay for Premier Access. If that is the case, why on earth would UA give away something which passengers are willing to pay for?

Maybe someday if UA finds it profitable to offer a premium Y service, those passengers will board ahead of steerage. But, until then, why?

mtftw

SFO-DEN yesterday was a stark reminder of that. Overhead space was full before group 3 entered.

fumje

Yesterday I flew from a smaller airport to hub on a mainline flight. The upgrade list had one person who didn't clear. The BG2 line was at least 25 persons long. Gate agent was exceptionally pro-active soliciting gate-checks.

(Yes, it's possible several parties with premier status were unwilling to split PNR, and so were also not eligible for CPU, but several looked to be solitary passengers.)

livebetter_travelmore

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I don't fly a whole lot -- maybe 6-8x a year including an international flight or two -- so my awareness, while growing, isn't remotely near that of the warriors on this site. I'm not interested obtaining additional credit cards, so that in tandem with the number of flights I take per year all but guarantees I'll never acquire any sufficient status with respect to gaining comp'd or discounted upgrades, boarding priorities, etc. It was particularly of interest to note that other airlines (e.g. Delta and American) with E+-like products do offer better boarding priority. If I'm faced with flying in economy again, I'll most certainly investigate those options if available. I can certainly confirm @aacharya's comment about the numbers of premier travelers flying out of SFO as evidenced by the many, many pax I observed that boarded in groups 1 and 2. It's more likely that if time allows, I'll just purchase an F ticket on my own dime even if it's business-related, and then extend my stay for a "mini-vacation" thereby rationalizing the expense