rolltribe

This is an Orlando issue. I travel ORD-MCO multiple times per year for business and of the 75+ segments I do every year, this is the only route where there's more than a couple children under 2. Same goes for flights to RSW, FLL, PBI, TPA, but with wheelchairs. Obviously with those destinations you're going to have more strollers and wheelchairs. Same scenario with more clueless people in airports around holidays. Just the nature of traveling to certain destinations or at certain times of the year.

zombietooth

Truth!
MCO is the worst airport in the country for high child loads. Boarding the families first makes sense though-they really do clog-up boarding. It's better to get them out of the way and settled before the rest of the plane boards.

venomtrilogy

Not just Florida. Numerous times I have seen 4 or 5 people board with one person who was in a wheelchair, which just makes the jetway line longer when the GA moves onto other groups.

Often1

Bear in mind that the UA system (AA & DL as well) has nothing to do with efficiency. The roughly same-sized narrow body intra-European flight boards quite easily in 15 minutes.

Boarding groups other than priority for the disabled and small kids, is not about efficiency, but about trying to make people feel special when they aren't. They get to strut in front of others.

The sole reason to board early if not disabled or a small kid is OH space. It's not as though there is anything lovely about sitting on a standard domestic narrowbody, even in F. That is why in the old days, F boarded last.

Whether you are first or about 3/4 the way down the boarding process, you will still almost certainly have OH space. So, that whole argument is a nothing as well.

There are places where GA's can be quite tough about having the entire extended family accompany one person on a cane. But, MCO is not one of them.

NJMichigan

joelliot

Florida seems to have an abnormal number of miracle flights. The enfeebled, barely able to make to their seats, after a short flight thru the stratosphere are miraculously able to bound past everyone to be pushing their way off the plane.

UA_Flyer

South Florida airports, particularly PBI and FLL, have a number of passengers needing assistance. During holiday period, when family with kids come down to spend time with grandparents, the lines of pre-boarding get a lot longer.

As a long time Florida resident since my teenager year, I am used to the long pre-boarding lines. MCO is no worse than FLL and PBI if you combine the specialty assistance passeners with family with children under 2. I am accepting it because I have been flying out of Florida since early 80s.

I do have issues with gate agents who don’t follow the order. More often than not, GA is boarding special assistance with family with children less than 2 before Military and GS. If there is a policy, then follow that policy consistently. Also, please don’t ask 1K to board with GS and before family with young kids. I firmly believe the GA are partly responsible for the boarding mess because they don’t follow the policy.

I also agree with another poster’s observation that the boarding issues seem to be non-existence in EU, Asia and Australia/NZ. Boarding seem to be quite efficient elsewhere. Many UA flights operated out of foreign airports seem to be doing just fine with boarding process under the same UA boarding policy.

Domestic boarding process seems to be the one that is hard to fix. Passengers and gate agents need to work together.

As per OP’s concern, I am fine with the current boarding order. UA should not change its boarding because what has been observed at one airport in MCO.

prestonh

UA decided to make families with infants and their entourage with accessories a pre-board courtesy, the MCO 'happiest place on earth' is going to have more than its fair share of that market. You had to wait 10-12 minutes to sit in a 5-seat empty F? wow. Hope it worked out ok.

mduell

Think long and hard about what is UA's #1 priority during boarding. It's not operational efficiency, it's not loyalty recognition, it's not transactional revenue.

When you figure it out, UA's current boarding system makes a lot of sense.

caseminole

I knew a comment like this would come. Its fine. My point was I am an elite level flyer, and paid top dollar for a seat in first class.

What would it hurt to allow the small handful of F passengers to board first, then let all the crazy crying kids go after.

I guess the other part that bothers me is the entitlement that some (not all) of the parents w/kids feel by boarding first.

I've been flying the airline 25K miles+ for 30+ years running, and I'm watching folks maybe flying United for the first time with a screaming 23 month old get priority.

And, yes, I feel that I am entitled, not those folks.

nomad420

Do what I do, after years of flying I simply board last. No entitlement issues just smart. I have posted previously about the many benefits of it. I typically have minimal carrry-on and almost always check luggage (have to for work so why have excess carry on). If you indeed are sitting in first than even carry on isn't an issue. I typically sit E+ aisle or F/Polaris on international travel flights so again really no issue with walking on as they close the door.

prestonh

I have traveled with and cared for a live-in quadriplegic. I don't think you completely understand what is meant by entitled under the concept of travel with special needs. I can empathize for those traveling with infants particularly with a child in one hand and their extra gear to store in another. MCO was also my outstation for a 15 years or so. I never minded the courtesy.

threeoh

I would like everyone to keep in mind here that the pre-boarding for people with disabilities is a legal requirement, whereas children, military, status, and cabin are all UA discretionary policies.

narvik

In the above scenario where all the "crazy crying kids" board after the "small handful of F passengers" you'd have to endure these kids being their super annoying self as they scuff past you while you are already seated in F.
Having the snots board before you means that -although you have to wait longer to board- you won't have to see them when you board.
Isn't that the better option?

Although....what IF the crazy crying kids ARE sitting in F? Oh, the insurmountability!

wxguy

Another FAIL last week at IAD. Agent called disabled pax (it was a FL flight, so there were a few), then military. It turns out that the display directly above the agent's head was showing the correct order, with GS being next. So I walked up to the scanner after the military passenger entered the jetway, and the agent said, "It's not your turn -- passengers with children are next." I pointed to the screen above her head and said, "The display says, and the current policy is, for GS next." She replied, "That's not how *I* do it. Step back please." #sad