threeoh

Are you talking about the two one-use passes with the Explorer Card, or the Club Card?

kokonutz

I was talking to a colleague about this today and he had a great idea for a truly premium premium cabin experience: overhead space assigned by premium cabin seat number. An area in the overhead reserved specifically for each premium cabin customer's bag. Bulkhead row gets slightly more space for personal item.

That way premium cabin pax could sit in the lounge until the end of boarding and get on and have assured space for their bag in the overhead.

Once FC boarding is complete, any unused space could be re-purposed for coach pax.

This eliminates the sneaks sitting in coach who steal FC overhead space and keeps other rude FC pax from putting more than one bag up.

I would fly that airline!

This wouldn't be the most EFFICIENT use of overhead space, but it would be the most PREMIUM, and that airline would have a distinct advantage among people who pay for premium cabins!

This is SORT OF the way it works on most wide-bodies. There is plenty of space over each seat (except on the godawful UA 4-across in business) so no one sweats the early boarding overhead space race.

schlang

that doesn't protect you from other F pax putting so much crap in the overhead space that when you come last it's already full...

prometa

What percent of paid F travelers are below 1K on UA? Beyond that, what percentage of paid F travelers that care enough to know when exactly in order they board fly infrequently enough that they couldn't qualify for top-tier status on at least one airline? I would bet that UA has done the math and determined that *G/Golds and 1Ks will care a whole lot more about their improved boarding than the average paid F passenger will care about their relative drop in priority (the many many posts in this thread notwithstanding). The cheapest RT P fares for the TCONs I take are about $1200. That's good for just over 10k PQM a pop, so 10 RTs and you're 1K. Internationally J/C/D and it's even quicker. To be frank, I'm not sure UA cares if they lose a number of 1-2x per year F flyers if it means keeping many 1Ks in the family.

Even then, I think most 1-2x per year F flyers neither know the boarding order nor care.

I also realized that the change in boarding groups now gives me enough data to estimate the number of elites in each category on flights I take. Since I frequently take the same flights on the the same days, the number of elites has been relatively steady. GS pre-boarded, so I got to see the number of those. I have been silver for a while, so I know, based on my waitlist position (modulo my fare class) about how many of us there are. 1K will now pre-board, so I can get an estimate of them. Soon I'll be gold, so will get those numbers from my new waitlist position (and estimated change in the BG1 group size). Everyone else must be platinum. Certainly not enough to estimate #s or loads systemwide, but it will be interesting for me to see nonetheless (and helpful data in case I ever shoot for platinum)

kokonutz

There would be lines in the overhead marking the space specifically reserved for each premium seat: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. If I board with seat 2B and there is something in 'my' space, out it goes.

If that number is so small then what's the harm in letting them board with top tier elites like AA and Delta do!?

dalehill

Dr_wanderlust

I am lowly silver (although it looks like I'll make platinum by the end of the year) and always fly paid business or first. I could care less about 1ks boarding before me.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Again, you don't understand what is going on. United has decided it wants to treat its top-tier elites a little better than everyone else. It's not a matter of bin space. It's sort of interesting that one of the main arguments about letting F board first is bin space and now you say bin space won't be a problem if top-tier elites and F board together. Which is it?

A GS pays $7500 for a Polaris ticket. A non-GS buys a $7500 ticket. One gets extra special service w/ GS check-in area and short-cut to front of TSA line and maybe a even a Mercedes ride to a connection. They get it because they've demonstrated $50K in loyalty during the most recent year Are you saying anyone who pays the same $7500 should be treated exactly the same? Some will say "yes" and that's fine, but in the current (and real) world, companies selling goods and services are giving benefits to certain customers who demonstrate loyalty and spend. It's just the way it is. The GS is being treated better, but some feel the non-GS is being mistreated. One doesn't necessarily require the other.

rwmiller56

I flew UA317 this morning, SFO to IND. I was in PAID F, and I was the second person in the Group 1 line.
I saw about 20-30 people pre-board, initially. Nobody came up when they called families, active military, GS, or 1K, except for the fellow in front of me, who was 1K. That put me first in the group 1 line.
I'm guessing that most who pre-boarded were either GS or 1K, and they didn't wait for the call, they just pre-boarded first.

When I boarded and got to my F seat, I was shocked to see F (16 seats) almost full, and there was literally only one space left in the overhead bins, which I used for my medium size laptop roller bag. Two more folks boarded in F, and I know they had trouble finding bin space.

I generally fly paid F several times a year, and I usually make Silver. I fly paid F for the comfortable seat, and (what used to be) early boarding. Upgrades for Silvers are practically non-existent, so I don't even bother.
My first impression of the new boarding system is that it very well could affect bin space availability for paid F pax. I don't think this is a fair system for paid F pax.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

So the GS and 1Ks who pre-boarded and sat in F filled the bins? Is there a possibility the pre-boarders who sat in F might have had too many items, or crew used some of the space? Or are you saying you know pre-boarders who sat in coach put their bags in F for some reason? It seems to me pre-boarders who have F seats have a right to put their allocated bags in the F bins. Pre-boarders having too many items or FAs using bins are different problems than boarding order.

GSunitedloyal

rwmiller56

Yes, there were some large items in the F bins, and none of it was crew items. I don't believe any coach pre-boarders put their bags in F bins.
I am not disputing the right of F pax to put their bags in F. I am saying that paid F pax no longer have fair access to the bins.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

If there's 18 bags between pre-boarding F and BG1 F and room for 16, 2 are going to be heading backward. I guess this is an example of UA giving preference to its top-tier elites in F. GS who's spent $50K on United gets to stow his bag above him. No/low status passenger on short end. when I stop flying like I do now, I'm sure I'll be on the short end, too. It is what it is.

Sort of like UAs catering. 12 meat and 4 vegetarian meals loaded for 16 seats, as example - UA gives priority choice to GS and 1Ks. Other passengers (especially at end of order taking) are not getting equal access to choices.

Again, this sounds more like a case of carry-on enforcement.

rwmiller56

Reasonable from whose perspective? You, as a top tier elite? Or me, as a paid F who doesn't fly enough to make top tier elite?
It really doesn't matter to me, anyway, as I have a fairly bad disability, which I have never claimed before for pre-boarding, but for which I now will. So you will see me in the pre-boarding line, anyway.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Both. I expect a GS to be treated better than me. They are worth a lot more to UA than I am. When I'm Gold, I'll expect to see Plats, 1Ks and GSs treated better than me because they are worth more to United. Again, they are just being treated better, I am not being mistreated. Lagniappe for them. I don't begrudge GSs for what they get and how they are treated - even if I have paid the exact same (or more) money for my ticket than they have. United is deciding how much we are worth, not us. It is what it is.

You're still in a F seat. You still get a F meal. You still get priority luggage tag and better luggage allowances. You're still ahead of boarding groups 2-5. You still get to use the forward lav (after the pilots).