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United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [2016-forward]{Archive}

Old Jan 19, 2017, 11:05 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Source: United Boarding Process

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 well let you know when were 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

  1. Unaccompanied minors
  2. Customers with disabilities
  3. Active members of the military
  4. United Global Services members
  5. Families traveling with children age 2 and younger
  6. 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.
Originally Posted by JOSECONLSCREW28
There will also be updated boarding times:

757 & Widebody aircraft: 50 min prior to departure
737-800/900 & 737 MAX 40 min prior to departure
737-700 & A319/A320 35 min prior to departure
================================================== ==============================
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
Premier Access Boarding
  • 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 youre 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]
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United's Current Boarding Process (with Wiki) [2016-forward]{Archive}

Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:12 pm
  #1576  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,066
Originally Posted by mozilla
I wonder what will happen the day a very very big VIP of another *A carrier travels to the US on INTL F for north of $10k and finds himself waiting for his domestic connection in an overcrowded UC in SFO, followed by being directed to board with the second half of the plane by the GA, followed by finding out that he can't put his bag in the bin above seat 1A because for some reason the guy who boarded among the first and is now sitting in 23A decided to use that space.

Note that UA customers traveling on INTL J fares are still welcome to board among the first on almost every connecting *A partner. Not sure how those partners will react to UA breaking the reciprocity. Time will tell.
You mean one of those *A carriers in Europe who don't even offer F or even J except for widebody aircraft? The bigger shock is for the guy who flies J ORD - FRA on either UA or LH and then gets connected to an A320 with only Y (with terrible seat pitch, I might add) and a blocked middle seat they pawn off as J for another three hour flight.

Last edited by JimInOhio; Sep 20, 2018 at 2:20 pm
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:18 pm
  #1577  
 
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yeah european business class is a joke, no exceptions
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:23 pm
  #1578  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: United Mileage Plus Premier
Posts: 775
Originally Posted by Kacee
Although typically at those airports, there's not room for people to stand without clogging the boarding lanes either, so the #1 problem is not the boarding process but an inadequate boarding area which no process is going to fix.
Very true, especially at EWR where they have added all of those iPad counters around a lot of gates. My last two flights out of there there was little space for passengers to sit unless you wanted to sit on a stool at one of their counters.

LAS? I won't even suggest that they take out a few slot machines in the rotunda and open up some more seating.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:24 pm
  #1579  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
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So, at UA, if you want F, pay for F, but get F-? Thanks, I'll stick with DL.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:30 pm
  #1580  
 
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Experienced this today flying LAX-SFO.

Gate 81, which had a nice big open area down the middle of the gate (making it easy to exit the plane), and then the 1/2 sign off to the left. When I got there a few minutes before boarding, there were about 5 people in "1", and nobody in "2".

The GA was obviously looking at a piece of paper as she went through the boarding, and called disabled (1 person), military/GS/young children (nobody), then 1K. As I was aware of the changes I'd just been hanging back, so when they called it I went straight down the middle area to the podium and boarded, with a few other 1K's following me in. I didn't notice anyone from the group 1 line moving at that stage so I can only presume they were not 1K's.

Obviously as I boarded with 1K I'm not sure what happened after that...
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:32 pm
  #1581  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,115
Originally Posted by JimInOhio
You mean one of those *A carriers in Europe who don't even offer F or even J except for widebody aircraft? The bigger shock is for the guy who flies J ORD - FRA on either UA or LH and then gets connected to an A320 with only Y (with terrible seat pitch, I might add) and a blocked middle seat they pawn off as J for another three hour flight.
True, but the lounge experience is better (well, less crowded) than this side of the Atlantic. In the end, there was some kind of balance, LH J: less-crowded lounge and access to every *A lounge intra-EU, worse seat, priority boarding, mediocre food. UA F better seat (except UAX), overcrowded club on I>D and no club at all on D>D, mediocre food, priority boarding.

With intra-EU flight times on average shorter than intra-US, this different approach with LH focusing more on the ground experience and UA focusing more on the flight experience was more or less justified, and both carriers met in the transition between those experiences by reciprocally offering priority boarding to the premium pax of each other. No longer.

Last edited by mozilla; Sep 20, 2018 at 2:40 pm
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:35 pm
  #1582  
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Originally Posted by dalehill
So, at UA, if you want F, pay for F, but get F-? Thanks, I'll stick with DL.
Out of SFO? Well, if DL covers your flying (which must not be extensive enough to benefit from UA's network/schedule out of SFO), go for it. Another airline might be warranted if a couple of people boarding ahead of you is enough to throw the rattle on the floor.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:41 pm
  #1583  
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Just experienced the new boarding process at YYZ today. I saw everyone lined up in G1, so I checked with the gate agent to ask if they would be using the new procedure and they stated they would, so I played GS-lite and stood off to the side of the lane. They called the pre-boarding groups and then 1K and I stepped forward while 1/4 of the people in G1 tripped over each other trying to get out of the chute and to the podium - it was like starting the Kentucky Derby field from a single starting gate.

I guess not everyone got the message. On to my second flight, a widebody, and we will see how it goes this time.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:44 pm
  #1584  
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
...1/4 of the people in G1 tripped over each other trying to get out of the chute and to the podium - it was like starting the Kentucky Derby field from a single starting gate...
I wish FT allowed videos. I guess one would have to blur the horses' faces. I guess the BPs still say BG1, so their assumption re boarding (as they seemingly ignored their e-mail about the new process) is understandable.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:45 pm
  #1585  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
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Originally Posted by mozilla
True, but the lounge experience is better (well, less crowded) than this side of the Atlantic. In the end, there was some kind of balance, LH J: less-crowded lounge and access to every *A lounge intra-EU, worse seat, priority boarding, mediocre food. UA F better seat (except UAX), overcrowded club on I>D and no club at all on D>D, mediocre food, priority boarding.

With intra-EU flight times on average shorter than intra-US, this different approach with LH focusing more on the ground experience and UA focusing more on the flight experience was more or less justified, and both carriers met in the transition between those experiences by reciprocally offering priority boarding to the premium pax of each other. No longer.
The Austrian lounge in Vienna is about the worst I've ever been in. It makes the UC on ORD C concourse look inviting.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:57 pm
  #1586  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Out of SFO? Well, if DL covers your flying (which must not be extensive enough to benefit from UA's network/schedule out of SFO), go for it. Another airline might be warranted if a couple of people boarding ahead of you is enough to throw the rattle on the floor.
Is it really just a couple of people? From the way folks talk, it sounds like it could be dozens out of SFO. I want my bag in the overhead somewhere not several rows behind my seat. That's part of what I feel I'm paying for when I pay for F--the increased likelihood of that. That matters to me.

It's not "throwing the rattle on the floor", it's making a choice. Quite a charming, demeaning comment, btw.

DL does cover my flying, however, United offers a domestic nonstop on one route I take often where DL does not. But every time I go to book, UA F is always more expensive and nothing else UA does has caused me switch loyalties. I don't fly enough to spread my flying around 2 airlines. I have to choose. I do occasionally fly UA -- Polaris to SIN, for example, only because it's nonstop and DL metal is 2 stops. But in that situation, I'm not concerned about where my bag is in the Polaris cabin, so I don't care when I board. Plenty of room up there on the 787.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 2:57 pm
  #1587  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Originally Posted by JimInOhio
The Austrian lounge in Vienna is about the worst I've ever been in. It makes the UC on ORD C concourse look inviting.
Arguably subjective, and I've never been to that one, but FRA's lounges are in my experience more tranquil and in general a better experience than any UA club, even though FRA sees more pax passing through its terminals every year than SFO for example. I'm not saying those lounges are perfect, and they're nothing like INTL long-haul lounges, but I guess you can afford to spend more on better catering if you reserve your lounges for premium and status pax instead of letting the masses with a credit card in and then deny access to domestic premium pax.

On the subject of imperfections, note that LH style J seats can easily be found on UAX's fleet as well, in the end it all balances (or balanced) out pretty much.

Last edited by mozilla; Sep 20, 2018 at 3:10 pm
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 3:09 pm
  #1588  
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Originally Posted by mozilla
Arguably subjective, and I've never been to that one, but FRA's lounges are in my experience more tranquil and in general a better experience than any UA club, even though FRA sees more pax passing through its terminals every year than SFO for example. I'm not saying those lounges are perfect, and they're nothing like INTL long-houl lounges, but I guess overcrowding is less of an issue if you reserve your lounges for premium and status pax instead of anyone who can show a day pass, membership or just a certain credit card.

On the subject of imperfections, note that LH style F seats can easily be found on UAX as well, in the end it all balances (or balanced) out pretty much.
The OS VIE lounge is relatively small and can be quite crowded, very different from LH FRA. I don't believe they offer day passes or credit card-based access, so the crowding would be caused by a size / passenger load mismatch. LH seems to be better at this with most of their lounges but are not perfect.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 3:12 pm
  #1589  
 
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Originally Posted by mozilla
Arguably subjective, and I've never been to that one, but FRA's lounges are in my experience more tranquil and in general a better experience than any UA club, even though FRA sees more pax passing through its terminals every year than SFO for example. I'm not saying those lounges are perfect, and they're nothing like INTL long-haul lounges, but I guess you can afford to spend more on better catering if you reserve your lounges for premium and status pax instead of letting the masses with a credit card in.

On the subject of imperfections, note that LH style J seats can easily be found on UAX's fleet as well, in the end it all balances (or balanced) out pretty much.
I imagine anyone on this board who's been in the OS lounge at VIE will instantly identify with my prior post. Also, I don't get the comparison of LH J seats (narrowbody) to UAX F at all. What's similar about them?

Also, isn't the main idea behind PL to replicate the LH experience? They're not letting the regular UC riff-raff in them.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 3:22 pm
  #1590  
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Originally Posted by halls120
Now when youre talking about a Polaris seat, which can be 3 1/2 to 4 times the cost of the seat in the back, your rationale is less compelling.
Who cares about boarding a widebody early? With the possible exception of the extra-dense IPTE J cabin, I would much rather stay in the lounge and board last.

Originally Posted by JimInOhio
I imagine anyone on this board who's been in the OS lounge at VIE will instantly identify with my prior post. Also, I don't get the comparison of LH J seats (narrowbody) to UAX F at all. What's similar about them?
A bit OT at this point, but there are a number of OS lounges at VIE... my brief memory is of what was probably the F SEN lounge which was a quite nice place to eat breakfast, albeit at 0615 on a Saturday. The only lounge I've ever been in that made me wish I were in a UC was the Air Serbia Business Lounge in BEG.
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