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}
Mar 30, 2019, 4:10 pm
#2491
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,257
1K gate lousing getting out of hand
On my last 5 it 6 flights it’s been an absolute nuisance, with a tight phalanx of 1ks completely occluding the preboard area — like 5 feet from the counter. For a while I was just hanging back thinking they might actually be GS — ending up boarding 20th or so. Now I plow through and ask if people are GS. Of course none of them are. UA should probably fix this.
Mar 30, 2019, 9:37 pm
#2492
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,020
On my last 5 it 6 flights it’s been an absolute nuisance, with a tight phalanx of 1ks completely occluding the preboard area — like 5 feet from the counter. For a while I was just hanging back thinking they might actually be GS — ending up boarding 20th or so. Now I plow through and ask if people are GS. Of course none of them are. UA should probably fix this.
Mar 31, 2019, 9:52 pm
#2493
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: USA
Programs: DL PM, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,367
One flight last week I counted and as paid F Group 1 I was the 29th person to board (I was 4th in the Group 1 lane). I travel light so overhead space (320) was not an issue for me but being 29th seemed a bit like flying WN.
Last night F boarded after "economy" Groups 1 and 2. They even called "all GS seated in economy" which made me chuckle (F boarding was delayed due to cleaning/servicing aircraft (757)).
Last night F boarded after "economy" Groups 1 and 2. They even called "all GS seated in economy" which made me chuckle (F boarding was delayed due to cleaning/servicing aircraft (757)).
Apr 1, 2019, 9:08 am
#2494
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
Boarding PHL-ORD yesterday, when the GA called 1K's to board, she said "This is not the same as 'Group 1.' If you are not a Premier 1K, you should not board yet.'"
Apr 1, 2019, 9:58 am
#2495
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,020
I've observed that BG1 often surges forward when they hear the "1" in 1K. It's almost 100% of the time at any Hawaii airport because the first people in line tend to be leisure travelers who bought F tickets for a "trip of a lifetime" and have been standing at the head of the line for a half-hour before boarding starts.
Apr 4, 2019, 12:04 pm
#2496
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,342
I firmly believe that people act as gate lice because of no obvious enforcement of carry-on. The ridiculous sizes/amounts that people bring on mean they want to ensure they get their luggage on. I get tired seeing people do the wheel of shame when it all could have been nipped in the bud.
Apr 12, 2019, 6:37 am
#2497
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, IHG Silver, Hilton Silver, Hertz PC, National Exec Elite, Avis PC
Posts: 1,290
Lately I have found that if I start to head over from the lounge when I get the boarding notification on the app, I arrive around the end of group 1 boarding and just walk right on as a 1 while group 2 is boarding with plenty of bin space still available. This seems the closest to how the red/blue carpets used to work for mid-level elites and allows you to always hop the main queue--no licing required.
Apr 12, 2019, 11:04 am
#2498
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
I have to say the process is working great AFAIC even though I dropped from 1K to Group 1. At least at hubs, I find the 1 line is much less crowded than it used to be since 1Ks got bumped up to preboard.
I do like the boarding notification, too - it's a good backstop if you lose track of time.
When i was 1K my only complaint is that the preboard line or entrance is rarely clearly marked so you have to guess where to stand if you are 1K. But this is the least of my issues with UA these days...
I do like the boarding notification, too - it's a good backstop if you lose track of time.
When i was 1K my only complaint is that the preboard line or entrance is rarely clearly marked so you have to guess where to stand if you are 1K. But this is the least of my issues with UA these days...
Apr 12, 2019, 3:34 pm
#2499
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 747
I have to say the process is working great AFAIC even though I dropped from 1K to Group 1. At least at hubs, I find the 1 line is much less crowded than it used to be since 1Ks got bumped up to preboard.
I do like the boarding notification, too - it's a good backstop if you lose track of time.
When i was 1K my only complaint is that the preboard line or entrance is rarely clearly marked so you have to guess where to stand if you are 1K. But this is the least of my issues with UA these days...
I do like the boarding notification, too - it's a good backstop if you lose track of time.
When i was 1K my only complaint is that the preboard line or entrance is rarely clearly marked so you have to guess where to stand if you are 1K. But this is the least of my issues with UA these days...
My experience as a fellow Plat is that Group 1 got huge with the addition of Golds (more Golds than 1Ks?) IME, the Golds act more entitled than the 1Ks did and like to push past others in the same line.
I think the 1K boarding experience varies by airport and gate. IMO it's a big mistake to not give them a labeled lane as they are typically the largest "preboard" group. But in the end we're all getting on the plane so I suppose it works out.
Apr 12, 2019, 10:52 pm
#2500
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,020
Well, in turn, some of my fellow 1Ks seem to feel they are more entitled than others in the pre-board group now that they’ve moved up.
Apr 13, 2019, 4:30 am
#2501
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,349
How so?
I am finding the overall 1K pre-board a neat idea, but poorly executed. Not always obvious where to "line up".
Apr 13, 2019, 12:25 pm
#2502
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA GS, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Mlife NOIR
Posts: 320
Pre-boarded this week and the lady at the front of Group 1 (who had probably been standing there for half an hour) started screaming that I was cutting the line - so that everyone within 100 feet could hear.
I showed her my boarding pass with the GS designation, but she didn’t seem to care, and turned to the rest of the line and said “Unbelievable, he could have asked to cut in front at least... not even an apology!”
I showed her my boarding pass with the GS designation, but she didn’t seem to care, and turned to the rest of the line and said “Unbelievable, he could have asked to cut in front at least... not even an apology!”
Apr 13, 2019, 6:48 pm
#2503
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
Pre-boarded this week and the lady at the front of Group 1 (who had probably been standing there for half an hour) started screaming that I was cutting the line - so that everyone within 100 feet could hear.
I showed her my boarding pass with the GS designation, but she didn’t seem to care, and turned to the rest of the line and said “Unbelievable, he could have asked to cut in front at least... not even an apology!”
I showed her my boarding pass with the GS designation, but she didn’t seem to care, and turned to the rest of the line and said “Unbelievable, he could have asked to cut in front at least... not even an apology!”
Apr 14, 2019, 1:13 am
#2504
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,342
Apr 14, 2019, 8:07 am
#2505
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Haze gray and underway
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, HH Diamond, Marriott 'clink clink' Titanium
Posts: 1,784