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UA Experimenting with Different Colored Boarding Passes?

UA Experimenting with Different Colored Boarding Passes?

Old Sep 26, 2018, 5:56 pm
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
Who still uses a print-at-home boarding pass? Almost all of the paper ones I see are kiosk generated.

I would guess that the usage is, in descending order: Mobile -> Kiosk -> Print-at-home
Print-at-home seems to be the folks who do the yearly vacation thing.

Originally Posted by uastarflyer


Except this time the non standard colors are equivalent to scarlet letters
LOL totally true.

Originally Posted by Often1
How many people still use paper BP's?

I suppose that it has value for those who can't count in the single digits.

"Please take a moment to look at your boarding pass.... Unless it is printed in gold, sit down"
I do, for two reasons.
1. international flights, which is the vast majority of what I fly, don't like mobile boarding passes and want printed ones. In fact, one time I was in a rush, used mobile boarding pass on my first flight (domestic) and when I got to the gate for my second flight (INTL) they were paging me and had a paper pass.
2. I collect every ticket. It's fun.
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Old Sep 26, 2018, 6:56 pm
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
Who still uses a print-at-home boarding pass? Almost all of the paper ones I see are kiosk generated.

I would guess that the usage is, in descending order: Mobile -> Kiosk -> Print-at-home
You forgot the print-at-work option. This is the option I use. I don't own a printer.
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Old Oct 21, 2018, 4:56 pm
  #63  
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Originally Posted by milepig
I doubt that you can board an A320 in four minutes under any circumstances.
Been there, done that. Was one of those flights full of tourists without hand luggage.
I used to work at a Gate agent.
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Old Oct 21, 2018, 5:13 pm
  #64  
 
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Originally Posted by 330
I am in my early 20ies and stopped Checking in online. I reserve seats when I book the flight and then go to the airport counter, that is a matter of 60s vs 2-3min online.
Why on earth wouldn't you check in online? An early check-in time makes you far less likely to be involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking. (Having a seat helps too, but check-in time matters.) And if you have status, your chance of a free upgrade is in part based on check-in time.

If you want a paper boarding pass, check in 24 hrs early and select the option to pick up your boarding pass at the airport. ... Or get an electronic one (on your phone) just in case, and still go to the machine and print one out. You can hold more than one boarding pass for yourself for the same flight. Happens all the time when they give a passenger with an electronic pass on their phone a paper pass at the gate, e.g., because they got an upgrade. I've used the pass on my phone after that's happened to me. The electronic one gets updated with the new seat automatically.
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Old Oct 21, 2018, 9:55 pm
  #65  
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Originally Posted by Kannai
An early check-in time makes you far less likely to be involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking. (Having a seat helps too, but check-in time matters.) And if you have status, your chance of a free upgrade is in part based on check-in time.
While what you have said are true, they are not really significant.

AFAICT - UA determines both CPU and IDB priority based highly on status and fare classes. While check-in time is a consideration factor, usually UA does not need to go that far and would be able to pick out the winners/victims just by status and fare classes.
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 1:26 pm
  #66  
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Got my first orange BP today. Flying IAD-VIE in PE on OS. Checked in with UA for my first flight and my mobile BP for the IAD-VIE segment is pumpkin orange and labeled "Basic Economy". Definitely fits the season!
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 3:46 pm
  #67  
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OS flight number, N booking code?
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 3:50 pm
  #68  
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Originally Posted by findark
OS flight number, N booking code?
Yes, sitting in the seat now. Not bad.
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 6:38 pm
  #69  
 
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Originally Posted by LordHamster
Plus it gives the fine folks at BOM airport something to apply 6000 stamps to between checkin and boarding the plane.
BOM or SIN.

I was at SIN the other month and, despite them letting me use an e-kiosk to leave immigration, they insisted that we have paper boarding passes.... They also had to have a stamp on them along w/ my passport.
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 8:10 am
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
This. I've never figured out what problem, exactly, mobile boarding passes are supposed to be solving. The only time I use them is if I've been upgraded since I arrived at the airport and I can't find a kiosk to reprint my boarding pass.

Now, if the scanners were NFC-enabled and you could board based upon your stored MileagePlus card (think Apple Pay), then, maybe. As it stands, it's just not that big of a deal to board using a piece of paper.
Convenience? No need to find a printer or stop by the kiosk/counter. Regardless of how quickly you can fly through the screens, walking directly to security is faster 100% of the time.

I always add my BP to my Apple Wallet so that it's easy to bring up (double tap the home button), and persists even if the UA app decides to take an early/extended lunch break. No downside - for domestic flights. Still get paper BPs for intl flights.
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 9:35 pm
  #71  
 
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Having once been stuck at LAX sitting outside security because the systems were down for a few hours, I always carry a paper boarding pass. I also find it easier when dealing with Clear, but that's just a personal preference.
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 8:26 am
  #72  
 
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Originally Posted by rmannion
I posted in the boarding process thread about how a recent itinerary I had featured a teal-colored boarding pass (both in the app and in Apple Wallet) as opposed to the usual white background in app/navy blue wallet card. Today, I noticed another passenger had an orange colored boarding pass.

Im wondering if anyone knows what the colors signify or if we can try to crowdsource what colors exist and what they correspond to?

For starters, theres the teal color I received. I was in group 1 (platinum). There also exists an orange one, but I dont know what group the passholder was in. Its also possible that the color hinges on something other than or in combination with the boarding group.
On mobile app:
Gold = GS
Teal = 1K/Plat
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 1:22 pm
  #73  
 
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I remember the days PMUA where the color code was as follows

United First ( international) = GOLD
United Business = Silver
United Economy = Blue

Boarding passes and ticket jackets were that color. Ticket jackets were distrusted on international flights only and disappeared around 2003

Later United Economy Plus got gold boarding passes

This later went to all the same color

CO always had blue and gold boarding passes on super thin paper stock. So thin it was pointless.
Ticket jackets disappeared in 2005-2006.
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 2:41 pm
  #74  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
Now, if the scanners were NFC-enabled and you could board based upon your stored MileagePlus card (think Apple Pay), then, maybe. As it stands, it's just not that big of a deal to board using a piece of paper.
Domestic Qantas is this way. I use my physical card to check in with a tap and then drop off my bag that has an RFID baggage tag and connects to my reservation. Use the card to board at the gate, they print out a little chit that verifies my seat and off I go.

Or I can use my phone or print everything.
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 3:36 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by brp1264
BOM or SIN.

I was at SIN the other month and, despite them letting me use an e-kiosk to leave immigration, they insisted that we have paper boarding passes.... They also had to have a stamp on them along w/ my passport.
i guess youve never been to BOM (or any other Indian airport, for that matter). You get checks multiple times, and multiple stamps on everything. Security stamps not just the BP, but also the tag they make you put on each carryon to verify it was checked. The stamps on carry on tags are checked as you board by yet more security personal. Inbound on international, they stamp your passport when you clear immigration, then have someone like 20 feet (if that) from the booths looking for the current entry stamp (usually not easily found since its not typically done anywhere near methodically - its typicaly either on a random empty page not even close to the most recently used page, or stamped halfway over other stamps).

Ive never had close to as many checks in airports in any other countries. Its been a couple of years since Ive been through SIN, which yes, still requires paper BPs (at least did until a couple of years ago), but SIN is still easy/efficient to get through, and doesnt require many checks (even though I dislike security at each gate, but thats another topic).
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