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}
Oct 1, 2018, 7:03 pm
#1966
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: UA 1k Million Miler
Posts: 355
point out the sticker that says “Reserved for economy plus”
Oct 1, 2018, 7:10 pm
#1967
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100K, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 2,132
I once flew SFO-DTW in Y row 11, boarding behind a tall man in his 30s. The guy held a boarding pass showing row 36 or 38. He put his large carry on in the overhead bin above my seat just when i was about to reach. I asked him could you please let me use the space, He said this is for all, you can go find your own space. The adjacent spaces as far as I can see are all full, but I think spaces in the rear end near his seat should still be available because that was still early in BG1. What would you do in this scenario?
Oct 1, 2018, 11:51 pm
#1968
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Somewhere I've Driven To
Programs: HiltonHonors, IHG Hotels, DL Skymiles
Posts: 2,070
I once flew SFO-DTW in Y row 11, boarding behind a tall man in his 30s. The guy held a boarding pass showing row 36 or 38. He put his large carry on in the overhead bin above my seat just when i was about to reach. I asked him could you please let me use the space, He said this is for all, you can go find your own space. The adjacent spaces as far as I can see are all full, but I think spaces in the rear end near his seat should still be available because that was still early in BG1. What would you do in this scenario?
I would have let him keep walking to the back and then taken his bag out of the bin and told a FA that someone from the back just left it here in my row.....let them go chase down the bin hog/ bin stealer. Or if you're up for it, put your bag up there and walk his bag back to him....."Here's YOUR bag, go find your own space" (indeed). This is why these problems continue because passengers allow themselves to be walked all over by some ill-mannered jerk....and frankly, FA's should be observant of this happening. The minute they see someone that does this, they need to ask that person if they are sitting in that row?....if not - take a hike (with your bag) to your assigned row.
Oct 2, 2018, 12:04 am
#1969
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,527
He obviously flies enough to know that on the A-320s (maybe others too) row 36-38 is always full of safety equipment and FA bags. Having said that, jerk move and I would have asked him to reconsider his actions. It’s possible he was doing a long play and angling for a heated exchange with an FA and a subsequent $300 voucher.
Oct 2, 2018, 4:47 am
#1970
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,335
Oct 2, 2018, 5:41 am
#1971
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,302
It takes a very confident traveler to hang back in the lounge to wait to be called for boarding. I'd be concerned about missing the announcement (assuming the agent remembers). The best two methods I've seen are LH (escorting F passengers from the Lounge) and places where the Lounge connects directly to the departure gate (thinking of LH FRA lounges, but there are plenty of others).
LH does a lot of things better than UA, but boarding consistency is not one.
Oct 2, 2018, 5:43 am
#1972
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: UA-GS 1MM), Hertz Pres Circle, Starriott Titanium)
Posts: 1,966
Oct 2, 2018, 6:15 am
#1973
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Somewhere in EWR
Programs: UA GS, HH Diamond
Posts: 858
Oct 2, 2018, 8:36 am
#1974
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,115
Hit the negative side of this today at DEN. As I was about a minute away from my gate I got the message from the app that they were boarding - about 4 minutes early.
By the time I got to the gate the pre-boarding was over, and they were boarding group 1 - which left me with no real option than to go to the back of group 1 line. Of course, that line is now longer than ever, because whilst it no longer includes 1K, it's been replaced with Gold which is generally going to be larger... End result was that I was much later in the boarding than I would have been under the old system.
By the time I got to the gate the pre-boarding was over, and they were boarding group 1 - which left me with no real option than to go to the back of group 1 line. Of course, that line is now longer than ever, because whilst it no longer includes 1K, it's been replaced with Gold which is generally going to be larger... End result was that I was much later in the boarding than I would have been under the old system.
Just think of it as the price of the preboarding benefit
.
Oct 2, 2018, 9:10 am
#1975
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
I didn't realize bins were reserved. I thought it was first come, first served (within your own cabin).
Oct 2, 2018, 11:57 am
#1976
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,171
First come first served within your cabin AND within your seating category in coach (E+ vs E-) - so no, if you are not seated in E+ you do not get to put your bag
Oct 2, 2018, 12:15 pm
#1977
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Yeah I'm fine with that. I'm not fine with the idea that you should check your bag because the bin over your seat is full (either with safety equipment or with other pax bags) when there are other bins in your cabin / "seating category".
Oct 2, 2018, 12:49 pm
#1978
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA GS 1MM, CM PP
Posts: 689
This has always been a “feature” of GS boarding. You have a window where you have to be there, or it’s the back of Group 1. You’ll adjust to the need to be sure you’re there comfortably in advance. Check on your inbound flight status to gauge the likelihood of boarding starting up early.
Just think of it as the price of the preboarding benefit
.
Oct 2, 2018, 2:47 pm
#1979
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
Oct 2, 2018, 4:32 pm
#1980
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 128
This has always been a “feature” of GS boarding. You have a window where you have to be there, or it’s the back of Group 1. You’ll adjust to the need to be sure you’re there comfortably in advance. Check on your inbound flight status to gauge the likelihood of boarding starting up early.
Just think of it as the price of the preboarding benefit
.