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UA's Boarding Process with WILMA now - Inconsistent process / PreBoarding issues

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UA's Boarding Process with WILMA now - Inconsistent process / PreBoarding issues

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Old Nov 25, 2023, 10:13 am
  #466  
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Originally Posted by Airportbeer
I boarded a full 737 earlier this month. I was in eco+ on an aisle. I boarded in group 2 due to CC, about half the plane boarded in group 2 and above. I had to get up twice to let in the window and middle seat person. Don't see how this system is doing much when United has so many people who board in early groups.
Probably works better in the 2/3 of economy that is not E+. Still will be some early boarding CC folks but fewer early boarding elites back there.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 10:46 am
  #467  
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Originally Posted by manstein58
Admirable albeit isolated initiative
Originally Posted by HeadInTheClouds
The employee who came up with this deserves a big raise. That is a fantastic solution. Everyone wins.
Pretty common ex-US. Have seen separate lines last year in SYD and TYO as well
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 7:29 pm
  #468  
 
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
So, you're complaining about yourself? If you had boarded with the "aisle people" instead of group 2, I guess the system would have worked. You do have a choice - 1) easier bag storage or 2) having to get up twice - you opted for #1
No, not complaining about myself or that I had to get up. My point was that it doesn't seem to make it any more efficient or really change anything since I still got up and blocked the aisle twice, and so did many others. I thought the point of the new system was to make it faster by not having to have aisle people take time to get up to let the rest of the row in. The flight was out of a hub and more than half boarded in Pre, Group 1 and 2 and just felt more chaotic than before.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 8:54 pm
  #469  
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Originally Posted by Airportbeer
No, not complaining about myself or that I had to get up. My point was that it doesn't seem to make it any more efficient or really change anything since I still got up and blocked the aisle twice, and so did many others. I thought the point of the new system was to make it faster by not having to have aisle people take time to get up to let the rest of the row in. The flight was out of a hub and more than half boarded in Pre, Group 1 and 2 and just felt more chaotic than before.
The change only affects after group 2. It's not like United could mandate all of the aisle pax they should board toward the end to streamline the process...with all kinds of priority boarding, elite boarding, credit card holder boarding, etc seated across all cabins, majority of those groups would not volunteer to board late anyway. And then you still have people get up voluntarily multiple times, even after they have settled in.

In all fairness, United had never promised much time savings, even on paper.

This is one of the reasons I usually board last, even though I could preboard. Why should I help United if no one else from gate agents to fellow pax delay the process anyway? I just hang back and watch the usual unfolding of train wreck.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 8:56 pm
  #470  
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Originally Posted by Airportbeer
...The flight was out of a hub and more than half boarded in Pre, Group 1 and 2 and just felt more chaotic than before.
Those groups have not changed. Only the later groups changed. And for the most part, only the non E+ seating areas.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 9:08 pm
  #471  
 
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Was it 2 mins average improvement UA said?
so about 5% improvement?
Essentially no change other than a handful of late boarders won't need to faff around as much getting into their seat. UA will grab a few seconds from each of them to make their 2 mins.
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 9:47 am
  #472  
 
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Two bag limit was heavily enforced ORD-DEN yesterday. Gate agent ended up, announcing that. “Yes, even your crossbody bag, fanny pack, or whatever you’re calling it now days, is still a bag”!
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 11:21 am
  #473  
 
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Originally Posted by limey1K
Two bag limit was heavily enforced ORD-DEN yesterday. Gate agent ended up, announcing that. “Yes, even your crossbody bag, fanny pack, or whatever you’re calling it now days, is still a bag”!
I heard similar PAs regarding stowing such bags for taxi/takeoff/landing on an IAH-CLE yesterday -- makes me wonder if the FAA nailed UA for something bag-policy-related and UA is stepping up attention.
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 3:28 pm
  #474  
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Originally Posted by limey1K
Two bag limit was heavily enforced ORD-DEN yesterday. Gate agent ended up, announcing that. “Yes, even your crossbody bag, fanny pack, or whatever you’re calling it now days, is still a bag”!
That's absurd. Is a sandwich bag from a fast food joint a bag?
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 3:35 pm
  #475  
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
That's absurd. Is a sandwich bag from a fast food joint a bag?
I doubt it. In the rare occasions I've had hard 2-bag enforcement, I've been asked if my extra bag was food (yes it was). They don't typically count that as a bag.
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 9:24 pm
  #476  
 
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
That's absurd. Is a sandwich bag from a fast food joint a bag?
No. There is an exception for a takeout bag of food. It doesn't count.

Remember you'll also see people with what looks like an extra bag but there are a few other exceptions, such as for medical assistance devices. Everyone with three bags isn't over the limit.
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 10:08 pm
  #477  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
...There is an exception for a takeout bag of food. It doesn't count....
Sometimes it should

Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Dec 4, 2023 at 5:07 pm
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Old Dec 3, 2023, 10:37 pm
  #478  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
While faster boarding is one of the goals of the overall boarding process, it is not the highest goal. US airlines generally do not charge for carry-on bags because US travelers strongly prefer to carry-on their bags. That results in a slower, less convenient boarding and deplaning process but it accommodates the preferences of more passengers.
This makes no sense. For everything that passengers want to do, airlines charge extra.

Passengers would like to sit in First Class, so there's an upcharge for that.

Passengers would like to choose their seat assignments, so there's an upcharge for that.

Passengers would like more legroom (and sitting closer to the front), so there's an upcharge for that.

Passengers would like a snack box or alcoholic beverages, so there's an upcharge for that.

I believe Frontier charges for the carry-on, the personal item is free. I haven't flown on them to see how well it works.
It works very well. You won't have a problem finding space for your carry-on. I stopped flying them after two mishaps where it's impossible to get any help. They have no one to answer the phone. They make you click through a ridiculous number of windows just to buy a ticket and just to check in. They charge you to print a boarding pass at the airport. On my last trip, I chose to pay a bit more to fly UA, and I chose to pay $85 more for an E+ seat. I'm cheap, but Frontier is just way too cheap.
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Old Dec 4, 2023, 12:43 pm
  #479  
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Originally Posted by fumje
I doubt it. In the rare occasions I've had hard 2-bag enforcement, I've been asked if my extra bag was food (yes it was). They don't typically count that as a bag.
Originally Posted by LarryJ
No. There is an exception for a takeout bag of food. It doesn't count.

Remember you'll also see people with what looks like an extra bag but there are a few other exceptions, such as for medical assistance devices. Everyone with three bags isn't over the limit.
I had purposely used takeout food bag as an example. Some establishments have bags with larger dimension than fanny packs - who's to say the bag has to include food?
​​​​​​
Anyway, GA should be reasonable but firm, and exercise good judgement. Being a bags police helps no one; Someone could easily hid the fanny pack inside the jacket.
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Old Dec 4, 2023, 4:58 pm
  #480  
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Originally Posted by narvik
Good to know. If I ever fly Delta, I'll be sure to bring a stroller with me. 😎
...so that you have to schlep a stroller to the airport, through TSA, onto the plane to stow, then collect once off the plane and schlep at your destination, all so you can board earlier. Hmmmmm.
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